Donald Trump lashed out at The New York Times on Tuesday, accusing the newspaper of "virtual TREASON" and "aiding and abetting the enemy" after a report citing classified intelligence assessments claimed Iran has restored much of its missile infrastructure despite months of U.S. and Israeli military operations under Operation Epic Fury.
The extraordinary public attack followed a Times report asserting that Iran has regained access to 30 of its 33 missile facilities along the Strait of Hormuz and restored roughly 70% of its missile launchers and missile stockpile. The assessments reportedly also found that about 90% of Iran's underground missile storage and launch facilities are now "partially or fully operational."
The findings directly contradicted months of triumphant rhetoric from the White House and Pentagon, where Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly portrayed the February 2026 strikes as a crippling blow that rendered Iran militarily ineffective for years.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump reacted furiously to the reporting. "When the Fake News says that the Iranian enemy is doing well, militarily, against us, it's virtual TREASON in that it is such a false, and even preposterous, statement," the president wrote.
"They are aiding and abetting the enemy!" Trump added. "All it does is give Iran false hope when none should exist. These are American cowards that are rooting against our Country."
Trump then doubled down on his administration's position that Iran's military capacity had effectively been erased. "Iran had 159 ships in their Navy - Every single ship is now resting at the bottom of the sea," he claimed. "They have no Navy, their Air Force is gone, all Technology is gone, their 'leaders' are no longer with us, and the Country is an Economic Disaster."
The confrontation underscores a widening gap between the administration's public narrative and a growing stream of leaked intelligence assessments suggesting Tehran remains far more operationally resilient than officials initially claimed.
Earlier reports from CNN and The Wall Street Journal had already raised doubts about the extent of Iran's military losses. A classified assessment circulated in April reportedly concluded that roughly half of Iran's missile launchers survived the initial strikes and that Tehran retained access to thousands of drones capable of regional attacks.
One source familiar with that intelligence told CNN Iran remained "very much poised to wreak absolute havoc throughout the entire region."
The Wall Street Journal later reported that Iran continued to maintain access to significant underground ballistic missile reserves, despite repeated White House assertions that the country's strategic capabilities had been "decimated."
Hegseth had previously insisted Iran's "missile program is functionally destroyed, launchers, production facilities, and existing stockpiles depleted and decimated and almost completely ineffective." He also declared that "Iran's air force has been wiped out."
Additional intelligence leaks have further complicated the administration's message. According to reporting by The Washington Post, a recent CIA analysis suggested Iran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for at least three to four months before facing severe economic distress.
A U.S. official cited by the Post warned that Iran's leadership had become "more radical, determined, and increasingly confident they can outlast U.S. political will and sustain domestic repression to check any resistance."
The White House, however, has shown no sign of moderating its public stance. Spokesperson Olivia Wales reiterated to the Daily Beast that Iran had been "crushed militarily."
"Their ballistic missiles are destroyed, their production facilities are dismantled, their navy is sunk, and their proxies are weakened," Wales said. She added that Iran was losing "$500 million per day" under the U.S. blockade and argued that "President Trump holds all the cards as negotiators work to make a deal."
Wales also rejected suggestions Iran had rebuilt substantial military capacity. "Anyone who thinks Iran has reconstituted its military is either delusional or a mouthpiece of the IRGC," she said.
At the Pentagon, officials similarly moved to defend Operation Epic Fury and condemn the reporting that triggered Trump's outburst. Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez told the Daily Beast it was "so disgraceful that The New York Times and others are acting as public relations agents for the Iranian regime in order to paint Operation Epic Fury as anything other than a historic accomplishment."
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell separately praised U.S. forces and stated the military "has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President's choosing."
