Pentagon Launches Investigation into Leak of U.S. Strikes on Iran

The Pentagon, together with the FBI, has begun investigating the circumstances of leaks to the media regarding U.S. strikes on Iran. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shared this information at the NATO summit in The Hague, reports BELTA citing TASS.

"Of course, we are conducting an investigation into the leak in conjunction with the FBI right now, because this information was intended for internal purposes—to assess the damage caused—and CNN and other media outlets are trying to spin it to create a negative impression of the president," said the Pentagon chief. He added that the published report on the strikes on Iran was "only a preliminary assessment of the operation" in Iran.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump stated at the NATO summit that the U.S. was able to completely destroy Iran's nuclear facilities. He also criticized American media reports suggesting otherwise.

Earlier, several U.S. media outlets, including CNN, citing a report from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, reported that the American strikes on Iran's nuclear sites did not destroy the main components of the nuclear program. According to an initial assessment by U.S. intelligence, the strike only "set back" the development of the nuclear program by several months. Later, the White House refuted these reports. Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steven Whitworth, stated that such leaks constitute "treason" and must be investigated.