Donald Trump threatens journalist with prison sentence if they don't name 'sick Iran leaker'

Jack Walters
Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:41:16 +0000

Donald Trump has threatened a journalist who was told about two US airmen shot down in Iran with prison time if they do not name the culprit behind the sensitive information leak.

The US President, who issued his threat during an update to reporters at the White House on Easter Monday, claimed the issue was a matter of national security.

After lashing out at "fake news", Mr Trump said: "We are gonna go to the media company that released it and we are going to say 'national security, give it up or go to jail'."

The US President added: "We have to find that leaker because that is a sick person; probably didn't realise the extent of how bad it was... They put this mission at great risk."

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Mr Trump claimed the leak prompted Tehran to offer "a very big reward" for anyone who was able to capture the missing pilots.

However, today's press conference was not the first time the US President has threatened journalists with prison sentences.

Mr Trump warned a Time magazine photographer could face a custodial sentence after apparently taking a picture of a letter from Kim Jong-un in 2019.

He also seemed to suggest journalists who leaked the Supreme Court's Roe v Wade verdict in 2022 should be jailed until the identity of the person who provided the information is revealed.

The US President appeared to threaten journalists with prison rape over the leak, telling a crowd in Texas: "When this person realises that he is going to be the bride of a prisoner very shortly, he will say, ‘I very much would like to tell you exactly who that leaker is'."

During today's press conference, Mr Trump appeared to suggest Iran would face a fresh barrage of aerial attacks in the coming hours.

He said: "Iran can be taken out in one night, might be tomorrow [Tuesday] night."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth added that tonight will be "the largest volume of strikes since day one of the Iran operation".

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However, the US President has made multiple U-turns on the deadlines set for Iran.

Having initially given Tehran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on March 21, Mr Trump extended his deadline to 8pm on April 7.

Tonight's expected bombardment follows Mr Trump's claim that Iran wants to be bombed.

He told reporters: "We’ve had numerous intercepts, ‘please keep bombing’ - bombs that are dropping near their homes - ‘please keep bombing’. ‘Do it’."

Mr Trump added: “And these are living where the bombs are exploding.

"When we leave and we’re not hitting those areas, they’re saying ‘please come back, come back’.”

Mr Trump also hailed the "historic" rescue of the two F-15 crew members, revealing hundreds of US servicemen were involved in the "amazing" operation.

The US President said: "He was injured, it was an amazing, amazing thing... he scaled cliff faces, bleeding rather profusely, treated his own wounds and contacted American forces to transmit his location.

"We immediately mobilised a massive operation to retrieve him. I will never forget the extraordinary risk taken by the warriors that we send into battle.

"I ordered the US armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home, a risky decision, because we could have ended up with 100 dead, as opposed to one or two. But in the United States military, we leave no American behind."

Mr Trump, who pointed out the US military "leaves no American behind", added: “Our armed forces deployed 21 military aircraft into hostile airspace, many flying at very low altitude, being shot by bullets.

“We have a helicopter that’s got a lot of bullets in it. The flight crews and war fighters aboard those aircraft took extraordinary risks to rescue their fellow service members.”