US President Donald Trump came down heavily on what he called biased coverage of the Iran war by “fake news” media in the US, criticising The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post for portraying Iran as the winner in the ongoing conflict in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said he was winning the war, but biased media reporting was making Iran believe otherwise. He reiterated that the US military had rendered Iran’s defence forces ‘helpless’ and that the blockade was further weakening the country, claiming Iran was losing $500 million a day.
“The anti-America fake news media is rooting for Iran to win, but it’s not going to happen, because I’m in charge! Just like these unpatriotic people used every ounce of their limited strength to fight me in the election, they continue to do so with Iran. The result will be the same — it already is,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The ceasefire comes to an end tomorrow
The ceasefire between the US and Iran is set to end on April 22. Trump confirmed, according to a Bloomberg report, that Vice President JD Vance will travel to Islamabad for a second round of talks with the US. However, there has been no confirmation from Iran. Axios reported on Tuesday that Vance would visit Pakistan, and while Pakistan is optimistic Iran may also participate, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X that Tehran refuses to negotiate with Trump, accusing him of violating the ceasefire.
“Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table — in his own imagination — into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering. We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield,” Ghalibaf wrote.
Also Read | ‘Under no pressure to make a deal’: Trump claims US is winning Iran war ‘by a lot’ as ceasefire deadline looms
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump is the final decision-maker and will act in the best interest of the US, regardless of media criticism. She added that as long as Trump is in office, Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“Ultimately, he is the final decision-maker, and he makes decisions in the best interest of the United States of America. He doesn’t care about the political consequences. He doesn’t care about what the fake news media will write. He does what he truly feels is in the best interest of our country. And when it comes to Iran, that means ensuring they can never obtain a nuclear bomb, which they were very close to doing. President Trump and his negotiating team found that the Iranian regime was pushing us around, stringing us along,” Leavitt said.