Mehraveh Khandan announced on Instagram on May 13 that her mother, human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh, was temporarily released on bail after being arrested at her home in Tehran on March 31.
On May 12, the IRGC announced the expansion of its operational range in the Strait of Hormuz from approximately 20-30 miles to 200-300 miles, extending from Jask to Siri Island, according to Reuters. This move has raised concerns over global energy security and shipping in the region.
Bahrain sentenced two individuals to life imprisonment and fined each 10,000 Bahraini dinars for collaborating with the IRGC to carry out terrorist acts against the country, according to Gulf Times. The court also ordered the confiscation of their assets.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of Iran's Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, stated that the United States must accept current realities and engage in negotiations to end the state of war. Boroujerdi also emphasized that Iran will not relinquish control over the Strait of Hormuz or negotiate regarding nuclear enrichment.
On January 15, 2026, an Iranian army spokesman claimed that controlling the Strait of Hormuz would double Iran's oil income and enhance its foreign political influence, asserting that the current conflict will permanently alter the status quo.
Masih Alinejad honored Farideh and Kosar, two Iranian activists blinded by the Islamic Republic, by inviting them to speak at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit to European leaders. Farideh lost both eyes to a gunshot, while Kosar was blinded in one eye and recently attacked by Western activists in Berlin for criticizing the Islamic Republic and its proxies.
Ehsan Afrashteh, an IT specialist who had moved to Turkey, was executed this morning in Iran after returning home and being coerced by the IRGC into false confessions of espionage. The regime had promised his safety upon his return.
Reuters reported that Iraq and Pakistan have reached agreements with the Islamic Republic of Iran to facilitate the transfer of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, indicating increased Iranian control over the strategic waterway. Iraq coordinated the passage of two large oil tankers, while Pakistan is handling the transfer of Qatar's liquefied natural gas shipments in accordance with Tehran's directives.
Syria's Attorney General has requested that Russia extradite President Bashar al-Assad to stand trial for war crimes in Damascus.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has ordered residents of the southern Lebanese villages of Kfarhata, Arabsalim, and Deir Al-Zahrani to evacuate immediately, warning of imminent military action due to Hezbollah ceasefire breaches. Residents are instructed to move at least 1,000 meters into open ground.
Alireza Raisi, Deputy Minister of Health for Health Affairs in Iran, warned about the country's declining population trend, stating it is more critical than current military challenges. He emphasized that the nation's resilience during wartime is due to its young population.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it will destroy captured American and Israeli munitions in Qom province within hours, according to the Mehr News Agency.
A group of Republican and Democratic representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to the British government, urging them to expedite the process of designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization in the UK.
On the seventy-fifth day of the internet shutdown in Iran, President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed his First Vice President to head the "Special Headquarters for Organizing and Leading the Country's Cyberspace" while retaining his own position as president.
According to a report by TRT World, Saudi Arabia launched covert strikes on Iran after the kingdom faced attacks; specific locations and casualty numbers were not provided.
A Chinese supertanker named "Yuan Hua Hu," managed by the state-owned company COSCO Shipping, passed through the Strait of Hormuz just before the Trump-Xi Jinping talks, with maritime trackers showing it east of the strait and then turning off its tracking system after passing through Iranian waters. Several other Chinese-managed vessels also transited the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, most of which disabled their tracking systems during passage.
Reports suggest that Gulf states carried out direct strikes on Iran during a regional conflict, according to recent data and intelligence reports.
According to U.S. military sources, reports of Saudi Arabia conducting airstrikes against Iran during recent conflicts are false. The Royal Saudi Air Force did not conduct any airstrikes against Iran, while the United Arab Emirates was the only Persian Gulf state to do so. #OperationEpicFury #OperationLionsRoar
Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran, appointed Mohammad Reza Aref as head of the "Special Headquarters for Organizing and Leading the Country's Cyberspace" while retaining his position as first vice president, amid an internet blackout surpassing 1,776 hours.
Ship tracking data shows that a Chinese oil tanker, the "Yuan Hua Hu," carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude oil, attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, May 13. This is the third known instance of a Chinese oil tanker navigating the strait since the start of the US and Israel war with Iran on March 29, 2025.
