Iran Strikes Under Scrutiny: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Briefs Congress in Classified Session

 June 26, 2025 – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is conducting a crucial classified briefing with members of the Senate today regarding the recent American military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. The briefing, which was initially delayed from Tuesday, comes amidst heightened congressional scrutiny and conflicting intelligence assessments surrounding the effectiveness of the attacks. A similar classified session for the House of Representatives is scheduled for Friday.

Secretary Hegseth, along with other top national security officials including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is expected to provide senators with detailed intelligence and operational insights into the strikes, which targeted three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend. The classified nature of the briefing is intended to allow for a candid discussion of sensitive information not suitable for public release.

The session is anticipated to be contentious, as many lawmakers, particularly Democrats, have voiced frustration over the Trump administration's decision to authorize the strikes without prior congressional consultation. Questions have also swirled around the actual impact of the attacks, with preliminary intelligence assessments, reported by outlets like CNN and The New York Times, suggesting Iran's nuclear program may only have been set back by a few months, contradicting President Trump's assertions of "total obliteration."

Earlier today, Secretary Hegseth held a combative press conference at the Pentagon where he forcefully defended the strikes as a "resounding success" and launched a blistering attack on media outlets for reporting on the preliminary intelligence assessment. He accused the press of distorting the "low confidence" nature of the report and attempting to undermine President Trump. General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also provided a more measured, technical overview of the sophisticated bunker-buster bombs used and the years of planning that went into the operation.

The classified briefing is seen as an attempt by the administration to unify its message and provide Congress with the intelligence justification for the military action, especially as the Senate is expected to vote this week on a resolution that would require congressional approval for any future military action against Iran. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are seeking greater transparency and accountability regarding the president's war-making authority.

The administration has also initiated an investigation into how the initial classified assessment reached the press, with Hegseth confirming that the Pentagon and FBI are probing the breach, which he called a deliberate attempt to "muddy the waters."