Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday rapped CNN, the New York Times and other media that “breathlessly” reported on an early Pentagon assessment of the damage that US airstrikes caused to Iranian nuclear facilities — without noting it takes weeks for a proper assessment.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized his former Fox News colleague Jennifer Griffin as “about the worst, the one who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference Thursday.

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth went on the offensive Thursday, using a press briefing to scold reporters over recent news coverage that put into question the effectiveness of the weekend's strikes on Iran's nuclear program.