Reports Say Iran Still Holds Bulk Of Missile Arsenal
US intelligence assessments cited by US media indicate that Iran retains most of its missile capabilities despite months of conflict with Israel and the United States.
The New York Times and The Washington Post reported that Tehran still possesses roughly 70 percent of its pre-war missile stockpile and mobile launchers, while having regained access to around three quarters of its underground missile facilities, including sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
The reports contrast sharply with the Trump administration’s portrayal of Iran as having been largely militarily defeated.
US President Donald Trump attacked what he called “Fake News” coverage suggesting Iran remained militarily capable.
In a Truth Social post late on May 12, he said such reporting was “virtual TREASON.” He did not specify which coverage he was referring to.
The reports come amid stalled negotiations to end the conflict and growing debate in Washington over the war’s costs.
Also on May 12, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected claims the conflict had dangerously depleted US munitions stockpiles, insisting: “We have plenty of what we need.”
With reporting by dpa
More in Iran's ongoing Internet restrictions:
Iran Names Internet Chief As Shutdown Reaches 75 Days
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian has appointed First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref to head a newly created body overseeing cyberspace policy as Iran’s nationwide Internet shutdown entered its 75th day.
In a decree, Pezeshkian said the move was necessary because of the “urgent need to establish integrated, coherent and efficient governance in cyberspace.”
The blackout, imposed after the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel, has drawn mounting criticism, particularly after authorities said only government-aligned journalists and media activists would receive access to the global Internet.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani defended the restrictions as necessary “because of the wartime atmosphere,” telling protesting journalists: “What do you expect?”
Iranian authorities have also faced growing backlash over the rollout of expensive “Pro Internet” or “tiered internet” packages marketed to businesses and select users.
Critics say the system creates unequal access to the global Internet while allowing telecom operators to profit from wartime restrictions.
Pro-government media activist Ali Qolhaki warned that such “discriminatory plans” risked fueling public resentment and could generate massive revenues for operators.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Chinese Supertanker Attempts Hormuz Transit
A Chinese supertanker carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil was attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on May 13, according to maritime tracking data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and the analytics firm Kpler, .
The vessel, Yuan Hua Hu, had moved past Iran’s Larak Island and was heading south on the eastern side of the strategic waterway, which normally accounts for around 20 percent of global oil shipments.
If successful, it would mark the third known transit by a Chinese oil tanker through Hormuz since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran in late February.
Sources told Reuters that Tehran has strengthened its influence over shipping through the strait by striking arrangements with countries, including Iraq and Pakistan, to facilitate oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
The tanker -- operated by a unit of COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation unit and chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of Chinese state oil giant Sinopec -- had been stranded in the Persian Gulf since March.
With reporting by Reuters
Iranian Judiciary Says It Executed Cyber Expert On 'Spying' Charges
Iran’s judiciary has executed another prisoner, Ehsan Afrashteh, on charges of “spying” for Israel.
The judiciary's official media outlet, Mizan News, reported that Afrashteh was executed early on May 13. The report claimed that he had been “trained by Mossad in Nepal and sold sensitive national information to Israel.”
Part of the report, without providing details, stated that he “worked as a cyber expert at a company affiliated with a military institution.”
Mizan claimed that “on the orders of a Mossad officer, Afrashteh attempted to transfer various information about the company and its employees.
It added that "the identities and details of staff, the hierarchy and detailed organizational chart, and the company’s missions were among the information Afrashteh allegedly sought to pass to the Mossad.”
However, the lengthy report published by Mizan does not specify when Afrashteh was arrested or tried, and provides no details about the judicial process.
Several human rights websites and organizations have written that Afrashteh was born in 1993. They said he was a master’s graduate in civil engineering who worked as network specialist and was arrested in early 2024 after returning from Turkey.
The HRANA rights agency also reported that Afrashteh was originally from Isfahan and had previously lived in Tehran.
In the Mizan report, the judiciary claimed Afrashteh had received various forms of training from Mossad in “personal security, report writing and information analysis, covert photography, setting up secure communication systems, encryption and information transfer methods, pinpoint targeting and covert transmission of location data, and activities in cryptocurrency markets, among other things.”
The judiciary's descriptions of the accused’s activities were supposedly based on his “confessions and admissions,” adding that “during his cooperation with Mossad he exchanged at least four to five emails per month, aside from voice contacts, with Mossad intelligence officers, and more than 300 messages were exchanged between them.”
Since the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, the Islamic republic has increased the implementation of execution sentences, in some cases carrying out multiple executions in a single day.
According to a joint report published on April 13 by the Norway-based organization Iran Human Rights and the Paris-based group Together Against the Death Penalty, Iran carried out at least 1,639 executions in 2025.
The report said this was the highest annual number of executions in Iran since 1989.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Reports Say Iran Still Holds Bulk Of Missile Arsenal
US intelligence assessments cited by US media indicate that Iran retains most of its missile capabilities despite months of conflict with Israel and the United States.
The New York Times and The Washington Post reported that Tehran still possesses roughly 70 percent of its pre-war missile stockpile and mobile launchers, while having regained access to around three quarters of its underground missile facilities, including sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
The reports contrast sharply with the Trump administration’s portrayal of Iran as having been largely militarily defeated.
US President Donald Trump attacked what he called “Fake News” coverage suggesting Iran remained militarily capable.
In a Truth Social post late on May 12, he said such reporting was “virtual TREASON.” He did not specify which coverage he was referring to.
The reports come amid stalled negotiations to end the conflict and growing debate in Washington over the war’s costs.
Also on May 12, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected claims the conflict had dangerously depleted US munitions stockpiles, insisting: “We have plenty of what we need.”
With reporting by dpa
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 0730 CET to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
Mediator Or Strategic Opportunist? Pakistan Faces Scrutiny Over Iran Role
Pakistan’s role as a mediator between Iran and the United States has come under renewed scrutiny after reports that Iranian aircraft were parked at a military base just outside Rawalpindi, raising questions about Islamabad’s balancing act in the unfolding conflict.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry was quick to call the news reports "misleading and sensationalized" without denying the presence of the Iranian aircraft at the country’s Nur Khan Air Base.
"Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan arrived during the cease-fire period and bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement," the ministry said in a statement.
Quoting unnamed US officials, the American broadcaster CBS reported on May 11 that Pakistan had allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields, potentially shielding them from US air strikes.
Reacting to the news report, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said in a social media post that “if this reporting is accurate, it would require a complete reevaluation of the role Pakistan is playing as mediator between Iran, the United States, and other parties.”
There has not yet been any official comment from the White House or US State Department.
The allegations have also revived a long-running debate in Washington over whether Pakistan can simultaneously maintain close security ties with the United States while preserving strategic relationships with America’s adversaries.
Read more here
Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi In Critical Condition After Transfer To Tehran Hospital
The brother of imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi says doctors cannot yet offer a definitive prognosis on her condition, days after Iranian authorities released her on bail amid a health crisis that her family says nearly killed her.
Hamidreza Mohammadi told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda on May 12 that after 10 days in the critical care unit of a hospital in the northwestern city of Zanjan, the family arranged their own ambulance to transport her to Tehran, where she is now being treated by a medical team. He said her blood pressure had dropped to critically low levels during her hospitalization.
"The doctors cannot say anything definitive because Narges's medical file is complicated," he said, citing her underlying health conditions, including cardiac inflammation, as compounding factors.
He added that the coming week would be devoted entirely to tests and angiography to determine the extent of her health deterioration before any treatment could begin.
Mohammadi, 54, suffered a suspected heart attack in Zanjan prison on March 24 while serving a sentence that carries 18 years still to run. Her Paris-based lawyer said last week that she had lost 20 kilograms and was unrecognizable from her state before her most recent arrest in December.
Read more here
Trump Says US Doesn't Need China's Help On Iran
US President Donald Trump has said that the Chinese president had been "relatively good" on the Iran war although Washington did not need his help.
Speaking to journalists ahead of his trip to China, Trump said, "I don't think we need any help with Iran. We'll win it one way or another. We'll win it peacefully or otherwise."
He also said he was scheduled to have a "long conversation" with Xi Jinping about Iran in China, adding that the Chinese leader was "a friend" and "somebody we get along with."
Trump will arrive in China on the evening of May 13 and have two days of talks and public appearances with Xi on May 14-15. The US president last visited the country in 2017.
Trump has rejected Iran's latest offer for a deal to end the war, calling it "completely unacceptable" and "incredibly weak."
The US president's trip to China was originally scheduled for March but was delayed due to the Iran war.
Second Qatari LNG Tanker Crosses Strait of Hormuz
A second Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker has successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz under a special arrangement involving Iran and Pakistan, highlighting efforts to maintain energy shipments despite regional conflict risks.
The vessel Mihzem departed Qatar’s Ras Laffan terminal on May 11 and passed through the strategic waterway the following day en route to Pakistan’s Port Qasim, according to shipping data from the London Stock Exchange Group.
The transit follows the earlier passage of the tanker Al Kharaitiyat, which crossed the Hormuz strait over the weekend.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Iran approved the shipments to Pakistan, which faces acute gas shortages and has been seeking limited safe passage for LNG cargoes supplied by Qatar under a government-to-government agreement.