“A leak of the 12:07 departure time of the B-2 bombers from Missouri appeared in the New York Times and CNN, so he called off the June 2025 raid on Iran and ran it two days later at the same time.” — Donald Trump. Our verdict: Unverified.
Donald Trump said this at a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, on 14 October 2026, as reported by The Jerusalem Post, Anadolu Agency and Al Jazeera.
Our verdict
Unverified
Unverified. The June 2025 raid did happen, as Trump says. We found no New York Times or CNN report giving a 12:07 departure time before the raid, and no record that it was called off for two days.
Know something that settles it? Send us evidenceWhat we found
At a rally in Arizona on 14 October 2026 Donald Trump said that "they leaked that we were leaving at 12:07 from Missouri, and it was in the New York Times, CNN", that he called off the raid, and that two days later it went ahead at exactly the same time, The Jerusalem Post and Anadolu Agency reported.
The raid itself is on the record: US warplanes struck Iranian nuclear sites on 21 June 2025, the New York Times reported. The report we found of B-2s leaving Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri was published on 21 June 2025, the day of the raid, and was based on air traffic and flight-tracking data; it gave no departure time.
We found no report in the New York Times or CNN giving the time before the raid, and no public record that a raid was called off two days earlier. Whether that happened inside the government cannot be checked from public sources.
The evidence
4 sources, all background: none settles the claim either way.
- Background
Trump said a leak of the 12:07 departure time appeared in the New York Times and CNN, that he called off the raid, and that it went ahead two days later at the same time. [1]
- Background
Al Jazeera reports the remarks from the Bullhead City rally on 14 October and says it did not verify the claim that the bombing was rescheduled. [2]
- Background
Reports that B-2 bombers had left Whiteman Air Force Base came on 21 June 2025, the day of the raid, from air traffic and flight-tracking data, with no departure time. [3]
- Background
The New York Times reported on 21 June 2025 that US warplanes attacked Iranian nuclear sites. [4]
What we could not confirm
- Whether any New York Times or CNN report gave a 12:07 departure time before the raid.
- Whether a raid was planned two days earlier and called off.
How we checked
We read reports of the 14 October rally and June 2025 reporting on the B-2 departures and the raid. We reviewed 4 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]Anadolu Agency · Trump says 'leakers should be shot' for disclosing timing of Iran strike · October 15, 2026
- [2]Al Jazeera · Trump suggests those who leak government information should 'be shot' · October 15, 2026
- [3]The National News Desk (NBC Montana) · B-2 bombers spotted heading west, as Trump plans to meet with National Security team · June 21, 2025
- [4]The New York Times · Trump Claims Success After Bombing Key Iran Nuclear Sites · June 21, 2025
- [5]Original statement · Speech · October 14, 2026
- [6]Photo: Daniel Torok / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Help us check this claim
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