Karoline Leavitt goes on a lengthy online rant about a CNN story involving the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. She claimed the story was false and people blasted her denial
Karoline Leavitt went after CNN, claiming a report was “fake news”(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Karoline Leavitt has been accused of “lying” after she claimed that one of CNN’s reports involving Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz was wrong.
CNN wrote a story about the President Donald Trump‘s administration underestimating Iran when it came to the closure of the strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Within the story, the network had reported that according to three sources familiar with the closed-door session where top Trump officials “acknowledged to lawmakers during recent classified briefings that they did not plan for the possibility of Iran closing the strait in response to strikes.”
Karoline took a screengrab of one of the journalist’s, who contributed to the story, post about it. In a lengthy post on X, the White House Press secretary began by saying “This story is 100% FAKE NEWS.”
She continued to say that CNN’s decision to “run this garbage” based on three anonymous sources despite her, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of State, and multiple lawmakers present at the recent classified briefing “directly disputed this false reporting.”
Karoline claimed the truth is “the Pentagon has been planning for Iran’s desperate and reckless closure of the Strait of Hormuz for DECADES, and it has been part of the Trump Administration’s planning well before Operation Epic Fury was ever launched.”
She went on to say that the idea that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, and Secretary of War Pete were unready for the possibility is “preposterous.”
Karoline added that Trump was wholly briefed on the matter and how Operation Epic Fury’s goal is to “annihilate the terrorist Iranian regime’s navy, missiles, drone production infrastructure, and other threat capabilities is quite literally intended to deprive them of their ability to close the Strait.”
CNN did a story about the Trump administration underestimating Iran and its readiness to close the Strait of Hormuz. (Image: LightRocket via Getty Images)
Karoline further said that Trump won’t allow “rogue Iranian terrorist” from stopping “the freedom of navigation and the free flow of energy.” She additionally stated that destroying “these terrorists who indiscriminately target civilians and attempt to hold the global economy hostage” is a component of US’s “noble” mission.
Karoline concluded with, “The Fake News is working overtime to discredit President Trump, his Administration, and our U.S. Military, all of whom are working 24/7 to eliminate the threat of the Iranian regime. It’s a complete disgrace to witness this from the media, and we will keep fighting back against it.”
People took to her comment section to blast her for “lying” as well as in the past and called out the validity of her denial.
A person wrote, “The problem is, you all are famous now for lying, and it is now expected of you all. Not sure if you all have ever read the story of the boy who cried wolf, but you should.”
People slammed Karoline for her tweet lashing out on CNN(Image: Getty Images)
A second person said, referring to an operation in June 2025 when the US attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran with airstrikes, “CNN called you out for lying about the impact of Operation Midnight Hammer. You called them fake news. We later learned that we didn’t actually obliterate their nuclear capabilities. You are doing the same thing right now.”
Another said, “You do understand this makes it worse, right? If you actually did foresee Iran being able to cutoff 20% of the world’s oil and you still went ahead with this idiotic war without doing even *basic* things like filling up the SPR to max levels first… that makes it look like you *wanted* to wreck the world’s energy market.”
A fourth said, “Karoline, if they had a plan there wouldn’t be tankers burning in the Strait.”
A fifth person said, “If Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz has been strategically prepared for, why has Iran successfully struck and disabled 5 oil/commercial vessels in and around the Strait? Iran has essentially closed the Strait and the U.S. has backpedaled on its offer for the U.S. Navy to escort oil and commercial vessel through the Strait.”
CNN have removed the claim from the three sources out of the initial article and added a clarification to the article. Their clarification read, “This story has been updated to reflect additional developments and clarify that top Trump administration officials briefed lawmakers on long-standing military plans to address a major disruption to the Strait, according to one official, but that multiple sources familiar with the session said there was no indication there were any near-term solutions.“
Karoline also did a post where she called the clarification “pathetic” and wanted the CNN journalist’s initial post deleted.
Back on March 2, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards senior official had said that the Strait of Hormuz was closed and they will attack any ship that attempts to pass by. This was in response to US-Israel strikes on Iran that began on February 28.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran should block the Strait(Image: ISNA/AFP via Getty Images)
Recently on Iranian state media on March 12, a newsreader read Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s message. He said that Iran should utilize the “lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz” as the waterway is an area where “the enemy is highly vulnerable,” per the BBC
Khamenei added that Iran will continue to target US bases in the region and warn neighboring countries to close their US bases.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the larger Indian Ocean. It is one of the most important global chokepoint as it’s a sea route used to transports oil, natural gas and other goods out of the Persian Gulf. The Strait serves as a conduit for one-fifth of the world’s oil.
Oil tankers have been blocked from sailing though the Strait as well as striked by Iran as well, which has led to high oil prices.
