Pete Hegseth praised American military personnel for what he described as a sweeping destruction of Iran’s conventional military capabilities while delivering a blistering attack on media organizations he accused of putting troops at risk through reckless reporting and leaks.

Speaking directly to service members, Hegseth said recent operations had severely damaged Iran’s navy, air force, air defenses, leadership, and defense industrial base.

"These Americans, right here and their peers, have destroyed Iran's navy, destroyed Iran's air force, destroyed their air defense systems, their leadership, and their military industrial capacity, their entire defense base," Hegseth said.

He said the result is that Iran’s conventional military shield has been badly weakened.

"Iran's conventional shield has been crippled, and their nuclear ambitions laid bare for the world," Hegseth said.

Hegseth credited the troops in front of him with playing a direct role in preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

"You, this group, are ensuring that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon," Hegseth said.

He called the operations historic and said Americans should take pride in what the military has accomplished.

"Courageous and historic operations that every red-blooded American is proud of," Hegseth said.

Hegseth then shifted from military achievements to the information war surrounding the conflict. He argued that the media environment has itself become part of the battlefield.

"But as you know, the information space-it's a battle space," Hegseth said.

He accused American media outlets of reporting on the war in a way that, in his view, made Iranian state media appear comparatively restrained.

"Yet our so-called press makes Iranian state media look reasonable," Hegseth said.

His criticism centered on what he described as reporters placing political hostility ahead of operational security.

"Our media's shameful lust for political retribution blinds them to the consequences of reckless so-called reporting," Hegseth said.

He argued that journalists who believe they are attacking President Donald Trump are instead damaging the people carrying out military operations.

"So-called journalists, juiced up on Trump derangement syndrome, think they're fighting against our president, but they're really undermining you, our war fighters," Hegseth said.

Hegseth said he believes political animus has become so intense that some members of the press place opposition to Trump ahead of national loyalty.

"Bottom line: too many of them hate the president more than they love the country," Hegseth said.

He then laid out what he sees as the practical consequences of wartime reporting that exposes sensitive information.

"You see, it's your movements and bases that they reveal to the enemy," Hegseth said.

According to Hegseth, reporting that discloses classified capabilities can jeopardize ongoing military operations.

"It's your operations that they jeopardize when they leak classified capabilities," Hegseth said.

He also accused journalists of putting service members directly in danger by publishing what he described as false information about U.S. munition levels.

"And ultimately, it's your lives they put directly at risk when they lie about munition stockpiles, all for a banner that will scroll on TV for 30 seconds," Hegseth said.

He closed that portion of his remarks with a personal reference to his own experience in television.

"And I know a little bit about banners scrolling on TV for 30 seconds," Hegseth said.

WATCH:

Hegseth’s remarks combined two themes: confidence in the military campaign against Iran and anger toward media coverage he believes threatens the effectiveness and safety of American forces.

His message to the troops was that the military has already achieved major strategic gains by crippling Iran’s conventional capabilities and exposing its nuclear ambitions. At the same time, he warned that information leaks and politically driven reporting can create new risks even after battlefield successes.

For Hegseth, the military fight and the information fight are now inseparable, with operational security and media conduct becoming part of the same broader struggle.

WATCH:

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