Trump Administration Warns Media Over Critical Iran War Coverage, Threatening License Revocation

Washington D.C. The administration of US President Donald Trump has warned that it could revoke the licenses of media outlets broadcasting news critical of the war against Iran. The government has threatened such a harsh measure, accusing the media of spreading misleading news.

Brendan Carr, Chairman of the US media regulatory body (FCC), stated in a social media post on Saturday that media outlets must serve the public interest, or risk losing their licenses. He mentioned that those spreading fake news and misinformation have a chance to correct their course before their license renewal. Carr's statement is being viewed as a direct interference with freedom of expression and an act of censorship.

This controversy began with a Truth Social post by President Trump. Contradicting reports that US aircraft were destroyed in an Iranian attack in Saudi Arabia, Trump claimed those aircraft sustained only minor damage and accused the media of wanting the US to lose the war. Trump referred to the media as low-grade sheets of paper.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also urged journalists to be patriotic and use positive headlines regarding the war. He strongly criticized channels like CNN, pressuring them to write news such as 'Iran is desperate' instead of headlines like 'War escalates in the Middle East.' He even expressed hope that CNN's ownership would fall into the hands of a Trump ally.

Previously, FCC Chairman Carr had pressured for the shutdown of comedian Jimmy Kimmel's show, which criticized President Trump, leading ABC channel to suspend Kimmel's program for some time.

US Senator Brian Schatz and freedom of speech advocates have strongly condemned this action. They called the government's insistence that war coverage must be positive an anti-democratic move.

The war against Iran, which began on February 28, is becoming increasingly unpopular in the US. According to the latest survey, 53 percent of voters oppose this military action. Although Trump claimed victory in the first hour, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, and US forces are under continuous attack. International law experts have also called this war a blatant violation of the law.