CNN defends report outlining 10-point plan from Iran, Trump calls it 'false', US official says it's outdated framework

Following the US and Iran reaching a ceasefire on Tuesday evening, Trump said that CNN is being investigated over a "false statement" it posted regarding the ceasefire that CNN said came from Iranian officials, who claimed "victory."

In a liveblog post from CNN, the outlet stated that "Iran says it has achieved a great victory and forced the United States to accept in principle its 10-point plan, according to a statement from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council reported by Iranian state media." As part of the alleged plan, the US, CNN reported, had "in principle agreed to lift all primary and secondary sanctions against Iran and to withdraw US combat forces from all bases in the region, the council said according to state media." The post had appeared under a headline that read, "Iran claims victory, says it forced US to accept 10-point plan."

A US official told Fox News that the framework circulating publicly is dated. “There is an updated plan, Iran has already conceded to many of those old points,” the official said. This would mean that the previously reported plan may no longer reflect the current state of negotiations between the Trump admin and Tehran.

Trump wrote in response to the reporting, "The alleged Statement put out by CNN World News is a FRAUD, as CNN well knows. The false Statement was linked to a Fake News site (from Nigeria) and, of course, immediately picked up by CNN, and blared out as a 'legitimate' headline. The Official Statement by Iran was just released, and posted on TRUTH, below. Authorities are looking to determine whether or not a crime was committed on the issuance of the Fake CNN World Statement, or was it a sick rogue player? CNN is being ordered to immediately withdraw this Statement with full apologies for their, as usual, terrible 'reporting.' Results of the investigation will be announced in the near future." 

The statement from Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, read, "On behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I express gratitude and appreciation for my dear brothers HE Prime Minister of Pakistan Sharif and HE Field Marshal Munir for their tireless efforts to end the war in the region."

"In response to the brotherly request of PM Sharif in his tweet, and considering the request by the US for negotiations based on its 15-point proposal as well as announcement by POTUS about acceptance of the general framework of Iran’s 10-point proposal as a basis for negotiations, I hereby declare on behalf of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council: If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations. For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations."

A CNN spokesperson defended the reporting, stating, "The statement in question was obtained by CNN from Iranian officials and reported on multiple Iranian state media outlets. We received the statement from specific Iranian spokespeople who are known to us." 

Trump later wrote, "No one can believe that Fake News CNN put out a knowingly false and dangerous statement pretending it came from the upper levels of the Iranian Government. It didn’t! It was totally made up and posted, as a headline, for the purpose of, perhaps, inflaming a very delicate situation. it was a new, trouble making site from Nigeria, and CNN just got caught cheating - A very dangerous thing to do!"

Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said "More outrageous conduct from CNN. Fake news is bad enough for the country, but pushing out a hoax headline in such a sensitive national security moment as this requires accountability. Iran put out an official statement that simply cannot be squared with the one CNN's false headline attributes to them. Time for change at CNN."