Trump administration threatens broadcasters could lose licenses over war on Iran coverage

US Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has warned that broadcasters could risk losing their licenses, echoing criticism from US President Donald Trump about media coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Carr said on Saturday that broadcasters must operate in the public interest, according to the law, "and they will lose their licenses if they do not."

"Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions - also known as the fake news - have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up," he wrote on X.

Carr said broadcasters should reconsider their approach, arguing that public trust in legacy media has fallen to about 9 percent, stressing the need to restore trust in the media, which he said has increasingly been labelled "fake news."

"When a political candidate is able to win a landslide election victory in the face of hoaxes and distortions, there is something very wrong. It means the public has lost faith and confidence in the media. And we can't allow that to happen. Time for change!" he said.

Trump has repeatedly accused the media of falsely reporting on the war on Iran.

"The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal - But not a deal that I would accept!" Trump claimed in his latest criticism about the media on his Truth Social platform.​​​​​​​