(The Hill) – President Trump on Monday lashed out at the media as journalists reported on the uncertainty around the extent of destruction at Iranian nuclear facilities targeted by U.S. strikes over the weekend.
Trump blasted reporters and executives at CNN, ABC News and NBC News in the aftermath of the U.S. strikes. Multiple news outlets have reported on the damage to the Iranian facilities and the question of whether the sites were completely destroyed, as the president had previously said.
“The sites that we hit in Iran were totally destroyed, and everyone knows it. Only the Fake News would say anything different in order to try and demean, as much as possible — And even they say they were ‘pretty well destroyed!’” Trump posted.
“It never ends with the sleazebags in the Media, and that’s why their Ratings are at an ALL TIME LOW — ZERO CREDIBILITY!” he added.
Trump’s post came as he met in the Situation Room with members of his national security team after Iran fired missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar.
The U.S. on Saturday struck three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Trump described the targets in an address to the nation as “completely and totally obliterated,” something he reiterated in a social media post late Sunday.
But experts have acknowledged it would take time to determine the extent of the damage from U.S. strikes, and some reports raised the possibility that Iran moved some of its enriched uranium away from those sites ahead of the attack.
“Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said Sunday.
The New York Times reported there was evidence Iran had moved equipment and uranium from the Fordow site in recent days, citing two Israeli officials. The Times also cited text messages from the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency indicating Iran had moved its uranium stockpile.
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