FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Communications Technology Subcommittee hearing on “Federal Communications Commission Oversight” at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 14, 2026.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Saturday criticized the network shortly after President Donald Trump called a report that Iran had attacked five U.S. refueling planes “fake news.”
In a post on X, Kerr warned that broadcasters would have their licenses revoked if they did not “operate in the public interest.”
“Broadcast stations that spread misinformation and distortions of news, also known as fake news, have a chance to correct course before their licenses come up for renewal,” Kerr wrote in a post attached to President Trump’s statement on Truth Social earlier Saturday.
“It is critical that we restore trust in media outlets that have been labeled as fake news,” Kerr added.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that five refueling tankers were hit in an Iranian missile attack on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, President Trump cited The Journal, The New York Times and what he called other “sleazy” newspapers, calling it an “intentionally misleading headline.” The president also said that four of the five Air Force tanker jets hit in the Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia were “virtually undamaged and have already returned to service.”
President Trump insists one plane suffered “slightly more damage” but will be flying again soon.
Also on Saturday, President Trump called on more countries to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to protect oil interests there.
Late Friday, two weeks after the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation against the Middle Eastern country, President Trump said Iran is “completely defeated and wants a deal” but it is not “acceptable.”
The statement came shortly after the president announced that the United States had bombed Kharg Island, a key oil hub and Iran’s main oil export terminal. Iran’s military has said it will attack U.S.-linked oil and gas infrastructure in the Middle East if there are further attacks on its energy facilities.
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