Power unit hit at Mobarakeh steel plant, warehouses struck in Khuzestan - Guards media

The United States can confirm with certainty that it has destroyed about one-third of Iran’s missile arsenal, while the status of another third remains unclear, according to people familiar with US intelligence, Reuters reported.

Bombing likely damaged, destroyed or buried part of the remaining missiles in underground sites, the sources said, adding Iran still holds a significant inventory and may recover some weapons after the fighting.

Iran has kept firing missiles and drones, including strikes on the United Arab Emirates, showing it retains operational capability despite weeks of US and Israeli attacks.

The United States and Israel struck major steel plants in Khuzestan and Mobarakeh in Isfahan in separate attacks, Iran’s Fars news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported on Friday.

The report said the power facility at the Mobarakeh steel complex was also hit, adding that emergency teams were dispatched to the sites.

Iran turned back two Chinese container ships from the Strait of Hormuz in an “unusual move,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The vessels, operated by state-owned COSCO, reversed course near Larak Island close to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, according to ship tracking data and crew accounts cited in the report.

The move comes as Iran tightens control over the key waterway, with some ships still attempting to pass through narrow channels in recent days.

Germany’s foreign minister accused Russia on Friday of helping Iran identify potential strike targets during the war.

Johann Wadephul said Moscow was providing information to Tehran and warned that the conflict was linked to the war in Ukraine.

“Russia is evidently supporting Iran with information about potential targets,” he said, adding President Vladimir Putin was seeking to divert attention from Ukraine.

China said on Friday that peace talks in the Iran war would help restore normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and voiced support for Pakistan’s role as a mediator.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said talks were “no easy task” but would be “conducive to restoring normal navigation” in the strategic waterway.

China and Pakistan also agreed to promote a ceasefire, protect non-military targets and ensure the safety of shipping routes, according to a Chinese statement.