Pentagon Restricts Media Access to Hegseth’s Iran War Briefings, Citing Security Concerns

NEW YORK – The Pentagon has recently barred photographers from attending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s two most recent briefings on the conflict in Iran, leaving many to question the sudden shift from a long-standing policy. No official explanation has been forthcoming.

When reached for comment, Pentagon spokesperson Joel Valdez opted not to provide a statement for this article.

Under Secretary Hegseth’s leadership, the Defense Department has experienced a strained relationship with the media, particularly those covering defense matters. Many major news outlets have vacated their Pentagon offices, refusing to comply with newly imposed regulations by the Trump administration that limit their access and interactions.

In place of these traditional media outlets, a new press corps has taken root at the Pentagon, largely composed of organizations that are generally more favorable to President Donald Trump and have agreed to the new rules.

Despite these changes, the Pentagon has continued to issue passes to former Pentagon reporters, allowing them to attend Hegseth’s briefings. While Secretary Hegseth seldom acknowledges these veteran journalists during the sessions, he notably engaged with Eric Schmitt from The New York Times during a briefing on Tuesday.

The Times has sued the Trump administration to overturn Hegseth’s rules, and a hearing was held on that case before U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman last week.

“As The Times has long said, there is a clear importance and public service to allowing journalists to report fully on the U.S. military,” said Charles Stadtlander, spokesman for the newspaper. “This includes photojournalists, who deserve access and credentialing to attend Pentagon briefings.”

The Associated Press had no immediate comment on the blocking of its photographers. Hegseth is still allowing video cameras at his briefings.

The Times’ war coverage has drawn the attention of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. On Tuesday, she said the administration was not going to be “harassed” by The Times about an investigation into the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran. An estimated 175 people were killed, including many school children.

Leavitt said Trump would accept the conclusion of the Defense Department’s investigation into who was responsible for the bombing. “We’re not going to be harassed by The New York Times, who’ve been putting out a lot of articles on this making claims that have just not been verified by the Department of War, to quickly wrap up this investigation because The New York Times is calling on us to do so,” she said.

The newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, that the preliminary finding of the administration has concluded that the United States was responsible for the bombing. The military believes outdated information was relied upon in setting a target for the Tomahawk missile used in the attack, the report said.

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David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.