President Donald Trump accused leftwing media outlets of spreading Iranian disinformation and suggested the conduct could be criminal while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening.

In a separate Truth Social post issued shortly before the exchange, the president said media organizations that knowingly distribute false information could face treason charges.

The comments came as tensions between the United States and Iran continued, with conflicting statements about potential negotiations.

Over the weekend, President Trump said he had rejected a deal to end the conflict, stating, “The terms are not good enough yet.”

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offered a different account during an appearance on CBS.

“We never asked for a cease-fire, and we have never asked even for negotiation,” he said.

“We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes.”

He continued that Iran would press on “until President Trump comes to the point that this is an illegal war with no victory,” and added, “there are, you know, people being killed only because President Trump wants to have fun.”

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Before taking questions from reporters, President Trump issued a statement on Truth Social criticizing Iran’s use of artificial intelligence and accusing US media outlets of amplifying false narratives.

He wrote that “Iran has long been known as a Master of Media Manipulation and Public Relations,” adding that the regime is “really good at ‘feeding’ the very appreciative Fake News Media false information.”

In that same post, President Trump pointed to what he described as fabricated imagery.

He wrote that Iran showed “phony ‘Kamikaze Boats,’” adding that “these Boats don’t exist.”

He also said that images of burning targets were false, writing, “Buildings and Ships that are shown to be on fire are not — It’s FAKE NEWS, generated by A.I.”

He referenced claims about the USS Abraham Lincoln, stating that it was depicted “burning uncontrollably in the Ocean,” and added, “Not only was it not burning, it was not even shot at.”

The president also addressed reporting about US refueling aircraft.

He wrote that “The five U.S. Refueling Planes that were supposedly struck down and badly damaged … are all in service, with the exception of one, which will soon be flying the skies.”

He added that media outlets publishing such reports should face consequences, writing that “those Media Outlets that generated it should be brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information!”

Moments later aboard Air Force One, The Hill’s Julia Manchester asked President Trump about Iran’s claims. He responded by pointing to what he described as Iranian disinformation efforts.

“They used AI,” President Trump said, referring to images circulating online.

He added that Iran claimed it attacked the USS Abraham Lincoln and “they show pictures of it burning,” but said, “It was never attacked” and “it was never burning.”

He then addressed reporting about US refueling planes in Saudi Arabia.

“The Wall Street Journal put out a false story,” President Trump said.

He added that reports claiming the aircraft were destroyed were inaccurate, stating, “They weren’t destroyed at all.”

He said, “Four of them were not damaged,” while noting that “one of them has slight damage” and “it’ll be back in the air soon.”

President Trump also dismissed reports about Iranian naval threats. “They put out phony story— the kamikaze boats,” he said.

He added, “The kamikaze boats don’t exist,” describing the imagery as fake and saying, “It’s AI generated. It’s fake.”

He broadened his criticism to US media organizations, saying Iran “is known for a lot of fake news” and “they deal with our fake news.”

He added that American media companies “are putting out information that they know is false,” calling it “a very dangerous thing for the country,” and said, “I think they could be in serious jeopardy, frankly.”

Separately, President Trump also challenged a Wall Street Journal headline that read, “Five Air Force refueling planes hit in Iranian strike on Saudi Arabia.”

He said, “In actuality, the Base was hit a few days ago,” while emphasizing that “the planes were not ‘struck’ or ‘destroyed.’”

He added, “Four of the five had virtually no damage, and are already back in service,” and said, “None were destroyed, or close to that, as the Fake News said in headlines.”

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