Hegseth is providing Trump with false reports on operation in Iran, - Washington Post
The Trump administration is concerned that statements by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding the operation in Iran are "overly optimistic" and risk misinforming the public and the president.
This is reported by The Washington Post, according to Censor.NET.
Details
The chaotic but successful rescue mission of the pilots of the F-15E fighter jet shot down by Iran served as the clearest evidence that Hegseth’s repeated claims of air superiority are cause for serious concern.
"Pete is not speaking truth to the president. As a result, the president is out there repeating misleading information," said one of the officials in the U.S. presidential administration.
The head of the Pentagon has claimed for weeks that Iran has "no air defenses" and could do "nothing" about U.S. air incursions,
During a press conference, Trump stated that an American F-15 fighter jet had been shot down by a heat-seeking missile.
"He got lucky. It was a lucky hit," Trump said.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called scrutiny of Hegseth’s public messaging "lies and propaganda."
What is the White House saying?
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly rejected any assertion that Hegseth has misinformed the president.
"He has always had the full picture of the conflict. Nothing has surprised him or our military planners, who were prepared for any possible contingency," she added.
U.S. officials say that Hegseth's statements about the course of the operation go beyond his claims of U.S. air superiority.
One of the main points of controversy is Hegseth's comments regarding the U.S.'s successful efforts to destroy Iran's missile and drone programs, which pose the most serious threat to American and Israeli assets in the region, according to sources.
Sources also claim that more than half of the country’s missile launchers remain intact, and Iran’s arsenal still holds thousands of drones.
Meanwhile, on March 31, Hegseth told reporters that the number of Iranian missile and drone launches had fallen to its lowest level since the start of the operation. This was presented as evidence that U.S. and Israeli strikes were degrading Iran’s ability to withstand attacks.
Administration officials said Hegseth’s claims were not accurate.
What preceded it?
- Earlier, media outlets reported that Iran and the U.S. had emerged from a critical phase: a ceasefire could be reached within the hour. Subsequently,
- Trump announced his willingness to pause strikes against Iran for two weeks. Israel expressed its support.
- Vice President JD Vance is serving as the chief mediator for the U.S. side in the negotiation process.
- For its part, Iran has declared a two-week ceasefire with the U.S. and is opening the Strait of Hormuz. But there is a condition.
