White House Denies CNN Report on Iran’s Threat

On Friday, White House press secretary Caroline Levitt strongly dismissed a CNN report suggesting that President Donald Trump’s national security team was caught off guard by the prospect of Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz following a U.S. attack. “This article is 100% fake news,” Levitt stated on X, criticizing CNN for relying on unnamed sources to challenge the administration’s strategies regarding such a situation.

Levitt emphasized that the Pentagon has, in fact, been preparing for a potential Iranian blockade for decades, asserting that the threat was already part of the administration’s considerations before launching Operation Epic Fury.

She remarked, “The idea that Chairman Kaine and Secretary Hegseth were unprepared for this possibility is outrageous. The President has been fully briefed on that, and the goal of the operation itself is to dismantle the capabilities of the Iranian regime that threaten our interests, including the ability to close the Strait.”

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical area, being a transit point for about one-fifth of global oil trade.

According to CNN, a report from Thursday mentioned that Trump’s national security team acknowledged “failing to fully account for potential consequences” regarding the situation, citing anonymous officials familiar with the issues at hand.

Levitt’s rebuttal of CNN’s claims gained support from Republican lawmakers who also dismissed the report as false. Senator Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, made it clear on X that “whoever leaked this was lying,” urging CNN to fact-check its information. Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth added his condemnation during a Pentagon address, regarding the report as “just more fake news from CNN” and “patently ridiculous.”

He noted, “Iran has been threatening ships in the Strait of Hormuz for decades. It’s always been their modus operandi to hold the strait hostage,” further questioning if CNN believed they hadn’t prepared for such threats.

CNN later issued a clarification, stating that the article was updated to reflect that Trump administration officials had indeed briefed lawmakers about long-established military plans to address possible major disruptions in the Strait, while acknowledging, however, that there was no immediate solution available.

The news outlet maintained its stance on the accuracy of its reporting. CNN Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson affirmed the organization’s commitment to its journalism.

This week has seen the White House engage in tense exchanges with various major news organizations regarding coverage of the ongoing conflict with Iran. Levitt also requested ABC News retract a report claiming that the FBI had warned of a potential drone attack from Iran on California, labeling the information as deliberately alarming and based on a single, unverified tip sent to local law enforcement.

ABC News subsequently updated its article, confirming that the FBI had issued a full alert to California authorities regarding the unverified information.