The White House was forced to backtrack after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that it “does not really matter” that Russia was providing intelligence to Iran to bomb U.S. targets.
Leavitt’s flippant reply came after she was asked in an interview about a report that Russia was actively helping Iran.
“We have confirmed reports from U.S. officials that Russia is providing intelligence to Iran to help it target U.S. assets in the region,” Fox News anchor John Roberts told Leavitt.
“I’m sure this is something that does not please the president whatsoever. Has he spoken to Putin about it?”
“Whether or not this happened, frankly, it does not really matter,” replied Leavitt, “because President Trump and the United States military are absolutely decimating the rogue Iranian terrorist regime.
“We are now on day six of Operation Epic Fury. The United States military has impressively established dominance and air superiority over the skies of Iran.”
Her remarks caused outrage online, and the official White House Rapid Response account quickly sought to correct her on X, posting: “Another hoax. @PressSec very obviously meant, as she later clarified, ‘that it clearly is not making a difference with respect to the military operations in Iran—because we are completely decimating them.”
Leavitt doubled down later, saying: “What I meant is that it clearly is not making a difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them.
“As I said earlier, we’ve taken out nearly 30 of their ships, their navy has been deemed combat ineffective. Ninety percent reduction in ballistic missile retaliatory strikes against the United States and our Gulf Arab partners in the region. The United States military is the best and most lethal fighting force in the world.”
“Dear @PressSec: You need to apologize for your ludicrous statement. Why won’t you condemn Russia for helping Iran?” Rep. Ted Lieu posted on X. “Did the Russian intelligence info help Iran: Kill 6 U.S. soldiers? Hit 11 U.S. bases? Hit U.S. embassies and consulates? Hit U.S. allies?”
The story, first published by the Washington Post, claimed that Russia was providing intel to Tehran on the movements of American warships and aircraft, as well as the locations of command centers across the Middle East.
One of them, a makeshift operation center in Kuwait’s Shuaiba port, was hit on Sunday, killing six U.S. service members.
Asked about the possibility that Iran’s allies, China and Russia, could become involved in the conflict, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that neither country was “really a factor here.”
