📝 🇺🇸 🇮🇷 Iran's military more capable than Trump administration is publicly acknowledging, sources say

Roughly 60% of the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is still in existence, the officials said, including fast-attack speed boats. On Wednesday, Iranian gunboats attacked several commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, shortly after President Trump announced he was unilaterally extending a ceasefire to allow more time for peace talks.

About two-thirds of Iran's air force is still believed to be operational, the officials said, after an intensive U.S. and Israeli campaign that struck thousands of targets, including storage and production facilities.

Battle damage assessments show that the joint operation has destroyed much of Iran's conventional navy, according to a U.S. official who sought anonymity to share confidential details with CBS News.

But the naval arm of the IRGC, built for asymmetrical warfare and equipped with many smaller vessels, remains partly intact, officials said, and it's that navy that's hampering oil shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Iran retains thousands of missiles and one-way attack UAVs that can threaten U.S. and partner forces throughout the region, despite degradations to its capabilities from both attrition and expenditure," Marine Lt. Gen. James Adams wrote.

Asked for comment for this article, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the war has been a success, with more than 13,000 Iranian targets struck.

Parnell said 92% of the Iranian Navy's largest vessels have been destroyed, and about 44 minelayers destroyed.

It was "the largest elimination of a navy over a three week period since World War II," Parnell said. "Secretary Hegseth could not be prouder of our warfighters' resolve, and mainstream media's obsession with discounting their efforts is telling."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-more-capable-than-trump-admin-publicly-acknowledging

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- A KC-135 Stratotanker in-air refueling aircraft is loitering above the Saudi Arabia-Iraq border, likely refueling fighters.

⚡️🇮🇷 Iran in a letter to the United Nations and the Security Council:

Washington is using the territories and airspace of the UAE to carry out an attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the United States is using the UAE's territories to prepare and equip for the purpose of launching attacks on Iran.

@medmannews

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- Additional explosions are being reported in Tehran, Qom, Shahriar, Karaj, and Chitgar.

⚡🇮🇷 Important to note that there is zero statement from the Iranian government or it's outlets on this attack.

These attacks are not wide spread or large scale, in fact, they are limited, the impacts themselves are not even massive.

It could be that the US is trying to test out Iranian preparations after the ceasefire with limited strikes first.

@medmannews

— 🇮🇷 NEW: After checking with various sources and contacts throughout the country, reports of an attack on Iran are false

Air defenses have been tested in several areas of Tehran.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇮🇱/🇱🇧/🇺🇳 NEW: The statue of Jesus Christ that was destroyed by an IDF soldier in southern Lebanon, was replaced by Italian UNIFIL troops

@Middle_East_Spectator

🛢 🇮🇳 🌾 India to Purchase Fertilizer at Nearly Double Pre-War Price

India, the world’s top importer of urea, has agreed to buy the nitrogen-based fertilizer at sharply higher prices than in a previous tender as the Middle East conflict disrupts supplies and pushes global benchmarks higher.

Indian Potash Ltd., which imports the crop nutrient for the government, will secure 1.5 million tons for delivery on the west coast at $935 per ton, while another 1 million tons will be delivered on the east coast at $959 per ton, according to people familiar with the matter.

The offers are almost 90% higher than what India agreed to pay in a tender before the start of the conflict, said the people, who asked not to be named due to the commercial sensitivity of the information. Urea from the Middle East, a major supplier to the South Asian nation, was quoted at $490 a ton before the war began, according to Green Markets data.

More than two dozen firms submitted offers last week, quoting rates between $935 and $1,136 a ton. This would be India’s first purchase since the US-Israel strikes on Iran and comes at a crucial period ahead of sowing for monsoon crops such as rice, corn and soybeans. The 2.5 million-ton tender has not formally been awarded, but is expected to be confirmed by Thursday, the people said.

The South Asian nation’s urea production relies heavily on natural gas, much of it from the Middle East and used to make ammonia, a key feedstock for the fertilizer. Supply disruptions following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz forced some regional producers to idle plants last month. Indian authorities are now in talks with major producers and exporters to secure direct shipments of nitrogen-based and phosphatic fertilizers.

Global urea prices have surged since the war began, with nearly 45% of global supply moving through the Persian Gulf, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Any prolonged disruptions could push prices even higher.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-22/india-to-purchase-fertilizer-at-nearly-double-pre-war-price

📎 Bloomberg