Witkoff calls CNN's Iran intel leak report 'treasonous'

Tensions are escalating in Washington following the leak of a classified intelligence assessment that undercuts President Donald Trump’s assertion that U.S. airstrikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The leak has prompted fierce criticism from Trump administration officials, with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff labeling the disclosure as “treason.”

Speaking on Fox News with host Laura Ingraham Tuesday night, Witkoff responded to the growing media coverage of the leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) findings, which suggest the impact of the recent US strikes was far more limited than the president claimed.

Read more: “FAKE NEWS”: Trump insists Iran nuclear sites “completely destroyed”

“This leaked intel assessment, it’s an early look at what was actually accomplished on the ground,” Ingraham said. “But it was leaked. Somebody decided to leak this from the DIA and it’s being used in the media, and it’s all over today, that, ‘Aha, Trump said it obliterated, but it’s not obliterated. It’s set back months, but it’s not over.’”

Witkoff responded forcefully, “Well, it goes without saying that leaking that type of information, whatever the information, whatever site it comes out on, is outrageous. It’s treasonous. So it ought to be investigated, and whoever did it, whoever’s responsible for it should be held accountable.” He added that such disclosures could put lives at risk in the future, calling the leak “completely unacceptable.”

The controversy follows a CNN report citing seven anonymous sources familiar with the DIA’s classified assessment. According to the report, two of those sources confirmed that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium remained intact, and one said that most of the centrifuges had survived the strikes. Another source told the network that Iran had moved enriched uranium out of key facilities before the attacks.

While the White House continues to defend Trump’s characterization of the strikes, the growing number of dissenting voices has drawn scrutiny. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) declined to confirm whether Iran’s facilities had in fact been destroyed, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the CNN report as “flat-out wrong.”