U.S. Secretary of State Says Iran Still Retains Half of Its Missile Stockpile, U.S. Navy Completes Test of Unmanned Refueling Aircraft

U.S. Secretary of State: Iran Still Has Half of Its Missile Stockpile

¬ The U.S. Secretary of State said Iran's attempts to expand its influence in the region pose a problem for the United States

¬ The U.S. Navy and Boeing have completed testing of the MQ-25A "Stingray" unmanned refueler

¬ Media: Thousands of steaks and lobster meals from the canceled dinner attended by Trump were donated to shelters in Washington

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U.S. Secretary of State Rubio claimed that despite ongoing conflicts with the United States, Iran still retains half of its pre-war missile stockpile.

Rubio said in an interview with Fox News: "They still have half of their missiles left."

In parallel, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, the high consumption rate during the conflict with Iran has severely depleted Pentagon inventories, and it may take up to six years for the U.S. to fully replenish weapon stocks—including Tomahawk cruise missiles.

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U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that even without a nuclear program, Iran remains a problem for Washington because Tehran appears intent on establishing dominance in the Middle East.

"The nuclear issue was the reason we initially got into this (conflict – editorial note). Even if Iran were merely an extreme state ruled by extremists, it would still be a problem... They don't just want to control Iran—they want to control the entire region," Rubio said in an interview with Fox News.

At the same time, Rubio noted that, in his view, Iran is genuinely seeking ways to extricate itself from the current predicament, which had already become complicated before the start of U.S.-Israel military operations.

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According to a statement released by Boeing on April 27, the U.S. Navy and Boeing successfully completed the first test of the carrier-based unmanned refueler MQ-25A "Stingray."

The announcement stated: "Boeing and the U.S. Navy successfully completed the first flight test of the production-model MQ-25A 'Stingray.' This milestone brings the Stingray unmanned refueler closer to carrier operations and marks the beginning of a new era in naval aviation."

The message indicated that during the test conducted on April 25, the Stingray unmanned refueler flew for two hours, successfully demonstrating takeoff, flight, landing, and the ability to respond to commands from a ground control station in Illinois.

The aircraft is one of four unmanned refuelers planned under an $805 million contract. Boeing also said subsequent flight tests will focus on evaluating flight control systems.

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Journalist Wei Jia Jiang from CBS News reported that the shooting incident led to the cancellation of a dinner event attended by President Trump, and Hilton Hotel subsequently donated approximately 2,600 steak and lobster meals to shelters for women and children affected by violence.

The journalist wrote on X social media: "Hilton Hotel donated around 2,600 dinners originally intended for the White House Correspondents' Dinner."