Donald Trump slams New York Times over Iran war coverage, threatens to widen billion-dollar lawsuit

US President Donald Trump on Monday criticized the New York Times for what the former called “FAKE & MADE UP ‘FACTS'” over their coverage of the US war against Iran.

Trump criticized the portal for publishing a story with the headline “What has changed after nearly 4 months of war? Analysts say not much”. He claimed that Iran suffered a lot of damage, especially in terms of its army, navy and air force. The US president also claimed that Tehran has lost launch pads, missiles, drones and their ability to manufacture them.

“Corrupt and Failing New York Times headline: ‘What Has Changed After Nearly 4 Months of War? Not Much, Analysts Say.’ REALLY? Their military is DONE, their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their launch pads, missiles, drones and their manufacturing are almost gone, their top two leadership groups are gone, their inflation is at 250%, their economy is BUSTED, their soldiers are not getting paid, the strait of hormuz and the job market are OPEN, the stock market is OPEN. HIGHS. This is what CHANGED, you corrupt and unethical cowards, and MORE!!!,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

In another post, Trump further claimed that the publication was spreading “FAKE & MADE UP “FACTS” and called the act “MURDER”. He said he would add “all their fake and ridiculous news to my multi-billion dollar lawsuit against them.”

“They are criminals!” the US president added.

What did the NYT say in their article?

The publication stated in their article “What has changed after almost 4 months of war” that the peace agreement between the two countries did not achieve any of the goals Trump set out when he launched the war on February 28.

It says that the fate of Iran’s nuclear project, although badly damaged, has not been completely eliminated and that its future is now “tilted” for further negotiations.

She went on to say that the same could be said about Iran’s ballistic missiles, which found no mention in the peace agreement between the two nations. Moreover, Iranian proxies, the publication claims, continue to remain a threat to the region.

The publication also pointed out that even “the most significant immediate outcome of the deal”, which is the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, appeared to be at risk on Saturday. The publication spoke to an MIT professor specializing in Persian Gulf security issues who said: “I think this is a document that is the result of the fact that the United States has bitten off more than it can chew and does not want to escalate.”

Day 2 of US-Iran talks

Talks between the US and Iran in Switzerland dragged into a second day on Monday after a tense start when Tehran claimed it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again under repeated threats from Trump.

“The Iranians never left and they are still meeting here and negotiating late into the night,” a US diplomat involved in the talks told Reuters. “We talked about the Straits, Lebanon, nuclear issues and the details of the implementation of the MoU, among other things.”

High-level talks between the two sides’ top officials are expected to end on Monday as technical staff remain in Switzerland to conduct further talks.