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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday forcefully rejected a NCS report that stated President Donald Trump’s nationwide safety group was unprepared for the chance Iran would transfer to shut the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. strikes.
“This story is 100% FAKE NEWS,” Leavitt wrote on X, accusing NCS of counting on nameless sources and defending the administration’s planning for such a situation.
Leavitt stated the Pentagon had deliberate for a attainable Iranian closure of the strait for many years and stated the menace had been a part of the administration’s planning earlier than Operation Epic Fury started.
“The idea that chairman Cain and Secretary Hegseth weren’t prepared for this possibility is PREPOSTEROUS,” she continued.
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“The President was fully briefed on it, and a goal of the Operation itself, to annihilate the terrorist Iranian regime’s navy, missiles, drone production infrastructure, and other threat capabilities is quite literally intended to deprive them of their ability to close the Strait.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions throughout a news briefing within the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House March 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The Strait of Hormuz has change into a focus within the battle as a result of roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments cross by means of the waterway.
NCS reported Thursday that Trump’s nationwide safety group “failed to fully account for the potential consequences of what some officials have described as a worst-case scenario now facing the administration.”
The report cited nameless sources “familiar with the matter.”
A navy vessel sails on March 1, 2026, by means of the Strait of Hormuz, a significant waterway by means of which a lot of the world’s oil and gasoline passes. (Sahar Al Attar/AFP by way of Getty Images)
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Leavitt’s criticism was echoed by Republican lawmakers and administration officers who referred to as the NCS report false.
“As chairman of the Intelligence Committee, let me make clear: whoever leaked this lied,” Sen. Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote on X. “NCS should do some fact-checking.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth additionally blasted the report throughout remarks on the Pentagon Friday, calling it “more fake news from NCS” and “patently ridiculous.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks through the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference on the U.S. Southern Command Headquarters March 5, 2026, in Doral, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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“For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage,” he added. “NCS doesn’t think we thought of that.”
NCS issued a clarification to the story on Friday, which stated, “This story has been updated to reflect additional developments and clarify that top Trump administration officials briefed lawmakers on long-standing military plans to address a major disruption to the Strait, according to one official, but that multiple sources familiar with the session said there was no indication there were any near-term solutions.”
“We stand by our reporting,” NCS informed Fox News Digital when reached for remark Friday.
NCS Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson stated on X, “We stand by our journalism.”
The White House has repeatedly clashed with main news retailers this week over protection of the Iran battle.
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Leavitt referred to as for ABC News to retract a story Thursday that claimed the FBI had formally warned Iran could attempt to assault California with drones.
She referred to as the report “false information to intentionally alarm the American people,” including that the story was based mostly on “one email that was sent to local law enforcement in California about a single, unverified tip.”
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ABC News has since updated its story with an editor’s be aware declaring, “The FBI has posted a fuller version of its alert to California authorities, which includes that the information was unverified. The latest version of this story has been updated with the full statement.”
Fox News’ Alexander Hall and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.