FCC chair threatens broadcast licenses amid Trump’s criticism of Iran war coverage
Federal Communications Commission President Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcast licenses on Saturday, echoing President Trump’s criticism of media coverage of the US-Israeli war in Iran.
“Broadcasters who spread hoaxes and distortions of information – also known as fake news – now have a chance to put things right before their licenses are renewed,” Carr said on social media, in part. “The law is clear. Broadcasters must act in the public interest, and if they don’t, they will lose their license.”
The FCC chairman did not name specific networks or cite stories he said were reported incorrectly. But Carr’s message referenced a Truth Social article published Saturday morning by the president about five U.S. tanker planes in Saudi Arabia.
“Four of the five suffered virtually no damage and are already back in service,” Mr. Trump wrote. “None was destroyed, or almost none, as the Fake News says in their headlines.”
The FCC, an independent agency, issues eight-year licenses to individual broadcast stations, many of which are owned and operated by television networks. It does not license television networks such as CBS, NBC, ABC or Fox.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly accused the media of false reporting about the war in Iran. In September 2025, the president said the networks were covering him negatively should their license “maybe” be revoked. He said such a decision would “fall on” Carr, whom he appointed earlier that year.
Hours after Carr told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson that the late-night host’s comments Jimmy Kimmel on Charlie Kirk murder suspect was “a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” Kimmel’s show was taken off the air in mid-September. Mr. Trump praised ABC, which broadcasts the program, for the decision. “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” taken almost a week later.
Some conservatives, including Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, said Carr had gone too far. But the president defended him.
“I think Brendan Carr is doing a great job,” the president told reporters.
In August, Mr. Trump said that NBC and ABC “give me 97% BAD STORIES” and that he would be “totally supportive” of revoking their FCC licenses.
On its website, the FCC states that “the First Amendment and the Communications Act expressly prohibit the Commission from censoring broadcast material.” It also says the commission’s role in monitoring content broadcast on the airwaves “is very limited.” The FCC has traditionally had limited influence over content broadcast by television networks, in part because of First Amendment protections.
