Karoline Leavitt accuses media of ‘doing PR for Iran’ amid reports challenging US military success

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted a report suggesting Iran’s military remains more intact than the administration has claimed, accusing the press of shilling for Tehran.

Leavitt took aim at coverage that undermines the administration’s narrative. “The legacy media is doing PR for the Iranian regime... again,” she said in a post shared on X.

She credited President Donald Trump for what she described as a swift dismantling of Iran’s military strength. “The truth is that under President Trump’s leadership, the US military decimated the Iranian regime’s capabilities in just 38 days,” she said.

“Iran’s defense industrial base was almost completely destroyed. Iran’s ability to build and stockpile ballistic missiles and long-range drones has been set back by years. The vast majority of Iran’s ballistic missiles, launcher vehicles, and long-range attack drones were destroyed. The Iranian navy was annihilated, with more than 150 of their ships sunk. And Iran’s air forces are functionally and operationally irrelevant now," Leavitt added.

Her criticism was reportedly directed at a CBS News report that painted a far less definitive picture.

Citing multiple US officials, the outlet said roughly half of Iran’s ballistic missile stockpile and its launch systems were still intact at the start of the ceasefire in early April.

US intelligence contradicts Trump admin claims on Iran military damage

As the Trump administration touts a near-total takedown, intelligence officials have been more cautious in their public assessments.

At a House Armed Services Subcommittee hearing on April 16, Lt Gen James Adams warned lawmakers that Iran still poses a serious threat.

“Despite significant degradation of Iranian military capabilities through coalition strikes in Operation Epic Fury, Tehran retains thousands of missiles and one-way attack UAVs capable of threatening US and partner forces throughout the region,” Adams said.

That assessment aligns with other reports suggesting Iran’s arsenal is damaged, but far from wiped out.

According to US officials cited by CBS News, about 60 percent of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ naval arm remains in place. The same officials said roughly two-thirds of Iran’s air force is still operational.

There were also signs of continued activity on the ground. Several ships in the Strait of Hormuz were reportedly attacked by Iranian gunboats.

Officials further told CBS that nearly half of Iran’s ballistic missile stockpile and launch systems were still intact at the beginning of the ceasefire.

Meanwhile, NBC News reported that the Pentagon’s internal intelligence arm informed lawmakers that Iran continues to maintain “significant military capability,” including thousands of missiles and one-way attack drones.

Pentagon calls Iran strikes ‘historic victory’ as Trump touts military success

Despite the conflicting claims, top administration officials have stuck to a victory-lap narrative around Operation Epic Fury.

“We've taken out their navy, we've taken out their air force, we've taken out their leaders,” Trump said. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the operation a decisive triumph.

"Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield, a capital V military victory," Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing on April 8, shortly after Trump declared a ceasefire with Iran.

He added, "By any measure, Epic Fury decimated Iran's military and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come."

Last week, Trump claimed Iran’s navy was “laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated,” aside from a fleet of “fast attack ships” that the US military does not consider a threat.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also touted the scale of the campaign, noting that more than 13,000 Iranian targets had been struck.

"In less than 40 days, the United States military delivered a crippling series of blows to the Iranian regime," he said.

Parnell added that 92% of the Iranian Navy’s largest vessels and about 44 minelayers had been destroyed, calling it “the largest elimination of a navy over a three-week period since World War II.”

He added, “Secretary Hegseth could not be prouder of our warfighters' resolve, and mainstream media's obsession with discounting their efforts is telling.”