Jake Tapper explains why CNN published the “victory” statement from Iran; a statement that Trump falsely called fake: “Our job is not to welcome the President”
According to CinemaDrame news agency, Jake Tapper provided explanations regarding CNN’s report on the boastful statement of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, which was published after the ceasefire agreement with the United States. He stood against Donald Trump’s claim that the network was publishing fake content.
On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, Trump attacked the network on the social media platform “Truth Social” and falsely claimed that the statement was a “hoax.” Following that, Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), posted that the network had “published a fabricated headline at such a sensitive moment for national security.” The online story in question was a report about the statement of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council with the headline: “Iran claimed victory and said it forced the United States to accept a 10-point plan.”
In this report, CNN stated that in the statement of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council it was said: “The enemy, in its unjust, illegal, and criminal war against the Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historic, and crushing defeat.”
The network defended its report, stating that it had received the statement from Iranian officials and that the news had also been reflected in Iranian media. Matthew Chance, the senior international correspondent, stated that he received the document from Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and that other media outlets had also covered it. This comes while Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued a different statement that was much more measured and avoided some of the more extreme propaganda language.
On his Wednesday program, April 8, 2026, Tapper said: “The issue comes down to this: the statement of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council claiming victory for Iran did not align with the messages the Trump administration wanted to convey. President Trump, instead of challenging the Iranian regime over its contradictory statements or explaining that Iran always does this, attacked CNN with the false claim that we invented the story by lying to you. We did not fabricate it, nor did we present Iran’s narratives as fact; we simply presented what was in the statement within the context of other events of the war. That is our job as journalists; to report what is happening in a war.”
Tapper added: “Our job is not to try to please the President or only report statements he likes. We will tell you what is happening, and we will continue to do so, regardless of how much this administration or the Iranians lie.”
Brendan Carr’s post followed earlier threats against broadcast networks, after Trump last month attacked the media over their coverage of the war in Iran. Carr wrote: “The law is clear. Networks must operate in the public interest, and if they do not, they will lose their license.”
However, in the case of CNN, Carr has no regulatory authority, as the FCC does not oversee cable network content.
Representatives of a First Amendment advocacy group called the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) condemned Carr’s attack on CNN. Ari Cohn, senior technology policy counsel at FIRE, wrote on X: “For further clarity: Carr is effectively saying that if Donald Trump claims something is false, no one should be allowed to report that someone said it. The FCC has no power to dictate truth, and it appears Brendan Carr does not understand that the movie ‘Dictator’ was satire, not a manual.”
