President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to strongly reject a statement aired by CNN about a ceasefire with Iran. He called it a “FRAUD” and demanded that CNN take it down immediately. Trump claimed the statement came from a “Fake News site (from Nigeria)” and said authorities were looking into whether a crime was committed in connection with what he called the “Fake CNN World Statement.”
According to Mediaite, Trump said the “alleged Statement put out by CNN World News is a FRAUD, as CNN well knows.” He also claimed 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.”
He added that “CNN is being ordered to immediately withdraw this Statement with full apologies for their, as usual, terrible ‘reporting,'” and said the results of the investigation would be announced soon. The controversy centered on two separate statements.
CNN’s reporting stands on solid ground after Iran’s foreign ministry confirmed the document directly
The first was from Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, which took a more measured tone. Araghchi stated, “If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations.”
His statement also said that for 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.” The second statement, which Trump appeared to be objecting to, came from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and had a much stronger tone.
CNN’s Erin Burnett quoted a section about “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.”
Burnett explained this as Iran claiming control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil shipments. This dispute over the ceasefire comes amid an already tense backdrop, as Trump has previously promised to rain hell on Iran following reports of downed jets and damaged aircraft.
Burnett also quoted another line from the council’s statement: “Our hands remain upon the trigger and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy it shall be met with full force.” This language was notably more aggressive than the foreign minister’s statement and painted a very different picture of Iran’s position.
In the hours after the ceasefire was announced, Trump said the US and Iran would work together to remove remaining nuclear material, signaling a significant shift in tone. CNN correspondent Matthew Chance, reporting from Qatar during the 9:00 PM ET hour, addressed Trump’s objections directly.
He clarified that 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.”
Chance described it as “a lot more aggressive” and said it went into greater detail about Iran’s ten-point plan to end the war. Meanwhile, on the diplomatic front, UK Prime Minister Starmer flew to the Gulf shortly after the ceasefire announcement, with No. 10 revealing plans that surprised many observers.
Chance also explained how CNN verified the document. He noted it had already appeared on Iranian state media outlets, including the Fars news agency and the semi-official Tasnim news agency. Then Chance contacted the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
He said: “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.” Chance concluded, “And so I think we’re pretty confident, very confident that this document is authentic.”
A CNN spokesperson also backed the network’s reporting, stating: “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.” Multiple other news outlets have also reportedly covered the security council statement as authentic.
Published: Apr 8, 2026 11:15 am