Press photographers 'banned' from Pentagon after 'unflattering' images taken of Pete Hegseth
The Pentagon introduced a new rule last year that led to mainstream media outlets losing their press credentials
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly barred photographers from the Pentagon after so-called unflattering pictures were taken of him at a press conference.
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Hegseth was said to be unhappy with images that were taken of him during a briefing surrounding the Middle East on March 2, three days after the US launched its strikes on Iran.
After the photographs were published, members of his team are said to have raised concerns that they weren't impressed with the way the minister looked.
In briefings that followed on March 4 and March 10, photographers were subsequently not allowed in, according to the sources.
Read more: Iran war LIVE: Trump says US has 'won' but is not finished yet
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said: "In order to use space in the Pentagon briefing room effectively, we are allowing one representative per news outlet if uncredentialed, excluding pool.
"Photographs from the briefings are immediately released online for the public and press to use.
"If that hurts the business model for certain news outlets, then they should consider applying for a Pentagon press credential."
While unclear which images Hegseth was unhappy with, the set included shots of him frowning down the camera as well as him speaking with his mouth open, with his hands wide apart and arms open.
Photographs from the briefing were circulated among the press by Agence Free Press (AFP), Reuters and Getty before being published worldwide.
It comes after the Pentagon brought in a new rule requiring accredited media organisations to only publish information that has been authorised by the Defence Department.
Multiple outlets, including Fox and ABC News, refused to sign the agreement. However, the restrictions were relaxed for the March 2 briefing.
In October, President Trump hit out at Time Magazine for using an image of him that he described as "really weird" and at a "bad angle."
Trump said: "They 'disappeared' my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one."
He added: "Really weird! I never liked taking pictures from underneath angles, but this is a super bad picture, and deserves to be called out. What are they doing, and why?"
An updated picture of Trump was then published on the cover, which showed him sitting behind a desk staring sternly at the camera.