‘Normandy? Hiroshima?’ Pete Hegseth Roasted on Social Media for Calling Iran Strikes ‘Most Complex and Secretive’ Military Op in History
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was ruthlessly mocked online for calling the U.S. airstrikes on Iran the “most complex and secretive military operation in history.”
Hegseth on Thursday morning held a press conference to discuss the aftermath of the strikes. In recent days, he and other members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet have disputed a Defense Intelligence Agency report that those strikes — which were intended to neuter Iran’s nuclear capabilities — only set the country back by “months.”
Those reports were based on leaked preliminary intel, but additional reporting in the days following the leak suggested that the damage was actually much more severe. Israeli intelligence even indicated that the nuclear program was set back by years.
During the presser, Hegseth attacked the media — including Fox’s Jennifer Griffin — for their coverage of the leaked intel. Those attacks were accompanied by glowing praise for the strikes carried out in the Middle East.
“Let me read the bottom line here,” Hegseth said. “President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history; and it was a resounding success resulting in a ceasefire agreement and the end of the 12-day war.”
Those comments were widely viewed as hyperbolic, with many on social media pointing to a number of other successful operations in U.S. history.
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