As tensions escalated between the United States and Iran over the weekend, President Donald Trump’s unpredictable social media activity created serious concerns among military officials, with one describing him as the “biggest threat to opsec,” or operational security, the New York Times reported Sunday.
According to the report, over the course of eight turbulent days — from the initial Israeli strikes against Iran to the launch of American B-2 stealth bombers toward Iranian targets — Trump’s public messaging complicated delicate efforts to coordinate a surprise military strike during a critical period of military planning.
The report claims that interviews with administration insiders, Pentagon officials, and Trump advisers reveal an atmosphere of chaos. Different factions scrambled to influence a president vacillating between military aggression and diplomatic restraint.
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Trump, seemingly enjoying the drama, told reporters he could make a decision “one second before it’s due, because things change, especially with war.” At the same time, he issued increasingly provocative messages on Truth Social, his social media platform. “Everyone should evacuate Tehran!” he warned in one post. The next day, he cryptically claimed he had not left a G7 meeting for a Middle East cease-fire, but for something “much bigger.” “Stay tuned!” he urged his followers.
According to the Times, such posts caused alarm at the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command, where officials feared Trump’s rhetoric might telegraph American intentions to Iran, compromising the element of surprise.
In response, military planners incorporated a layer of deception into their strategy. One group of B-2 bombers flew west over the Pacific Ocean, creating the illusion — visible to civilian flight trackers and likely Iranian intelligence — that the attack would originate from that direction. In reality, the strike was launched via a different route.
Despite the secrecy surrounding the military's operational plan, including moving refueling tankers and fighter escorts into place and rehearsing complex bombing runs from Missouri to Iran, Trump’s posts continued to undermine efforts to keep those movements covert.
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By Thursday, with the operation already poised for execution, Trump announced he might still take up to two weeks to decide on military action — a statement that belied the readiness of American forces and added to the confusion.
Military officials expressed growing concern that Trump’s social media behavior could inadvertently alert Iranian forces and put American personnel at risk. One official candidly remarked that the president himself was the "biggest threat" to the mission’s security, per the report.
Reacting to the report, former Obama advisor Tommy Vietor wrote on the social platform X: "Military official says the President's social media addiction put the service members conducting the Iran operation at risk."