Classified details about a United States strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities were recently leaked to the media after being shared with congressional leaders. In response, Trump officials announced they will soon secure sensitive files and briefings under lock and key as they work to tighten internal security and prevent further breaches.
White House to limit information to Congress
According to Axios, sources reported that the leak of a preliminary report from the Defense Intelligence Agency’s battle damage assessment sparked anger inside the White House, from President Donald Trump to top officials.
The assessment detailed the U.S. bombings in Iran on Saturday, June 21, and implied they were largely ineffective. Some officials suggest that someone intentionally leaked the document, aiming to undermine Trump’s assertion that the facilities were destroyed.
At the NATO summit this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there’s an investigation underway.
“Of course, we’re doing a leak investigation with the FBI right now because this information is for internal purposes,” Hegseth said on Wednesday, June 25. “Battle damage assessments and CNN and others are trying to spin it to make the president look bad when this was an overwhelming success.”
CAPNET to face limits after classified information goes public
Going forward, sources say the system used to share classified information with Congress, known as CAPNET, will face new restrictions. The initial report was posted there on Monday, June 23, before it appeared in outlets including CNN and The New York Times.
The decision drew criticism from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who said the administration had no right to limit information on matters of national security.
While on the Senate floor, Schumer said, “Senators deserve information, and the administration has a legal obligation to inform Congress precisely about what is happening right now abroad.”
Those news reports detailed that Iran’s uranium stockpile was not entirely destroyed and would only take months to get back to its original capacity. However, Trump said it was completely obliterated and a largely successful mission.
Trump calls mission a success, despite doubts
“The pilots did an unbelievable job like nobody’s ever seen. They hit pay dirt,” the president said.
The report was not based on first-hand accounts from people in Iran who could assess the damage, but instead served as a snapshot taken from satellite imagery.
“It was preliminary. It was low confidence. All right,“ Hegseth said at NATO. “You make assessments based on what you know.”
According to The Washington Post, lawmakers are expected to be briefed by top White House officials, including acting National Security Adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The officials will go over what intelligence shows regarding the findings of the bombing in Iran.
Ratcliffe released a statement confirming credible intelligence proves the mission was a success.
“Several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years,” he said. “CIA continues to collect additional reliably sourced information to keep appropriate decision-makers and oversight bodies fully informed.”
