About 90 minutes after announcing a two-week ceasefire in the war in Iran, Donald Trump was irate over CNN‘s reporting of a statement issued by the country’s Supreme National Security Council, declaring victory and averting the president’s threat to launch attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Trump posted on Truth Social at 8:01 p.m. ET, “The alleged Statement put out by CNN World News is a FRAUD, as CNN well knows. The false Statement was linked to a Fake News site (from Nigeria) and, of course, immediately picked up by CNN, and blared out as a ‘legitimate’ headline. The Official Statement by Iran was just released, and posted on TRUTH, below. Authorities are looking to determine whether or not a crime was committed on the issuance of the Fake CNN World Statement, or was it a sick rogue player? CNN is being ordered to immediately withdraw this Statement with full apologies for their, as usual, terrible ‘reporting.’ Results of the investigation will be announced in the near future.”
A White House account posted a screenshot of the story in question, with the headline, “Iran claims victory, says it forced US to accept 10-point plan.”
In the story, CNN reported that the Iranian Security Council statement read, “The enemy, in its unfair, unlawful, and criminal war against the Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historic, and crushing defeat.”
CNN published a report on the statement as part of an ongoing series of updates on the war.
Trump posted a different statement, from Iran’s minister of foreign affairs, that was more measured in tone. “If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations,” it read.
CNN is defending its reporting on the statement. A spokesperson said, “The statement in question was obtained by CNN from Iranian officials and reported on multiple Iranian state media outlets. We received the statement from specific official Iranian spokespeople who are known to us.”
On CNN, senior international correspondent Matthew Chance addressed Trump’s claim that the statement was fake. Chance told Anderson Cooper that the statement had appeared on Iranian state news agencies, and was different, lengthier and “more aggressive” than the one from the minister of foreign affairs.
Chance said, “When President Trump posted on Truth Social that he objected to that report, to that document, he said it was fake. I followed up with the Iranian foreign ministry and said, ‘Look, do you have this document that you can send to me?’ And they sent me the document themselves, which is exactly the same as the document we originally had. And so I think we’re pretty confident, very confident that this document is authentic.”
Chance also ran through some of Iran’s 10-point demands in the statement, including the lifting of all sanctions.
Other outlets, including The New York Times and PBS, reported on a statement similar to the one that CNN did. “We congratulate the people of Iran for this victory and reiterate that until the final details of the victory are finalized, officials and people must remain united and defiant,” the statement read, per the Times.
Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier that they “received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.” He did not say it was accepted.
Trump’s FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, also weighed in on Trump’s post attacking CNN.
Carr wrote, “More outrageous conduct from CNN. Fake news is bad enough for the country, but pushing out a hoax headline in such a sensitive national security moment as this requires accountability. Iran put out an official statement that simply cannot be squared with the one CNN’s false headline attributes to them. Time for change at CNN.”
The Justice Department is currently reviewing Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN. Carr told CNBC last month that the FCC’s role in a regulatory review would be “minimal.” The agency also has no regulatory authority over CNN, as it is not a broadcast outlets, but Carr has opined on all media during his tenure, targeting outlets that report unfavorably on the administration.
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