Trump accuses CNN of airing false Iran statement, calls it ‘fraud’ as network defends authenticity

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump is calling out CNN over what he claims is a bogus statement tied to Iran’s newly announced ceasefire.

In a late-night Truth Social post, Trump accused the network of pushing what he called a flat-out fabrication. However, CNN insists the document is authentic and backed by official sources.

Trump calls CNN ‘fraud’ over Iran statement

Trump alleged that the network aired a statement he insists is completely fake.

“The alleged Statement put out by CNN World News is a FRAUD, as CNN well knows,” Trump wrote. “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.”

The statement in question traces back to Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who outlined conditions tied to the ceasefire.

"In response to the brotherly request of [Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif] in his tweet, and considering the request by the US for negotiations based on its 15-point proposal as well as announcement by POTUS about acceptance of the general framework of Iran’s 10-point proposal as a basis for negotiations, I hereby declare on behalf of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council: If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations," Araghchi said.

"For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations," he added.

CNN cites Iranian sources to defend report

Roughly 20 minutes into her broadcast, CNN anchor Erin Burnett read from that statement on air.

Burnett also referenced a second, more sharply worded statement attributed to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. That statement leaned heavily pro-Iran and included claims of a “great victory.” While she didn’t quote that exact phrase, she highlighted its tone.

“‘The regulated passage through the Strait of Hormuz, under the coordination of the armed forces of Iran, thereby conferring upon Iran a unique economic and geopolitical standing,’ which sounds like, in a translation, Iran saying that they see this as acknowledgment that they control the Strait of Hormuz,” Burnett said.

She also quoted another pointed line from the statement, “Our hands remain upon the trigger and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force."

Later, CNN correspondent Matthew Chance reported from Qatar and addressed Trump’s objections directly.

“The second document, the one apparently President Trump seems to be objecting to, is the one that’s been sent to us by the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, that’s Iran’s highest military body, and that’s a lot more aggressive and it goes into a lot more detail about what that 10-point plan to end the war from Iran actually involves,” Chance said. 

“And it includes things like this regulating passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran, so basically making sure that Iran still can exercise control over that strategic waterway through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes.”

CNN stands by report despite Trump criticism

Chance also detailed how CNN vetted the document after Trump labeled it fake, saying the network verified its authenticity.

“It had already appeared on state news agencies in Iran, like the Fars news agency and the semi-official Tasmin news agency as well,” Chance said.

“But 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 was exactly the same as the document we originally had. And so I think we’re pretty confident, very confident that this document is authentic.”

Other outlets have since reported on the same security council statement as legitimate.

A CNN spokesperson reiterated the network’s position in a statement to Mediaite: “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.”