Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Syria's Foreign Ministry: We welcome the US and Arab efforts aimed at resolving the current crisis peacefully.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the conflicting parties agreed on the specific steps to end the hostilities in Syria, adding that the situation is expected to be resolved tonight.
Israeli media outlet: One soldier killed and two seriously injured when a tank was targeted with an explosive device east of Gaza
Israeli fighter jets targeted the Mezzeh military airport and the Moadamiyeh al-Sham mountains with several airstrikes.
Israeli fighter jets targeted the 100th Regiment in the vicinity of the Qatana area in the southwestern Damascus countryside.
The counterterrorism unit in Kurdistan Iraq says a kamikaze drone hit the US' Hand Oil field in the Baadari area of Dohuk governorate.
Israeli occupation army: Air raid sirens sounded in various areas after a missile was detected from Yemen
Hezbollah: Experience has proven that this enemy does not respect covenants, does not abide by any agreements, and only grasps the language of force
Hezbollah: This aggression is nothing but a new episode in the enemy's plans to invade countries and sow discord and divisions among the people of one nation
Hezbollah: The aggression against Syria is a continuation of the series of attacks carried out against Lebanon, Palestine, and Yemen

Trump plans tighter intel curbs after Iran strike impact leak: Axios

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Axios
  • 25 Jun 2025 23:29
  • 3 Shares
3 Min Read

A senior White House official says there is now a "war on leakers."

Listen
  • x
  • Trump to curb classified briefings to Congress after Iran leak: Axios
    US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. (AP)

The Trump administration plans to restrict how classified information is shared with Congress after a leaked report suggested that recent US bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities were less effective than President Trump had claimed, four sources told Axios.

The leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) “Battle Damage Assessment,” shared via CAPNET, a classified system used to brief lawmakers, indicated Iran’s nuclear program was only set back by months, not "obliterated" as Trump stated.

The leaked report indicated that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed and that the centrifuges remain largely "intact", concluding that the US strikes set back Iran's nuclear program by only a few months, at most, according to two of the people familiar with the assessment.

'War on leakers'

A senior White House official reported Wednesday that there was now a "war on leakers."

Related News

US House passes Trump’s $3.9T 'One Big, Beautiful Bill'

Democrats blast Trump for unapproved strike on Iran

The leak sparked outrage in the White House and prompted an FBI investigation. Officials claimed that the early DIA report was incomplete, based only on satellite imagery, and acknowledged its own “low confidence”. Trump allies argue the leak was politically motivated and undermined the administration’s message.

“We are declaring a war on leakers,” said a senior White House official, who confirmed efforts are underway to tighten access to intelligence and prevent what they called “Deep State” interference. Officials pointed to the immediate leak after the document’s release on CAPNET as justification for scaling back congressional access.

The decision comes amid existing tensions with Democrats, who were already frustrated by a lack of pre-strike briefings. Further restrictions are likely to inflame those concerns. Still, administration officials remain defiant. “There’s no reason to do this again,” one said.

Trump, Hegseth admit inconclusivity over Iran nuclear damage

Trump, speaking at a NATO summit, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, downplayed the leaked assessment, insisting the strikes had caused “very significant” damage, echoing early claims by Israeli intelligence.

“The intelligence says we don’t know. It could’ve been very severe. That’s what the intelligence suggests," he said, though he quickly reverted to his earlier rhetoric, repeating, “There was obliteration.”

Trump even compared the strikes on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz sites, where massive bunker-buster bombs were used, to the US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Hegseth, who previously declared Iran’s nuclear ambitions had been “obliterated", also softened his tone, now describing the damage as “moderate to severe.” He pledged an FBI investigation into the Pentagon leak while dismissing parts of the leaked material as “false".

"All this stuff about the intelligence: This is what a leaker is telling you the intelligence says," Rubio said. "That's the game these people play. They read it and then they go out and characterize it the way they want to characterize it."

  • Donald Trump
  • Congress
  • Iran
  • Tehran
  • Axios
  • FBI
  • Fordow nuclear facility
  • Fordow
War on Iran

War on Iran

Most Read

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025
An Israeli soldier abandons an excavator during an ambush by al-Qassam Brigades. Arabic text reads "The moment the soldier fled", July, 10, 2025 (Al Qassam Military Media)

Israeli media rue al-Qassam footage, alarmed by fighters among troops

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after an Iranian attack at the al Udeid Airbase outside of Doha, Qatar, June 25, 2025 (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Satellite images show Iran attack damaged US comms dome in Qatari base

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
Ukraine’s Corporate Carve-Up Collapses?

Ukraine’s Corporate Carve-Up Collapses?

  • Analysis
  • 11 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Khamenei: Iran holds powerful strategic cards
Politics

Sayyed Khamenei: Iran holds powerful strategic cards

New cars are parked in the port of the southern city of Umm el Rashrash, near the border with Egypt, Occupied Palestine, February 15, 2012 (AFP)
Politics

Eilat Port shut down due to debts, Red Sea blockade

Smoke rises after and Israeli drone launched an airstrike on the entrance of the Syrian Ministry of Defense, Damascus, Syria, July, 16, 2025 (social media)
Politics

'Israel' hits Syrian military HQ in Damascus, strikes Sweida

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi gestures to the media as he walks between meetings during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur Friday, July 11, 2025 (AP)
Politics

China backs Iran’s nuclear rights, calls for diplomacy over force

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS