Trump officials torch CNN's Hormuz report as 'garbage', say Pentagon planned for decades

WASHINGTON, DC: Top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration and several Republican lawmakers pushed back on Friday, March 13, against a CNN report claiming the Pentagon and the National Security Council underestimated the possibility that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz following US strikes.

The criticism followed reporting by CNN, citing anonymous sources who said that the administration planners did not fully anticipate the risk during preparations for the ongoing operation.

Officials responding to the report said that the claim was incorrect and described the possibility of a Hormuz closure as a long-standing concern in US military planning.

Karoline Leavitt, Tom Cotton, and more dismiss CNN report as 'fake news'

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the reporting in a statement posted on social media. 

“This story is 100% FAKE NEWS,” Leavitt wrote. “CNN decided to run this garbage based on three anonymous ‘sources familiar with discussions.’”

She added that multiple officials who attended recent classified briefings had challenged the reporting.

“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,” Leavitt said.

According to Leavitt, planning for the possibility of Iran attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz had existed for decades. 

“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,” she said.

Senator Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, also rejected the claims. “As Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, let me make clear: whoever leaked this lied,” Cotton said. “CNN should do some fact-checking.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also addressed the report during a Pentagon briefing, calling the claim that officials underestimated the threat “patently ridiculous.”

He said, “Of course, for decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” adding, “This is always what they do- hold the Strait hostage. CNN doesn’t think we thought of that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report.”

CNN report says US may have underestimated Iran's Hormuz threat

The responses came after a CNN report by journalist Zach Cohen said that the Pentagon and the National Security Council may have underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz following US military strikes.

According to the report, multiple sources familiar with internal discussions said that administration officials did not fully account for what some described as a worst-case scenario during planning for the ongoing military operation.

The report said lawmakers pressed administration officials during a recent classified briefing about the absence of an operational plan to reopen the strait if Iran blocked it.

Sources cited by CNN said there was “no indication that there were any near-term solutions” to address the potential economic consequences of such a move, given the risks posed by Iranian military assets in the region.

Following publication of the report, CNN issued a clarification noting that administration officials had briefed lawmakers on long-standing military plans to address disruptions to the strait.

However, sources familiar with the briefing said that there were no immediate solutions discussed for reopening the waterway if it were closed.