'They should be prosecuted': Trump accuses Democrats of leaking intel on Iran strike; White House calls it 'crime'
Democrats were responsible for the intelligence leak suggesting ineffective strikes against Iran, US President
Donald Trump
claimed, and called for their "prosecution."
The administration has directed the FBI to identify the source who leaked the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) report that indicated American attacks had not destroyed Tehran's nuclear capabilities.
The Trump administration believed that the source holds a personal grievance against the president.
"The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information on the perfect flight to the nuclear sites in Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "They should be prosecuted!"
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth held a notable press conference, stating he hadn't encountered evidence suggesting Iran relocated its enriched uranium before the bombing, contradicting the leaked intelligence.
Addressing the media's coverage of the leaked damage assessment, the defence secretary indicated the US operation had effectively concealed the bomb-making materials.
Intelligence reports indicate that 400kg of highly-enriched uranium was moved from Fordow nuclear base to an undisclosed secure location before the attack.
Israeli officials informed The New York Times about Iran's recent transfer of equipment and uranium from Fordow.
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Operation Midnight Hammer on Saturday involved seven B-2 bombers launching bunker-busting bombs at fortified facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Security sources indicated preliminary assessments showed Iran had removed nuclear materials from Fordow before the weekend operations.
At the Pentagon briefing, Hegseth praised the US operation but provided limited details about its effectiveness.
"I'm not aware of any intelligence that I've reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be moved or otherwise," Hegseth stated, after avoiding previous questions.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt admitted the information that was leaked was "top secret intelligence."
" The FBI is looking for the leaker, so you'll have to ask them in the Department of Justice in terms of this investigation. But, you know, leaking top secret classified intelligence is a crime and people need to be held accountable for that crime," she said at the presser on Thursday.
"This administration wants to ensure that classified intelligence is not ending up in irresponsible hands and that people who have the privilege of viewing this top secret classified information are being responsible with it. And unfortunately, clearly someone who had their hands on this and it was a very few people, a very few number of people in our government who saw this report, that person was irresponsible with it, and we need to get to the bottom of it and we need to strengthen that process to protect our national security and protect the American public ," she added.
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