President Donald Trump has threatened to sue The New York Times and CNN, alleging the outlets defamed him by reporting that U.S. bombing raids on Iranian nuclear sites last week set Tehran’s program back only a few months instead of destroying it outright. In letters dated 25 June, Trump’s personal attorney Alejandro Brito demanded both organizations retract their stories and issue apologies, calling the coverage “false,” “defamatory” and “unpatriotic.” The New York Times released a reply from its deputy general counsel, David McCraw, stating, “No retraction is needed. No apology will be forthcoming.” CNN said it “stands 100 percent” behind the work of its reporters and likewise rejected the demand. The contested articles cited an early, low-confidence assessment by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency. Trump and senior officials maintain that the 22 June strikes—code-named Operation Midnight Hammer—“completely obliterated” three nuclear facilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters the leaked document existed but emphasized that definitive damage estimates require weeks of additional data. The legal threat marks the latest in a series of confrontations between Trump and major news outlets. First Amendment scholars note that public figures must prove “actual malice” to prevail in U.S. defamation cases, a high bar when publications rely on official government documents.