United States President Donald Trump on Friday blamed the Democratic Party for leaking a classified intelligence report questioning his administration's claim that recent US air strikes had fully destroyed Iran's nuclear enrichment program.
"The Democrats are the ones who leaked the news on the PERFECT FLIGHT to the Nuclear Facilities in Iran. They must be prosecuted!," Trump posted on Truth Social, angry over the revelation.
The ex-president made the remarks following leaks by CNN and The New York Times citing a top-secret report from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The report said that the raids only had a temporary effect on Iran's nuclear program, pushing it back a few months. The report added that much of Iran's enriched uranium had already been moved before the operation.
On Wednesday, Trump had already attacked both media outlets through his social media platform, blasting their coverage.
"Fake news CNN, and the failing New York Times, have joined together in a pathetic attempt to discredit one of the greatest military actions in the history of the United States. The nuclear facilities in Iran are totally destroyed! Both the Times and CNN are getting Destroyed by the public," he posted.
At a press conference on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denounced the leak, urging those behind it to be held legally responsible.
"Those who leaked the initial assessment regarding the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites must be held responsible for that offense," Leavitt said.
She highlighted the gravitas of the breach, pointing out how few people had access to the information that was leaked.
This administration is determined to make sure that highly classified intelligence is not falling into irresponsible hands and that individuals who enjoy the privilege of reading this top-secret classified information are handling it responsibly," she stated. "Obviously, one individual who had it in their hands, and it was a very small number of people, very small group within our government who read this report. That individual was irresponsible with it.". And we have to get to the bottom of it. And we have to make that process stronger so we can protect our national security and protect the American public.
In the meantime, CIA Director John Ratcliffe backed the White House's position, asserting that U.S. intelligence had assembled "a body of credible evidence" that demonstrated that Iran's nuclear program was hit hard by the airstrikes.
Ratcliffe, without providing specific details, said on Wednesday that the information was obtained from "a historically reliable source/method" and indicated that "several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years."
While it was still uncertain whether or not Ratcliffe's declaration was an official intelligence determination or a personal interpretation of the evidence at hand, his remarks pointed to the ongoing intelligence community review of the efficacy of the strikes on Iran's primary nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Esfahan.
The CIA analysis seemed to contradict previous judgments rendered by the DIA, which stated that significant components of Iran's nuclear program had been battered by the attacks.
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