Washington: President Donald Trump on Saturday dismissed news reports that several U.S. Air Force tanker planes were destroyed during an Iranian missile strike in Saudi Arabia, labelling the accounts “fake news” and insisting the aircraft suffered minimal damage.

The president’s comments followed reports from several major news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, which cited U.S. officials stating that five KC-135 Stratotankers had been struck on the ground at Prince Sultan Air Base earlier this week.

Trump Disputes Extent of Damage

In a Truth Social post, Trump clarified that while the base had indeed been targeted in recent days, the severity of the strike was being intentionally exaggerated by the media.

“Yet again, an intentionally misleading headline by the Fake News Media about the five tanker planes,” Trump wrote. “Four of the five had virtually no damage, and are already back in service. One had slightly more damage, but will be in the air shortly.”

The president further claimed that the reporting was designed to undermine the U.S. military effort in the region, calling the outlets “sick and demented.”

Trump also went on to call the newspaper “lowlife”, writing “media actually want us to lose the War”.

Pentagon and Regional Context

Military analysts noted that the KC-135 fleet is the backbone of U.S. aerial refuelling operations, critical for sustaining long-range missions in the escalating conflict. While U.S. Central Command has not released a formal casualty or damage assessment regarding the Saudi base strike, officials speaking on the condition of anonymity corroborated that no personnel were killed.

The strike on Prince Sultan Air Base comes as the U.S. intensifies its “Operation Epic Fury.” On Friday, Trump announced that U.S. forces had “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, a primary terminal for Iranian oil exports.

Tensions in the region remain at a fever pitch. On Saturday, the Pentagon confirmed it is deploying 2,500 additional Marines and an amphibious assault ship to the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed continued retaliation, and global oil prices remain volatile as the Strait of Hormuz remains a contested maritime chokepoint.