Trump Targets NYT Over Reports Questioning Iran War Results

President Donald Trump sharply criticized The New York Times on Sunday after the newspaper published an analysis suggesting the Iran war failed to achieve many of the administration’s key objectives. In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump described the newspaper as “TREASONOUS” and “CORRUPT” and said the article would be added to an ongoing lawsuit against the publication.

The dispute centered on a Times analysis titled “What Changed After Almost Four Months of War? Analysts Say Not Much,” which argued that the conflict produced limited progress toward several goals repeatedly cited by Trump. Responding to the report, Trump maintained that Iran’s military had been devastated, claiming its leadership structure had been severely weakened, inflation had surged to 250%, the economy was in crisis, soldiers were not being paid, the Strait of Hormuz remained open, oil production continued uninterrupted, and the U.S. economy was experiencing record highs in both jobs and the stock market.

Trump has consistently said his decision to launch military action against Iran on Feb. 28 was intended to pressure Tehran into ending its nuclear program. However, the agreement reached last week between the United States and Iran to halt hostilities postponed detailed nuclear negotiations to a later phase of talks. Another objective Trump previously highlighted was the destruction of Iran’s missile capabilities, but the agreement does not address Tehran’s missile program. Trump said last week that it was acceptable for Iran to retain some missiles, arguing that other countries also possess such weapons.

The conflict also did not result in the overthrow of Iran’s government, a goal Trump had previously suggested could emerge from internal pressure within the country. Last week, however, he stated that he “never cared about regime change.” Trump further pointed to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as a major success, although Iran announced on Saturday that it intended to close the strategic waterway again, citing ongoing Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon.

The war may have strengthened Iran’s ability to use the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic pressure point, according to U.S. intelligence assessments reported by CNN last week. Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also said in an interview with state broadcaster IRIB that closing the vital oil route represented “a potential capacity that had never been activated,” adding that Iran’s adversaries effectively turned that possibility into a reality.

Experts have also questioned whether the agreement reflected a clear U.S. victory. Speaking to The New York Times, MIT professor Caitlin Talmadge said the memorandum of understanding was not evidence of new American military dominance. She argued that the agreement reflected Washington’s reluctance to deepen its involvement after taking on more than it could effectively manage.

Public opinion appears divided over the outcome of the conflict. A recent CBS poll found that 69% of respondents believed the war with Iran was not worth the cost to the United States. Among Republican voters, 42% said the agreement ending the conflict benefited Iran and the United States about equally.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts continued as U.S. and Iranian negotiators completed an initial round of discussions in Switzerland on Monday. The talks focused on unresolved issues from last week’s memorandum of understanding, including the future of Iran’s nuclear activities and the possible easing of U.S. sanctions. Media outlets in Pakistan and Qatar reported that negotiators achieved encouraging progress. Vice President JD Vance announced that Iran had agreed to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to resume nuclear inspections, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States had granted Iran a 60-day license to continue selling oil.