Trump Threatens Legal Action Against Journalists Over Leaked Iran Strike Report

Former President Donald Trump has announced he is considering forcing journalists to reveal their sources behind a leaked U.S. intelligence report on recent military strikes against Iran. In a Sunday interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, Trump dismissed the report’s findings and warned that reporters and whistleblowers who refuse to cooperate could face prosecution.

The leaked intelligence assessment, circulated among lawmakers and officials, suggests that the June 21 airstrikes only temporarily slowed Iran’s nuclear program. It concluded the damage was less severe than the White House publicly claimed. While the strikes delayed Iran’s nuclear progress by several months, they did not destroy key nuclear facilities or uranium stockpiles.

Trump rejected these conclusions, insisting the attacks “obliterated” important Iranian nuclear sites. He accused Democratic lawmakers and major news organizations like CNN and The New York Times of leaking classified information. Trump described the leaks as “unpatriotic” and said reporters should be compelled to disclose their sources.

“You have to do that,” Trump said. “You go up and tell the reporter, ‘National security, who gave it?’ I expect we’ll be doing things like that.”

When asked who might be prosecuted, Trump replied, “You can find out  if they wanted, they could find out easily.”

Trump’s legal team has also sent a letter to The New York Times demanding a retraction and apology for an article they described as “false,” “defamatory,” and harmful to the president’s reputation.

In response to the U.S. strikes, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused Trump of exaggerating the success to “cover up the truth.” Khamenei claimed the strikes “could not do anything” to stop Iran’s nuclear program.

This dispute highlights the ongoing tension between government secrecy and press freedom. In the U.S., journalists generally have protection against revealing confidential sources, known as reporter’s privilege. However, there are exceptions, especially in cases involving national security.

As Trump insists on the success of the strikes and threatens legal action against the press, the situation raises important questions about transparency, accountability, and freedom of the press in America. The coming weeks will reveal how this conflict between the government and the media unfolds.