Overview
- Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, the president labeled the New York Times “seditious,” derided CNN as “stupid” and an “enemy,” and insisted Iran’s forces have been “decimated.”
- He asserted Iran has “no navy” or “air force” and said U.S. jets can fly over Tehran without being targeted, statements presented as his claims rather than confirmed facts.
- He said a leader from a Middle Eastern country called to urge him not to launch more strikes because Iran was “decimated,” offering no name for the country he referenced.
- He rejected a CNN report that questioned how much damage U.S. strikes caused to Iranian nuclear sites, calling the outcome “obliteration” and praising U.S. pilots and maintenance crews.
- The New York Times published a same‑day editorial arguing the U.S. military had lost its edge after the Iran campaign, and Fox News reported the Times had not responded and CNN declined comment, underscoring an unresolved clash over the war narrative.