US defence secretary Pete Hegseth is held a news conference to respond to an early leaked intelligence report suggesting US strikes against Iran likely put the country back mere months.
President Donald Trump has insisted the US strikes delivered a “devastating” attack and that questioning his assessment of the strike was not only unpatriotic but also makes the pilots who dropped the bombs “very upset.”
The news conference began with Hegseth, a former Fox News host, criticising the media for “hunting for scandals all the time.”
He accused reporters of failing to acknowledge “historic moments” like improved military recruiting and increased spending on European defense by US allies on the continent.
He then shifted to attacking the “fake news” for reporting on a preliminary assessment about the impact of recent US strikes on Iran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday praised what he described as the Islamic Republic’s “victory” over Israel and the United States, warning that Tehran would retaliate if attacked again. His remarks came as the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency stated that recent American strikes had caused severe and lasting damage to Iran’s nuclear program.
“I believe it is necessary to extend congratulations to the great Iranian nation, first and foremost for the victory over the Israeli regime,” Khamenei said in a televised address, his first public statement since the ceasefire with Israel. His remarks were carried by the semi-official Isna news agency.
“Despite all the noise, despite all their claims, the Israeli regime, under the blows of the Islamic Republic, has nearly collapsed and been crushed,” Khamenei declared.
He also hailed what he called a victory over Washington. “The American regime entered open war because it feared that, otherwise, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. Yet they achieved nothing from this war. Once again, the Islamic Republic emerged victorious and delivered a harsh slap to America’s face,” he said.
Khamenei downplayed the impact of recent US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, describing them as insignificant. “There was nothing of significance in the US raids,” he claimed. “Iran will never surrender to the United States. If attacked, we will strike US bases again,” he warned.
CIA says intelligence indicates Iran’s nuclear program severely damaged
However, in Washington, CIA Director John Ratcliffe offered a sharply different assessment. In a statement issued Wednesday, Ratcliffe said a body of credible intelligence suggested Iran’s nuclear infrastructure had suffered substantial, long-term damage from recent US strikes.
“This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source and method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years,” Ratcliffe said.
The address from Khamenei comes after weeks of heightened tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States, which escalated into direct confrontation earlier this month before both sides agreed to a fragile ceasefire.
In a separate development, Iran’s Guardian Council, the country’s top executive body, ratified a bill passed by parliament to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over Tehran’s nuclear programme. The move follows Israel’s recent attacks on Iranian territory and rising tensions with the IAEA’s Argentine director, Rafael Grossi.
The development was reported by Iran International, a media outlet linked to the Iranian opposition abroad, citing statements from a spokesman for the Guardian Council.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei reiterated Tehran’s stance on its nuclear programme. “Iran has the full right, under Article 4 of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and is determined to uphold this right under all circumstances,” Baghaei told Al Jazeera.
He condemned the recent US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, stating they had “destroyed diplomacy” and accused Washington of acting “in collusion with Israel.”
Tensions in the region remain high, with the international community urging restraint and a return to diplomatic channels.
