Trump Calls Reporting "Virtual TREASON" After Intelligence Shows Iran Retained 70% of Its Missiles

On May 13, 2026, Trump posted on Truth Social:

"When the Fake News says that the Iranian enemy is doing well, militarily, against us, it's virtual TREASON in that it is such a false, and even preposterous, statement. They are aiding and abetting the enemy!"

What prompted the accusation: American journalists reported the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies — Trump's own government — showing that Iran's military capabilities are largely intact despite weeks of intense bombardment.

What the intelligence actually shows

• Iran retained approximately 75% of its prewar mobile launcher inventory
• Iran retained approximately 70% of its prewar missile stockpiles
• Iran has restored operational access to 30 of 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz
• Those sites can threaten American warships and oil tankers transiting the waterway

After weeks of bombing, 13+ American deaths, $29+ billion spent, and a naval blockade — Iran still has most of its missiles, most of its launchers, and has restored nearly all of its Hormuz missile sites. The intelligence is not "fake news." It's the U.S. government's own assessment of how the war is going.

What Trump is actually accusing reporters of

Treason is a capital offense. Article III of the Constitution defines it as levying war against the United States or giving "aid and comfort" to its enemies. Trump is accusing American journalists of a crime punishable by death — for reporting what U.S. intelligence agencies found.

The reporters didn't make up the numbers. The intelligence community produced them. If the reporting is "aiding the enemy," then the intelligence assessment itself is aiding the enemy — and the president is accusing his own government of treason for doing its job.

The DOJ is already acting on this

This isn't just rhetoric. The Wall Street Journal revealed that the DOJ subpoenaed its reporters in March for records related to their Iran war coverage. The administration is not merely calling journalism treason — it is using the Justice Department to investigate the journalists who do it.

This comes on top of:

• The FBI investigating a NYT reporter for writing about Kash Patel's girlfriend (DOJ shut it down as retaliation)
• Comey indicted for a seashell Instagram post
• SPLC indicted on a rushed, "legally deficient" case per whistleblower
• The president calling the press "the enemy of the people" since 2017

What the reporting actually exposes

The reason Trump is calling this treason is not that the reporting is false — it's that the reporting contradicts the White House's narrative. The administration has claimed Iran's military is "substantially degraded," that the war is "nearing completion," that the bombing campaign has been devastating. The intelligence says otherwise: Iran kept 70% of its missiles, restored 91% of its Hormuz sites, and retains the capability to threaten American ships.

Trump isn't angry that reporters are lying. He's angry that they're telling the truth — and the truth is that his war isn't working.