CNN Stands by Iran Coverage, Says Trump White House Has ‘Obvious Motive’ to Decry Fake News
CNN stood by its reporting on Iran Friday as officials from the Trump White House continued to decry “fake news!”
“We stand by our journalism,” CEO Mark Thompson said in a statement, emphasizing, “Politicians have an obvious motive for claiming that journalism which raises questions about their decisions is false.”
He concluded: “At CNN our only interest is in telling the truth to our audiences in the U.S. and around the world and no amount of political threats or insults is going to change that.”
Read the full statement below:
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) March 13, 2026
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth slammed CNN on Friday over its coverage of the war in Iran, which found Thursday that President Donald Trump was unprepared for the nation’s military response over the last two weeks.
Hegseth called the outlet “fundamentally unserious” and “patently ridiculous.” The Secretary of War even went so far as to say, “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”
“We will keep pressing, we will keep pushing, keep advancing. No quarter, no mercy for our enemies. Yet some in this crew, in the press, just can’t stop,” the former Fox News host told reporters at a press briefing. “Allow me to make a few suggestions. People look up at the TV and they see banners, they see headlines. I used to be in that business, and I know that everything is written intentionally.”
In a lengthy social media post of her own on Friday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted, “This story is 100% Fake News.”
“CNN decided to run this garbage based on three anonymous ‘sources familiar with discussions,'” she wrote. “This is despite the fact that myself, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of State, and multiple lawmakers (who were actually present for the recent classified briefing) have directly disputed this false reporting. THE TRUTH: The Pentagon has been planning for Iran’s desperate and reckless closure of the Strait of Hormuz for DECADES, and it has been part of the Trump Administration’s planning well before Operation Epic Fury was ever launched.”
CNN specifically reported Thursday that the Pentagon and the National Security Council “significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to U.S. military strikes while planning the ongoing operation.” Around 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes through the strait.
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