Karoline Leavitt triggered over report suggesting Trump exaggerated Iran strike impact
In a sharp rebuttal to a recent media report, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt firmly challenged the credibility of an intercepted communication between Iranian officials that appeared to contradict Trump’s claims about the effectiveness of U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The controversy emerged after The Washington Post published a story on Sunday revealing the existence of signals intelligence suggesting that Iranian officials privately questioned the extent of damage caused by the recent American military operation.
According to sources familiar with the intelligence, the intercepted conversation featured Iranian government figures speculating on why the strike—authorized by Trump—did not appear to be as devastating as anticipated.
“The communication, intended to be private, included Iranian government officials speculating as to why the strikes directed by President Donald Trump were not as destructive and extensive as they anticipated.”
President Trump has previously asserted that the attack had effectively “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear weapons program—a claim now being scrutinized in light of the leaked intelligence.
Leavitt, responding directly to the article, acknowledged that the call had indeed been intercepted but forcefully rejected any suggestion that it undermined Trump’s statements.
“It’s shameful that The Washington Post is helping people commit felonies by publishing out-of-context leaks,” she said in a statement. “The notion that unnamed Iranian officials know what happened under hundreds of feet of rubble is nonsense. Their nuclear weapons program is over.”
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A senior U.S. intelligence official also weighed in, cautioning against drawing broad conclusions from a single intercepted call.
“One slice of signals intelligence on its own does not reflect the full intelligence picture,” the official said. “A single phone call between unnamed Iranians is not the same as an intelligence assessment, which takes into account a body of evidence, with multiple sources and methods.”
The report has sparked debate over the transparency and accuracy of Trump’s portrayal of the military action’s success, while also raising concerns about the selective leaking and interpretation of classified intelligence.