Hegseth, General Caine monitoring Iran from Mar-a-Lago: RTRS

Hegseth, General Caine monitoring Iran from Mar-a-Lago: RTRS

Hegseth and General Caine Address Iran Nuclear Strikes Amid Intelligence Discrepancies

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine provided detailed insights into the June 22 airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during a Pentagon briefing, though they avoided confirming the operation's long-term impact on Iran's nuclear program. The strikes, codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, were defended as a decisive action to disrupt Iran's nuclear capabilities, with Hegseth citing CIA and Israeli intelligence to assert the attacks "severely damaged" the program. Caine, meanwhile, deferred questions about damage assessments to the intelligence community, emphasizing the need for objective analysis.

A preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report, however, suggested the strikes only delayed Iran's nuclear progress by a few months, contradicting more optimistic assessments from the CIA and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The DIA's low-confidence assessment, based on satellite imagery and signals intelligence, noted that Iran may have relocated enriched uranium stockpiles prior to the strikes. This discrepancy has fueled concerns about the politicization of intelligence, with critics accusing the Trump administration of prioritizing political messaging over factual clarity.

Hegseth, in his second Pentagon press conference, criticized media coverage of the administration and framed the strikes as part of broader efforts to strengthen U.S. military readiness. His combative tone and alignment with Trump's narrative have drawn scrutiny, particularly as the administration faces allegations of sidelining dissenting intelligence assessments and delaying congressional briefings.

The situation underscores the challenges of evaluating military operations in real time, with conflicting intelligence assessments likely to persist until further technical evaluations are completed. For now, the financial markets and investors remain attuned to geopolitical risks, with oil prices and regional stability factors closely monitored as developments unfold.

(https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/us/politics/iran-hegseth-caine.html): New York Times, 2025
(https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/us/politics/iran-hegseth-caine.html): Just Security, 2025