Critical article on the war in Iran

(Washington) The Pentagon and the White House, which criticize media coverage of the war in Iran in general, attacked CNN in particular on Friday after the publication of an article questioning the preparation of the military operation.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth devoted part of his press conference on Friday to deploring the media coverage he considers to be too negative of the Israeli-American operation, going so far as to suggest certain scrolling banners to the 24-hour news channels.

He blasted CNN’s “fake news” after the channel claimed that the Trump government had underestimated the risk of closing the very strategic Strait of Hormuz in the event of a conflict with Iran.

“Totally ridiculous,” Pete Hegseth replied, adding: “The sooner David Ellison takes over this channel, the better!” “.

The boss of the television and cinema group Paramount Skydance, considered an ally of Donald Trump, will see the famous channel fall into his hands with the takeover of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD).

“At CNN, our only goal is to tell the truth to our viewers in the United States and around the world, and no amount of political threats or insults will change our minds,” the channel’s CEO Mark Thompson responded in a statement. “Politicians have an obvious interest in pretending that journalistic work that questions their decisions is false.”

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt also said CNN’s report was “100% false.”

“The Pentagon has anticipated Iran’s desperate and senseless closure of the Strait of Hormuz for decades, and it was part of the Trump administration’s plans long before Operation Epic Fury was launched,” she wrote on X.

“The lying media is working overtime to discredit President Trump, his government and our military,” charged Karoline Leavitt.

Steven Cheung, White House communications director, joined the charge.

Responding to an X account who asked: “Is it normal for the army to comment on the way in which television channels are run? “, he wrote: “Yes, 100%. When lying media outlets like CNN publish false information, it is entirely appropriate to comment on the way these shitty media outlets are run. »