Senator Sanders accuses Trump admin of lying about Iran war cost

Tasnim, in an article titled “Three practical steps for generating revenue from Strait of Hormuz internet cables,” wrote that submarine fiber-optic cables passing through the strait carry more than $10 trillion in financial transactions each day, but said Iran has been deprived of the economic and sovereign benefits of this critical communications infrastructure because of what it called a traditional view of the strait.

The outlet said the Islamic Republic should take three steps: charge foreign companies initial licensing and annual renewal fees; require major technology companies such as Meta, Amazon and Microsoft to operate under Iranian law; and give Iranian companies exclusive control over maintenance and repair of the cables.

Tasnim said the measures would turn the Strait of Hormuz into a “strategic center for legitimate wealth creation.”

Fars, another IRGC-linked outlet, published a similar thread on X, describing Iran as the ruler of a “hidden highway” in Hormuz.

It said more than 99% of international internet communications are carried through undersea cables, describing them as the backbone of global technology giants including Google, Meta and Microsoft.

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  IRGC-linked media hints at threat to Persian Gulf undersea internet cables

Fars said disruption to the cables for only a few days could cause tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to the regional and global economy.

It said an important part of this communications route passes through the Strait of Hormuz and claimed the cables are legally within an area where Iran can exercise sovereignty, adding that the right of transit passage does not remove that authority.

Under its proposed model for governing the strait, Fars said the passage of undersea cables should require permits and toll payments, while foreign companies should operate under Iranian rules. It also said management, repair and maintenance of the cables could be assigned exclusively to Iranian companies, turning Hormuz into one of Iran’s “digital power” levers.

The comments follow an earlier Tasnim report in April that mapped undersea internet cables and cloud infrastructure around the Persian Gulf, including routes serving the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

That report argued that countries on the southern side of the Persian Gulf depend more heavily than Iran on maritime internet routes, and highlighted landing stations, data hubs and cloud infrastructure as strategic pressure points in the conflict.

The network’s winning projects included its Telegram bot, the interactive map of Israeli targets in the 12-Day War, and the Woman, Life, Freedom campaign. The Telegram bot also advanced to the global stage of the WAN-IFRA awards.

The Telegram bot, entered by Volant Media in the United Kingdom, won Best in Audience Engagement and Most Innovative Digital Product. WAN-IFRA described it as a secure, AI-assisted channel that allowed users to submit footage and reports from inside Iran, with all material verified by Iran International journalists.

Launched during mass protests, the bot became a major news-gathering tool, receiving thousands of messages a day from inside Iran.

After a nationwide internet shutdown, it also became a communication bridge, allowing Iranians abroad to send messages to relatives cut off from the internet. The messages were broadcast on satellite TV, with one message displayed every 20 seconds during live programming.

The WAN-IFRA jury said the project showed “exceptionally innovative” editorial use of a familiar technology, adding that its transformation during internet shutdowns into a bridge between diaspora families and people inside Iran showed “significant real-world user impact beyond news gathering.”

The jury said the bot’s verification workflows, security protections and cross-platform integration made it “a strong reference model for participatory journalism in restricted environments.”

Iran International’s interactive map of Israeli targets in the 12-Day War, a project by Amirhadi Anvari, won Best Data Visualization in the Middle East.

The project mapped strike locations across Iran during the 12-day war, combining citizen-reported information with verified data from multiple sources, including international reporting.

WAN-IFRA said the map provided a comprehensive and accessible view of the conflict at a time when location-specific information was scarce and fragmented.

The project’s main editorial challenge was verifying, locating and explaining events across competing information environments. It drew on citizen videos, domestic reporting and open-source geospatial data, with each location cross-checked and mapped with coordinates, classification and explanatory context.

Designed for clarity and usability, the map uses custom markers, layered views and filters to help audiences navigate complex information. Most locations link to visual evidence or related reporting, while additional layers provide context, including the proximity of military and sensitive sites to civilian infrastructure.

The jury called it a “thorough geolocation of categorized information” and praised its link to Google Maps, adding: “The simple and brief narrative allows the user to freely explore the content.”

Iran International also won Best Marketing Campaign for a News Brand for its Woman, Life, Freedom campaign, marking the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody in 2022.

The campaign centered on an installation of 1,000 hand-folded origami birds, each carrying the name of a victim and arranged to form “Woman, Life, Freedom” in Persian. The installation was filmed and amplified across broadcast and digital platforms, inviting audiences to fold and share their own origami birds using the hashtag #MahsaBird.

WAN-IFRA said the campaign turned remembrance into collective action in a context where open dissent carries major risks. It offered audiences inside Iran and across the diaspora a simple and safe act of remembrance, using paper, light and human hands to turn individual grief into visible solidarity.

The jury called it “a powerful uplift,” saying it translated Iran International’s mission into “a safe, participatory act of remembrance under repression.”

“Deeply inspiring,” the jury said.

The Iran International Telegram bot has also advanced to the global stage of the WAN-IFRA awards. The global winners are due to be announced in June during the WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress in Marseille, France.

WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, is one of the largest international organizations in media and journalism, representing thousands of publishers and news organizations worldwide. Its Digital Media Awards honor leading work in digital journalism, data visualization, media products, marketing and audience engagement.

The United States would likely move quickly to degrade Iran’s military capabilities if talks collapse, beginning with missile systems, naval assets and command networks before moving to more controversial targets, Fox News reported, citing analysts.

Negotiators are still working toward a preliminary framework deal on Iran’s nuclear program and possible sanctions relief, but former Joint Staff planner Seth Krummrich said both sides are starting “at minus 1,000” because neither trusts the other.

The report said a recent US strike on Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, showed the fragility of the process.

A senior US official said the strike did not restart the war or end the ceasefire. It followed Iran’s launch of 15 ballistic and cruise missiles at the UAE’s Fujairah Port, which US officials described as a low-level strike.

President Donald Trump has warned the US could resume bombing Iran if talks fail, including possible strikes on energy infrastructure and export hubs.

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula said a renewed conflict could become a “contest for escalation control,” with likely US targets including ballistic and cruise missiles, air defenses, maritime strike assets, command networks, IRGC infrastructure, proxy support channels and nuclear-related facilities.

One early focus could be Iran’s fast attack boats in the Strait of Hormuz. Analyst RP Newman said the US has destroyed six, while Iran still has about 400. He also said less than 1% of IRGC troops have been killed, with the force still numbering between 150,000 and 190,000.

Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery said Washington may continue economic pressure for “another three to six weeks” before broader escalation. Fox said the US maritime blockade is being used as an alternative to immediately striking Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal.

Israel built a clandestine military outpost in Iraq’s western desert to support its air campaign against Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter, including US officials.

The base was set up shortly before the war began and housed Israeli special forces while also serving as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force, according to the report.

The Journal said the installation was built with US knowledge.

Israel also launched airstrikes against Iraqi troops who came close to discovering the base early in the conflict, the report said.

The United States sanctioned three Chinese companies accused of helping Iran’s military carry out strikes on US forces in the Middle East, escalating tensions with Beijing days before President Donald Trump is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The US State Department said Meentropy Technology (Hangzhou) Co., Earth Eye and Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. provided satellite imagery that enabled Iranian military strikes against US forces in the region.

“The targeting of US service members and partners will not go unanswered,” the State Department said, according to Politico.

Washington said it would continue to hold China-based entities accountable for supporting Iran and to prevent Tehran from rebuilding what it called “proliferation-sensitive programs” after Operation Epic Fury.

Politico said the sanctions are likely to give Trump additional leverage before his talks with Xi, where he is expected to push Beijing to pressure Tehran toward a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to normal shipping.

The administration also sanctioned 10 other entities and individuals in countries including Belarus, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, accusing them of helping Iran’s military secure weapons.

The new sanctions come less than a week before Trump is expected to travel to Beijing with a delegation of US CEOs seeking deals with China, even as US defense officials worry the draining conflict with Iran could give Xi more leverage in talks with Washington.

The latest measures add to a growing trade and sanctions dispute between the world’s two largest economies. Last week, China’s Commerce Ministry banned enforcement of, or compliance with, separate US sanctions on five Chinese oil refineries accused of buying Iranian oil.

Despite the tensions, Trump has suggested he believes Xi can be helpful on the Iran crisis.

“That’ll be one subject,” Trump said at an Oval Office press conference last week, referring to Iran. “But he’s been very nice about this. In all fairness, he gets like 60 percent of his oil from Hormuz. I think he’s been very respectful. We haven’t been challenged by China.”