Pentagon Pete Dodges Hard Questions After Intel Leak Shows Trump’s Iran Bombing Blitz Failed

The Pentagon’s Pete Hegseth found himself in a tight spot Tuesday when confronted about a leaked intelligence assessment showing that Iran’s race to build a nuclear weapon has not slowed despite President Trump’s aggressive bombing campaigns. Reuters reported that Tehran remains roughly a year away from assembling a bomb, unchanged since the U.S. first struck Iranian facilities last June.

Pressed by reporters on how the timeline could remain steady “after so much bombing,” Hegseth refused to engage with the substance. Instead, he deflected, saying, “We don’t discuss the specifics about intel,” and accused the questioner of speculation. “I can’t confirm or deny whether that is, indeed, correct,” he added, before dismissing the inquiry as invented.

This intel leak is a major blow to Trump, who since last summer has boasted that his airstrikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The president escalated the campaign in late February with another wave of bombings, yet his own intelligence agencies now conclude that Tehran’s nuclear clock has barely budged.

Hegseth pivoted to defending the initial strikes, touting Operation Midnight Hammer as unprecedented and claiming Trump “ripped up the terrible deal that would have given [Iran] a bomb.” He framed Iran’s nuclear program as following a “North Korea strategy,” building a missile umbrella to deter attacks while secretly advancing nuclear weapons.

“We’re watching it right now and ultimately feel good about the fact that the end state will ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth insisted, though his shaky performance betrayed uncertainty.

This comes amid a fragile truce brokered by Pakistan in April, with Trump sending mixed signals—alternating between dismissing Iranian demands like ending the naval blockade and paying war reparations, and then touting “very positive discussions” on his social media platform.

The Pentagon and White House have yet to comment further on the leaked assessment. But the episode exposes the gap between Trump’s bluster and the reality on the ground, highlighting the limits of his administration’s hawkish approach to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.