US defense secretary’s boastful claims about war in Iran contradict reality, The Washington Post writes

US President Donald Trump has continued to describe the war against Iran as an unqualified success, saying as recently as Monday that the United States was doing “unbelievably well,” while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tehran had been “embarrassed and humiliated” by U.S. forces.

US officials and analysts, however, said Iran’s downing of an F-15E fighter jet and the high-risk rescue operation that ensued showed that Tehran retains the ability to threaten the United States’ military personnel and cast doubt on the statistics Hegseth has promoted in recent weeks, boasting about “complete control of Iranian skies” and “uncontested airspace”, The Washington Post writes.

The chaotic but successful rescue mission has become the clearest indication yet that Hegseth’s repeated claims of air dominance come with serious caveats, and has reinforced concerns inside the Trump administration that his messaging about the war is overly optimistic and risks misinforming both the public and the US president.

“Pete is not speaking truth to the president,” one administration official said. “As a result, the president is out there repeating misleading information.”

Hegseth’s triumphant rhetoric has stood in contrast to that of Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has not suggested U.S. pilots can use Iranian airspace without concern of enemy threats.

Officials from the Pentagon and the White House, in turn, have denied the allegations directed at Hegseth, stating that the US president has always been aware of the risks and was prepared for them.”