Trump: Fire NYT, CNN journalists who reported on leaked intel that doubted results of bombing Iran

President Trump called for CNN and The New York Times to fire their journalists who reported on a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency assessment questioning the effectiveness of the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Mr. Trump wrote in all caps on Truth Social: “Fake news reporters from CNN & the New York Times should be fired, immediately!!!”

He added, “Bad people with evil intentions!!!”

Earlier, Mr. Trump said CNN and The New York Times had cause to fire the reporters who wrote about the top secret report, which was a preliminary “low confidence” assessment that the U.S. bombs only set back Iran’s nuclear program by a few months.

“Rumor is that the Failing New York Times and Fake News CNN will be firing the reporters who made up the FAKE stories on the Iran Nuclear sites because they got it so wrong,” he wrote.

“Let’s see what happens?” he said.

The New York Times and CNN have said they stood by their correspondents’ reporting.

The president has disputed the leaked intelligence assessment, saying that the strikes “obliterated” the three Iranian nuclear sites.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also hit back at the news media at a press conference Thursday, saying that reporters used an early intelligence assessment of the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites to sow doubt about the mission’s effectiveness.

Mr. Trump’s decision to launch Operation Midnight Hammer, which Mr. Hegseth called “the most complex and secretive military operation in history,” paved the way for a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel.

“President Trump created the conditions to end the war, decimating, obliterating and destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” Mr. Hegseth said at the press conference.

Mr. Trump praised both Mr. Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine for “one of the greatest, most professional, and most ’confirming’ news conferences ever seen.”

“The Fake News should fire everyone involved in this Witch Hunt, and apologize to our great warriors, and everyone else!”

President Trump also pushed back on reporting that highly enriched uranium was removed from one of Iran’s nuclear sites before the U.S. sent B2 bombers to strike the facility and two others on Saturday.

“The cars and small trucks at the site were those of concrete workers trying to cover up the top of the shafts. Nothing was taken out of facility,” Mr. Trump said. “Would take too long, too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!”

Images captured by the Maxar Satellite firm before the U.S. strikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities showed “unusual” movement near the entrance of Iran’s Fordow enrichment facility on Thursday and Friday, according to Maxar.

“Unusual truck and vehicular activity” was close to the entrance of the underground Fordow complex south of Tehran, according to Maxar.

• Mike Glenn contributed to this story.