Iran internet blackout enters 13th week, NetBlocks says

Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said Iran had stopped its enemies behind the country’s borders and secured its independence despite what she called aggression by the strongest military force in history, Mehr News Agency reported.

In a note defending President Masoud Pezeshkian’s “national unity” strategy, Mohajerani said the government had taken office at a critical moment after the death of Ebrahim Raisi and as tensions in West Asia were reaching a boiling point.

She said Iran had drawn on its military, logistical, economic,administrative and social capacity to withstand two wars – one in June and the more recent conflict that began in February.

She said Pezeshkian’s government had tried to avoid unnecessary political disputes, defend public rights, including women’s rights, and improve cooperation between branches of government.

“The government and the president will not take a step back from the path of national unity,” she wrote, adding that ignoring the government’s role in Iran’s wartime resilience would be unfair.

Iran’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Reza Talaei-Nik said President Donald Trump had “no choice” but to accept Tehran’s demands and recognize what he called Iran’s rights, warning that refusal would bring further costs.

“Trump has no choice but to accept the demands of the Iranian people and recognize our country’s rights,” Talaei-Nik said.

He said meeting Iran’s demands in both war and diplomacy was the only way out for what he called the “American-Zionist enemy” in the conflict.

“If the enemy does not submit to the rightful demands of the Iranian people, it will impose more costs and further consecutive defeats on Trump and the Zionist enemy,” he said.

He added that Trump’s “disregard” for US national interests, his alignment with Israel and what he called arrogant behavior would push the United States deeper into the “quagmire of war.”

Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said he continued meetings on Capitol Hill over what he called his “plan for a free Iran,” after talks with Republican Representatives Derrick Van Orden and Dan Meuser.

Pahlavi said Van Orden had “seen up close what the Islamic Republic does to both Americans and Iranians,” adding that he looked forward to further discussions on the plan and “what it will mean for America and the world.”

Van Orden said he met Pahlavi and Iranian opposition figures to discuss “the Iranian people’s fight for freedom,” adding that the United States should stand with those seeking “liberty and peace.”

Pahlavi also said he met Meuser during his Capitol Hill visit and thanked him for supporting Iranians “in the fight to reclaim our country” and return Iran to “peace, prosperity, and the community of nations.”

Meuser said Pahlavi was continuing his advocacy for the Iranian people and opposition to the Islamic Republic.

A Reuters analysis questioned whether President Donald Trump can turn US military gains against Iran into a broader geopolitical victory, three months after the war began.

The analysis said Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, its refusal to make major nuclear concessions and the survival of its ruling system have complicated Trump’s claims of victory.

According to the analysis, Trump now faces pressure to either accept a flawed diplomatic off-ramp or escalate militarily, possibly through limited strikes he could frame as a final blow.

The White House rejected the idea that the campaign was faltering, saying the United States had “met or surpassed” its military objectives in Operation Epic Fury.

But analysts cited by Reuters said Iran may believe it can absorb more economic pain than Trump and use Hormuz as leverage, after showing it can disrupt a waterway that handles about one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies.

The analysis said Trump’s stated aims – blocking Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon, ending its regional threat and weakening its rulers – remain unresolved, while any renewed strikes could trigger Iranian retaliation across the region.

Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran on Friday to discuss the latest diplomatic efforts and initiatives aimed at ending the Iran war, Iranian state media reported.

The two sides also exchanged views on security issues in West Asia and efforts to prevent further escalation, according to the report.

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