By Sabiu Abdullahi
United States President Donald Trump has criticised CNN over a report linked to Iran’s claim of victory after a ceasefire agreement, alleging that the network relied on a false source.
The president made the allegation on Wednesday through his Truth Social platform. His comments came shortly after he announced a two-week ceasefire arrangement between the United States and Iran.
Reacting to a statement attributed to Iranian authorities, Trump said, “The alleged statement put out by CNN World News is a fraud, as CNN well knows.”
He also claimed that the report originated from an unreliable platform. According to him, “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.”
Trump maintained that the version circulated by CNN did not reflect Iran’s official position. He said, “The Official Statement by Iran was just released, and posted on TRUTH, below.”
In another post, the president intensified his criticism of the network. He said, “No one can believe that Fake News CNN put out a knowingly false and dangerous statement pretending it came from the upper levels of the Iranian Government. It didn’t! It was totally made up and posted, as a headline, for purpose of, perhaps, inflaming a very delicate situation.”
He further alleged that the report came from “a new, trouble-making site from Nigeria,” and added that “CNN just got caught cheating — a very dangerous thing to do.”
The disputed report was said to have been issued by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. It claimed that Tehran recorded a “historic and crushing defeat” against the United States and forced Washington to accept parts of its negotiation terms.
Trump rejected the claim and insisted that Iran’s official statement did not support such conclusions. He also called on CNN to withdraw the report and issue an apology.
He said, “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.”
He added, “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.”
Trump’s reference to Nigeria has drawn reactions, although he did not provide evidence to support the claim that the report came from a Nigerian-based platform.
The Chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, supported the president’s position and faulted CNN’s handling of the report.
Carr said, “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.”
CNN, however, defended its report and declined to retract it. A spokesperson for the network said the information came directly from Iranian officials and was confirmed by several state media outlets in Iran.
The spokesperson stated, “We received the statement from specific official Iranian spokespeople who are known to us,” and noted that similar versions appeared in English and Farsi across Iranian platforms.
The network insisted that its report reflected information provided by Iranian authorities at the time. It added that standard verification processes were followed before publication.
The disagreement comes amid global attention on the ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The agreement was reached shortly before a deadline set by Trump for possible military action.
Both countries have claimed success in the standoff. The ceasefire has, however, been widely seen as a step toward reducing tensions, especially due to the importance of the Strait of Hormuz to global oil supply.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, confirmed that safe passage through the strait would be ensured for two weeks under the agreement.
