Iran judiciary disputes Trump claim of halted executions

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday dismissed a CBS News report that said Iran still retained more military capacity than the administration had publicly acknowledged, and defended President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict.

“The legacy media is doing PR for the Iranian regime... again,” Leavitt said in a post on X.

She said that under Trump’s leadership, the US military had severely damaged Iran’s military capabilities, including its defense industrial base, missile and drone stockpiles, navy and air force.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that Washington’s breaches of its commitments, blockade and threats were the main obstacles to genuine negotiations with the United States.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has welcomed dialogue and agreement and continues to do so,” Pezeshkian said in a post on X.

“Breach of commitments, blockade and threats are main obstacles to genuine negotiations,” he added.

“The world sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions,” Pezeshkian said.

PEN America said on Wednesday that Iranian writers Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee and Ali Asadollahi would receive the 2026 PEN Barbey Freedom to Write Award, which honors jailed writers targeted for their expression.

“These writers embody the courage and creativity it takes to express their viewpoints openly in the face of unrelenting persecution,” Summer Lopez, co-CEO of PEN America, said in a statement.

Iraee remains imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin prison after years of arrests and repeated jail terms.

Poet and translator Asadollahi was arrested in January 2026 during Iran’s crackdown on dissent and later released on bail in March after international pressure.

The two will be honored at PEN America’s Literary Gala in New York on May 14.

Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim claims Iran’s negotiating team in Islamabad did not enter discussions on the nuclear issue, saying it was not on the delegation’s agenda from the outset.

According to Tasnim, the United States raised the issue of suspending uranium enrichment, but the Iranian delegation “moved past” the proposal.

Tasnim added that the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization was not part of the delegation for that reason, and that the talks were limited to political, military, economic and legal issues.

It could take up to six months to fully clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines deployed by Iran’s military, The Washington Post reports citing a Pentagon brief to the US Congress.

The assessment suggests the economic fallout from the conflict could stretch into late this year or beyond, with shipping disruptions and elevated energy prices likely to persist.

It adds that and any such operation is unlikely to begin until the US-Iran war ends.