Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

US Officials Claims Defense Secretary Misled Trump, Public on Iran War


(MENAFN) US officials have indicated that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s evaluations following US and Israeli strikes on Iran gave an inaccurate picture to both the public and President Donald Trump, according to reports.

Sources familiar with the matter said Hegseth’s analysis of the situation in Iran was “overly optimistic” and failed to align with the actual conditions on the ground.

“Pete is not speaking truth to the president,” one official stated, adding: “As a result, the president is out there repeating misleading information.”

Tensions reportedly increased within the administration after Iran shot down a US F-15 fighter jet, prompting rescue operations and calling earlier assertions by Hegseth—that Iran had “no air defenses”—into question.

President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that a shoulder-fired heat-seeking missile brought down the F-15 while it was over Iranian territory.

Military analyst Kelly Grieco, speaking to reports, noted that although the US has heavily weakened Iran’s navy, air force, and fixed missile and radar positions, the jet’s destruction illustrates what occurs “when you have air superiority but don’t have air supremacy.”

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