The US Department of Defense last month forced roughly 50 members of the military’s Joint Staff to undergo polygraph exams as part of an effort to discover who leaked damaging information about President Donald Trump’s illegal war with Iran, The New York Times reported on Friday.

According to the Times’ sources, dozens of officers were strapped into polygraph machines and grilled on whether they leaked classified information about the war leaving the US with critical shortages in key munitions, including long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors.

The polygraph campaign “appeared aimed at not just ferreting out anyone who may have shared information, but intimidating others who might do so in the future,” the Times reported.

The Times reported that the hunt for leakers has “intensified an atmosphere of deep distrust and paranoia inside the Pentagon” under the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has purged multiple top military officials during his tenure leading the department.

Ret. Rear Adm. Donald J. Guter told the Times that he has “never seen polygraphs employed this broadly or at this seniority level,” adding that “in my experience, it’s unprecedented.”

In a separate report published Friday, the Times revealed that a recent US intelligence assessment has determined that Iran is digging in for a long conflict with the American military, as it feels confident it can “exacerbate President Trump’s political problems ahead of the US midterm elections.”

In fact, the intelligence indicates that Iran could be planning to escalate its campaign against the US in the coming weeks by attacking American bases in the Middle East and targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump unlawfully attacked Iran more than six months ago without any authorization from the US Congress. The war sent energy prices surging after Iran shut down shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply travels.

High gas prices have become a major political headache for Trump, and a recent analysis estimated that Americans have paid $71.5 billion more to fill up their cars thanks to the president’s war.

The cost of diesel fuel has also spiked since the start of the war, and data published by the American Automobile Association on Saturday showed the average price for diesel in the US now stands at a record $5.88 per gallon.

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