‘We're Looking Very Hard’: Trump Warns Media of Legal Action Over Iran Rescue Mission Leak

US President Donald Trump on Monday (US time) said US authorities are actively searching for a suspected "leaker" who disclosed sensitive information about a second stranded American airman in Iran, warning of legal action against the media outlet involved.

Speaking at the White House briefing, Trump said the leak had complicated an ongoing rescue effort.

According to him, Iranian authorities were previously unaware of the second pilot's situation.

Trump stated that US officials are attempting to identify the source of the disclosure.

He further warned that the administration may take legal steps to compel cooperation from the media organisation that published the report.

How Did the Iran Leak Complicate the US Rescue Mission, According to Trump?

"We think we'll be able to find it out because we're going to go to the media company that released it and we're going to say: 'National security - give it up or go to jail'," Trump added.

The US President emphasised that the leak made the rescue mission "much more difficult," suggesting it may have compromised operational secrecy at a critical moment.

Trump's remarks at a White House press conference represented a significant escalation of the administration's attacks on the press.

The president has privately complained to aides in recent weeks that media coverage of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has been too negative, and Trump and his allies have publicly criticized some news organizations' coverage.

It was not clear which media outlet or reporter Trump was referring to. Several media outlets appeared to report on the rescue of the first airman within a short period of time, including The New York Times, CBS News and Axios.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr posted on X last month that broadcasters who air "fake news"​now have a chance to "correct course before their license renewals come up."

His remarks were accompanied by a screenshot of a Truth Social post from Trump earlier in the day claiming that "Lowlife 'Papers' and Media actually want us to lose the War."

(With inputs from ANI)