Iran Names Internet Chief As Shutdown Reaches 75 Days

RFE
13 May 2026, 11:00 GMT+10

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17:01

Who Holds Power In Iran?

Power has become increasingly decentralized in Iran following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the selection of his son as the new supreme leader. So, who holds power in the Islamic republic now?

Radio Farda correspondent Vahid Pourostad looks at thekey power centers and figuresthat have emerged in what some observers have called the Islamic republic 3.0.

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16:22

Trump Lands In Beijing As Iran War Casts Shadow Over China Summit

US President Donald Trump (center) arrives at Beijing airport on May 13.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on May 13 for a closely watched summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as the war in Iran and its fallout on global energy markets loom over efforts to stabilize ties between the world's two largest economies.

Trump, making his first trip to China since 2017, will begin two days of formal talks with Xi on May 14. While trade tensions, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, and rare earth exports are expected to dominate the agenda, the ongoing conflict in Iran and the near paralysis of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have added urgency -- and complexity -- to the meeting.

Speaking before departing Washington, Trump downplayed suggestions that Beijing could play a decisive role in ending the war.

"I don't think we need any help with Iran," Trump told reporters at the White House on May 12. "We'll win it one way or the other, peacefully or otherwise."

To read the full report, clickhere.

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13:28

Women Bear The Brunt Of Iran's Internet Blackout As 'Parallel Labor Market' Collapses

By

Golnaz Esfandiari

Before the conflict erupted in the Middle East in February, many women in Iran had set up or been employed by small online businesses. (file photo)

An editor at a Tehran publishing house, an online yoga instructor, and a rural mother who sells homemade food via Instagram are just three of many Iranian women whose livelihoods have been ruined by their countrys ongoingInternet blackout.

Three Internet shutdowns in Iran in recent months -- including the current blackout, the longest on record -- have dealt a devastating blow to the economy. And in many cases, it is women who are feeling the impact most.

A yoga teacher in Tehran told RFE/RLs Radio Farda that Internet restrictions had prevented her from holding online classes, depriving her of her only source of income.

I was just learning to stand on my own feet, but I cant afford reliable VPN access. Its too expensive and doesnt work properly, the young woman said. For her own safety, she cannot be named because RFE/RL is banned in Iran.

Im lucky because I live with my parents, but I know colleagues who can no longer pay their rent, she added.

With the war and the Internet shutdown, life has stopped for many, she said, describing the digital blackout as torture.

The Islamic republic imposed thelatest Internet shutdownon February 28 amid US and Israeli attacks on the country.

Although Washington and Tehran reached a fragilecease-fireon April 8, Internet access has still not been fully restored, leaving citizens in digital darkness for more than two months. Only those who can afford expensive anti-filtering tools -- along with individuals granted state-approved access -- are able to get online.

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12:00

More in Iran's ongoing Internet restrictions:

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11:45

Iran Names Internet Chief As Shutdown Reaches 75 Days

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian (right) and the country's new Internet chief Mohammad Reza Aref (file photo)

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian has appointed First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref to head a newly created body overseeing cyberspace policy as Irans 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

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10:37

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 Irans 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

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08:11

Iranian Judiciary Says It Executed Cyber Expert On 'Spying' Charges

Ehsan Afrashteh (file photo)

Irans 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 companys 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 masters 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 accuseds 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 ajoint reportpublished 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

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07:48

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 administrations 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 aTruth Social postlate 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 wars 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

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22:55

12.5.2026

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.

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21:58

12.5.2026

Mediator Or Strategic Opportunist? Pakistan Faces Scrutiny Over Iran Role

A billboard installed alongside a road as Pakistan prepared to host the US and Iran for peace talks in Islamabad last month.

Pakistans 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 Islamabads 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 countrys 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 ministrysaid in a statement.

Quoting unnamed US officials, the American broadcaster CBSreported on May 11that 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 asocial media postthat 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 Americas adversaries.

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