Latest news with #FakeNewsMedia
New Indian Express
20-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Trump reiterates US strikes destroyed Iran's nuke sites, says new facilities 'will be obliterated'
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump warned that any new nuclear facilities that Iran decides to build will be destroyed, while doubling down on the administration's claim that America's military strikes "completely destroyed" three nuclear sites in the West Asian country in June. "All three nuclear sites in Iran were completely destroyed and/or OBLITERATED. It would take years to bring them back into service, and if Iran wanted to do so, they would be much better off starting anew in three different locations prior to those sites being obliterated, should they decide to do so," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. On Thursday, several news outlets reported new intelligence indicating that Iran's nuclear enrichment site in Fordow was mostly destroyed during the June 21 strikes dubbed Operation 'Midnight Hammer', but the two other principal sites, Natanz and Isfahan, were not and could potentially resume enriching uranium if Tehran greenlights it. The White House refuted the report, with Pentagon's chief spokesperson Sean Parnell releasing a statement that read, "The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover." "President Trump was clear, and the American people understand: Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated," it read. Notably, CNN had reported on June 24 that the US intelligence community believed the US strikes had failed to achieve a complete destruction of key components of Tehran's nuclear program. A preliminary US intelligence inquiry suggests the attack likely only set Iran's nuclear weapons program back by several months. This was concluded by the US Defense Intelligence Agency, which noted low confidence in the accuracy of their own assessment.
The Hill
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump doubles down on claim Iran strike ‘completely destroyed' nuclear sites
President Trump is doubling down on the administration's claim that U.S. military strikes 'completely destroyed' Iran's three nuclear sites last month, pushing back against a new assessment reportedly showing that only one of the three facilities was wrecked. 'All three nuclear sites in Iran were completely destroyed and/or OBLITERATED. It would take years to bring them back into service and, if Iran wanted to do so, they would be much better off starting anew, in three different locations, prior to those sites being obliterated, should they decide to do so,' Trump said in a Saturday morning post on Truth Social. A new intelligence assessment, reported by multiple news outlets on Thursday, indicates that Iran's nuclear enrichment site in Fordow was mostly destroyed during the June 21 strikes, but the two other principal sites — Natanz and Isfahan — were not and could potentially resume enriching uranium if Tehran greenlights it. The Defense Department, along with the White House, pushed back on the assessment, contending that the airstrikes, carried out by B-2 bombers and submarines firing Tomahawk cruise missiles, destroyed all three facilities. 'The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover,' the department's chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. 'President Trump was clear and the American people understand: Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated.' 'There is no doubt about that,' he added. Parnell told reporters earlier this month that the Defense Department's intelligence assessments indicated that Iran's nuclear program was degraded by 'one to two years.' The Trump administration strongly criticized news outlets for reporting in June that an early, low-confidence report, compiled shortly after the U.S. strikes by the Defense Intelligence Agency, said that military strikes on the nuclear facilities only set Iran's nuclear program back by months. The U.S. military mission, called Operation Midnight Hammer, was launched on June 21, just days after Israel and Iran began trading blows. Trump said in late June that he would consider bombing Iran's nuclear sites again if U.S. intelligence raised more concerns about Tehran's nuclear enrichment capabilities.
Sky News
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Trump suing Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch for $10bn after Epstein letter report
Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch, two Wall Street Journal reporters and the publication's owner, News Corp. The US president has accused the named individuals of defamation, claiming they acted with malicious intent and caused him overwhelming financial and reputational harm. The lawsuit, which was filed in Miami, seeks at least $10bn (£7.5bn) in damages. In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump called the lawsuit "historic legal action" which he said was filed on behalf of himself and all Americans who will "no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media". "I hope Rupert and his 'friends' are looking forward to the many hours of depositions and testimonies they will have to provide in this case," he wrote. It comes after Mr Trump claimed that a letter he allegedly wrote to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was "fake" and said he would sue the "ass off" Rupert Murdoch, who owns the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which first published the story. The publication had said Mr Trump wrote the letter as part of a collection Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, planned to give him as a 50th birthday present in 2003. It claimed the message, allegedly from Mr Trump, featured several lines of typewritten text, concluding with: "May every day be another wonderful secret." The text was framed by what appeared to be a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman, the WSJ claimed. The letter is also said to have featured the signature "Donald". Mr Trump immediately denied writing the letter when the WSJ report was published on Thursday night. 2:28 "The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein," he wrote on Truth Social. "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I'm going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper." Mr Trump ignored questions about Epstein as he signed a cryptocurrency bill at the White House earlier on Friday. The president's lawsuit comes as the US government filed a motion to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein, who took his own life while awaiting trial in 2019. In a Manhattan federal court filing, the Department of Justice said the criminal cases against Epstein and Maxwell are a matter of public interest, justifying the release of associated grand jury transcripts. Earlier on Friday, Mr Trump said attorney general Pam Bondi had been asked to release the transcripts because of "the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein". The justice department previously said it had around 200 documents relating to Epstein and that the FBI had thousands more. It is unknown how much of this is grand jury testimony, which is typically kept secret under US law. The president has faced increased scrutiny over his alleged friendship with Epstein since his administration's U-turn on the so-called 'Epstein files'. Mr Trump pledged to release files on Epstein during his presidential campaign, as his MAGA movement accused the Biden administration of suppressing the extent of Epstein's paedophilia, predatory behaviour and his so-called "client list" - thought to contain names of the rich and famous who conspired with him in his child sex trafficking operation. But after a review of the evidence the US government has, the Justice Department recently determined that no "further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted".
Sky News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch for $10bn after Epstein letter report
Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch, two Wall Street Journal reporters and the publication's owner, News Corp. The US president has accused the named individuals of defamation, claiming they acted with malicious intent and caused him overwhelming financial and reputational harm. The lawsuit, which was filed in Miami, seeks at least $10bn (£7.5bn) in damages. In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump called the lawsuit "historic legal action" which was filed on behalf of himself and all Americans who he said will "no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media". "I hope Rupert and his 'friends' are looking forward to the many hours of depositions and testimonies they will have to provide in this case," he wrote. It comes after Mr Trump claimed that a letter he allegedly wrote to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was "fake" and said he would sue the "ass off" Rupert Murdoch, who owns the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which first published the story. The publication had said Mr Trump wrote the letter as part of a collection Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, planned to give him as a 50th birthday present in 2003. It claimed the message, allegedly from Mr Trump, featured several lines of typewritten text, concluding with: "May every day be another wonderful secret." The text was framed by what appeared to be a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman, the WSJ claimed. The letter is also said to have featured the signature "Donald". Mr Trump immediately denied writing the letter when the WSJ report was published on Thursday night. 2:28 "The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein," he wrote on Truth Social. "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I'm going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper." Mr Trump ignored questions about Epstein as he signed a cryptocurrency bill at the White House earlier on Friday. The president's lawsuit comes as the US government filed a motion to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein, who took his own life while awaiting trial in 2019. In a Manhattan federal court filing, the Department of Justice said the criminal cases against Epstein and Maxwell are a matter of public interest, justifying the release of associated grand jury transcripts. Earlier on Friday, Mr Trump said attorney general Pam Bondi had been asked to release the transcripts because of "the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein". The justice department previously said it had around 200 documents relating to Epstein and that the FBI had thousands more. It is unknown how much of this is grand jury testimony, which is typically kept secret under US law. The president has faced increased scrutiny over his alleged friendship with Epstein since his administration's U-turn on the so-called 'Epstein files'. Mr Trump pledged to release files on Epstein during his presidential campaign, as his MAGA movement accused the Biden administration of suppressing the extent of Epstein's paedophilia, predatory behaviour and his so-called "client list" - thought to contain names of the rich and famous who conspired with him in his child sex trafficking operation. But after a review of the evidence the US government has, the Justice Department recently determined that no "further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted". Venezuela releases jailed Americans in prisoner swap The Trump administration said on Friday that it had negotiated an exchange with Venezuela, resulting in the release of 10 jailed Americans. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the prisoners, who had been held in the South American country, were "on their way to freedom". In return, 252 Venezuelan migrants being held in El Salvador have been freed, the Venezuelan government said.
Miami Herald
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Iran's Military Leaders Threaten to Resume War
Iran's military leaders are warning the world that their forces are fully prepared to restart the war with Israel at any moment. Even though a fragile ceasefire brokered by the U.S. has paused the recent 12-day conflict, Tehran says it will not back down or show mercy if attacked again, raising tensions across the region. Newsweek has reached out the State Department and Iran's foreign ministry for comment. The renewed warnings from Iran's top commanders come as Israel signals that the recent fighting may not be over. With the U.S. pushing for diplomacy while keeping military options on the table, the Middle East remains on edge. How Iran responds next could shift the fragile balance between confrontation and peace. Major General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said his forces are "fully prepared to resume combat from exactly where it stopped." Speaking during a meeting with Iran's Army chief, Major General Amir Hatami, Pakpour stressed that "the aggressors will not be spared" and praised the unity and determination of the Iranian people. He added that Iran will respond with full force only if war becomes necessary. Meanwhile, The Trump administration is pushing back against a new intelligence assessment that contradicts President Donald Trump's repeated claims that U.S. airstrikes "obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities last month. According to five current and former U.S. officials familiar with the assessment, NBC News reported that while Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment site was mostly destroyed in the U.S. military operation, the Isfahan and Natanz sites may have only been set back by months and could resume operations. In response, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted on X, "False. The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities." As questions swirl around the long-term impact of the strikes, Iran's foreign minister warned that any return to nuclear talks would only happen under terms Tehran views as fair and balanced. Following a call with his counterparts from France, Britain, Germany, and the EU's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pushed back on Western pressure for a deal by the end of August, saying it was the U.S.—not Iran—that walked away from diplomacy. "It was the US that withdrew from a two-year negotiated deal, coordinated by the EU in 2015, not Iran," Araghchi posted on X. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell: "The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover." IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour: "Our forces are fully prepared to resume combat from exactly where it stopped. The aggressors will not be spared." Israel's Military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir: "The campaign against Iran is not over. We are entering a new phase." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: "It was the US that withdrew from a two-year negotiated deal -coordinated by EU in 2015- not Iran; and it was US that left the negotiation table in June this year and chose a military option instead, not Iran." The ceasefire has paused the fighting, but tensions remain high. Iran's commanders say they are ready to resume hostilities if provoked, while Israel says the conflict is unfinished. The U.S. is pushing for renewed nuclear talks but continues to threaten further strikes. Tehran says it will only return to negotiations under fair terms and rejects Western pressure. With diplomacy stalled and both sides digging in, the risk of renewed conflict remains dangerously real. Related Articles Iran Responds to Massive US Weapons BustDad Awaiting Green Card Arrested by ICE as He Drops Off Kid at PreschoolIran Gets Diplomatic Boost in Challenge to USU.S. Spy Plane Tracked Near Iran 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
