White House Slams CNN: Accuses Network of "Fake News Manipulation to Undermine Victory"

CNN Reports "Strait of Hormuz Blockade Threat Overlooked"

White House Responds: "False Information from Democrats... Undermining Our Victory"

As the United States entered the third week since attacking Iran, the White House lashed out at CNN, criticizing a specific report by the network.

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

On March 13 (local time), the White House posted an article on its official website titled, "CNN is lying to downplay the tremendous success of Operation Epic Fury (the codename for the US attack on Iran)." This was in response to a CNN report the previous day, which claimed that President Donald Trump had underestimated Iran's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz and failed to prepare any countermeasures in advance.

The White House stated, "CNN's fake news has started again," and emphasized, "While the United States is making tremendous efforts to dismantle the Iranian terrorist regime, the self-proclaimed 'journalists' employed by CNN are spreading false information provided by the Democratic Party, thereby undermining our decisive victory." The statement continued, "The US military has accurately anticipated this emergency (the Strait of Hormuz blockade) for decades," and explained, "Thanks to President Trump's commitment, the United States is ready to overcome short-term confusion and emerge stronger once again."

The White House also called CNN "hackery," a term referring to "politically shoddy writing." The expression carries a tone of contempt for side effects of journalism, such as the rush to break news or the spread of misinformation.

Republican Senators Tom Cotton (Arkansas) and Tim Sheehy (Montana) respectively stated, "We don't know who leaked this information, but it is a blatant lie," and, "Our lawmakers and national security officials have long been aware that a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was part of Iran's plan."

Previously, CNN had reported, citing multiple sources, that the US Department of War (the former Department of Defense) and the National Security Council (NSC) at the White House had underestimated the possibility of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz during the planning of the attack on Iran. The network also reported that the US administration admitted to this during a closed-door briefing to members of Congress. CNN further pointed out that President Trump's tendency to rely on a small circle of close aides in national security decision-making played a role in this matter, resulting in a lack of thorough discussion on critical issues.

The previous day, President Trump also posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, "The Iranian regime is being destroyed," and argued, "If you read the failing New York Times (NYT), you would be misled into thinking we are not winning."

Meanwhile, CNN is regarded as a leading progressive media outlet in the United States, along with the New York Times (NYT) and the Washington Post (WP). There was frequent conflict between CNN and President Trump during his first administration, and during a press conference in June 2025, President Trump criticized, "CNN is all trash," and added, "There is trash in this room as well."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.