Karoline Leavitt's bizarre denial a contradiction of official's statement

Sarah K. Burris
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U.S. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 8, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is in a fact-check war as the media is desperately trying to get to the truth of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

While the White House announced a two-week ceasefire dependent on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, after a bombing in Lebanon on Wednesday, Iranian state media announced the Strait was closed again. They said that the attacks violated the ceasefire, which included no more attacks on Iran and Lebanon.

During the daily press briefing, Leavitt was asked which was true: is the Strait open or not? Is Lebanon part of the ceasefire or not?

"Well, with respect to the first reporting out of Iranian state media, the president was made aware of those reports before I came to the podium. That is completely unacceptable," said Leavitt. "And again, this is a case of what they're saying publicly is different. Privately, we have seen an uptick of traffic in the Strait today. And I will reiterate the president's expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly, and safely. That is his expectation. It has been relayed to him privately that that is what's taking place in these reports publicly are false."

Tommy Vietor, a National Security Council aide under President Barack Obama, pointed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, who facilitated the talks between the U.S. and Iran.

In a post on Tuesday, Sharif wrote, "With the greatest humility, I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY."

Yet, Leavitt claimed the opposite.

She was also confronted by an Iranian reporter who asked, "I have been speaking with people there during the blackout. One of my family members said goodbye to me yesterday. What message should we be sending to Iranians?"

"The president’s and my main priority is to make sure that clear messages are sent to the American people. We hope that Iran will be a country of prosperity," is how Leavitt answered it.

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