White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has denied a Washington Post report of a clash between US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and US President Donald Trump over the war in Iran, saying that the president “loves the secretary and thinks he’s doing a tremendous job”.

Responding to a Washington Post journalist sharing the story, Leavitt said, “I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. This literally never happened, and we told the Washington Post that repeatedly”.

She said many outlets were out to “disparage the Secretary, for whatever reason”.

“Unfortunately for them, the President loves the Secretary and thinks he’s doing a tremendous job. FAKE NEWS!”