President Donald Trump lashed out at CNN and The New York Times on Tuesday, accusing both outlets of pushing false claims about the U.S. bombing campaign on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“FAKE NEWS CNN, TOGETHER WITH THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE TEAMED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY. THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! BOTH THE TIMES AND CNN ARE GETTING SLAMMED BY THE PUBLIC!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
His furious response came after CNN published a report citing a preliminary assessment from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). According to the report, the U.S. strikes failed to destroy Iran’s key nuclear infrastructure. Sources told CNN that the core components—including centrifuges used to enrich uranium—were still intact, and Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles had been moved before the attack.
CNN said the intelligence assessment suggested Iran’s nuclear program may only have been delayed “a few months tops,” contradicting Trump’s repeated claims of total destruction.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected that narrative, telling CNN: “Our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons. The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran.” He said claims that the strikes failed are part of an effort to “undermine the president and the successful mission.”
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, backed that up in an interview with Fox News, focusing on the strike on Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility.
“We put 12 bunker buster bombs on Fordo. There’s no doubt that it breached the canopy… and there’s no doubt that it was obliterated. So the reporting out there that in some way suggests that we did not achieve the objective is just completely preposterous!” he said.
But arms control experts expressed doubt. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, told Newsweek the strikes might cause a temporary delay but could ultimately push Iran closer to pursuing a nuclear weapon.
“Military strikes alone cannot destroy Iran’s nuclear knowledge… It would strengthen its resolve to reconstitute sensitive nuclear activities and possibly leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty altogether.”
The clash over the narrative comes as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran took effect early Tuesday after nearly two weeks of fighting. Both sides agreed not to resume hostilities unless provoked. However, tensions quickly resurfaced.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz accused Iran of violating the truce and ordered fresh strikes. Iran denied the accusation and warned of a strong response to any new attacks.
