Free Republic

As the U.S. piles sanction after sanction on Iran, it’s the average person who feels it the most. From a subway performer’s battered leather hat devoid of tips, to a bride-to-be’s empty purse, the lack of cash from the economic pressure facing Iran’s 80 million people can be seen everywhere. Many blame President Donald Trump and his maximalist policy on Iran, which has seen him pull out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and levy punishing U.S. sanctions on the country. In recent weeks, Iran has threatened to break out of the deal unless European powers mitigate what...

My country Iran is at a critical point. The regime is struggling to survive economically, politically and strategically. The circumstances are ripe for its downfall. A 40-year nightmare that has unleashed egregious rights abuses, regional chaos, religious fundamentalism and international terrorism is coming to a close. In recent days, the Tehran has been targeting oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, facilitating attacks on Saudi oil installations, and orchestrating missile assaults on American interests in Baghdad. These acts reveal that the regime’s impasse is real and it is becoming increasingly more desperate. Three key factors have contributed to the regime’s rapid...

President Donald Trump on Thursday told reporters, "you'll soon find out" whether the US will strike Iran as tensions between the two countries ratcheted up. This is breaking news please check back for updates.

A video by an Iranian activist shows a crowd in the Islamic Republic cheering as a women was dragged across a road and beaten. Her crime, according to the activist, Masih Alinejad, was dancing and not wearing the Islamic hijab required by law for any female older than 13, DailyMail.com reported. Robert Spencer, director of the website Jihad Watch, commented the woman is among the “real feminists, who are taking actual risks to stand up for women’s rights.” “Meanwhile, Leftist feminists in the West are donning the hijab, the symbol of oppression against which these Iranian women are rebelling, in...

Image caption: One US official identified the drone as a US Navy MQ-4C Triton A US military drone has been shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile while in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz, US officials say. Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace, near Kuhmobarak in the southern province of Hormozgan. IRGC commander Maj-Gen Hossein Salami said the incident sent "a clear message to America", state media said. It comes at a time of escalating tension between the US and Iran. On Monday, the US defence department said it...

Mohamed Morsi was Egypt’s leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, supported by President Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, and installed as Egyptian president by extremists during the Islamist Spring. According to Reuters Morsi collapsed in court today and died: CAIRO (Reuters) – Ousted former Egyptian Islamist president Mohamed Morsi died on Monday after he fainted in court following a hearing, state television reported. State television said Morsi, who was 67, was in court for a hearing on charges of espionage emanating from suspected contacts with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Mursi was serving a 20-year prison sentence for a conviction...

Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi collapsed and died following a court session Monday. He was 67. Morsi, a senior figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, was elected as Egypt's president in June, 2012 in the wake of the Arab Spring, which compelled Hosni Mubarak to resign after decades as president. He was deposed in a military coup in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. Following his ousted, Morsi stood trial for the shooting of protesters, espionage for foreign military organizations including Hamas and Hezbollah, and for breaking out of prison in 2011 prior to his election. He was convicted...

Egypt's former president, Mohammed Morsi, who was ousted by the military in 2013, dies in court, state TV says

<><> Omar misused campaign funds <><> She filed a joint return before being legally married, while legally married to another man <><> Her first marriage to Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi was without a certificate <><> She then married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, but the two divorced in their faith tradition without taking legal action until 2017 Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board said Omar and her husband, Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi, filed joint tax returns for 2014 and 2015 - before they were actually married and while Omar was legally wed to another man. While some states allow for joint filing...

Two tankers have been targeted this morning while transiting waters near to Fujairah. Frontline’s fully laden LR 2Front Altair was hit by surface attacks, and an enormous fire ensued forcing the crew to abandon ship. The crew were safely picked up by nearby general cargoship, Hyundai Dubai. Bernhard Schulte’s chemical tanker Kokuka Courageous was also hit.

Lots of differing accounts from different media sources. Some say the tankers were attacked, a couple say “ torpedoed”. Bottom line, there was an incident nvolving two large oil tankers, one is on fire.

The situation remains extremely fluid at this time and details are bound to morph in the coming hours, but it seems clear that some sort of maritime incident has occurred in the Sea Of Oman. Reports indicate that at least one tanker is on fire and the UK Maritime Trade Operations group put out a safety bulletin warning of an incident occurring in the Gulf Of Oman and urging extreme caution to mariners operating in the area. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Front Altair appears to be the ship on fire, while reports also state that the Panama-flagged tanker Kokuka Courageous...

"Until recently, I would not even shake hands with men," Merve, a religion elementary school teacher told the BBC. "But now I do not know whether there is a God or not, and I really do not care." Young religious people in Turkey are growing skeptical about Islam, according to a report by the BBC. The number of religious schools in Turkey is 10 times greater than it was in 2003, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was elected for his first term. However, according to the BBC, it has become more common for young Turks to question their faith, even...

Egyptian Navy Gowind Corvette El Fateh (971). Source: Ahmed XIV/Wikimedia Commons The United Arab Emirates has reportedly finalized a contract for the procurement of at least two Gowind corvettes. On June 7, French publication La Tribune reported that the UAE had completed a deal for two Gowind corvettes. The agreement, valued at around EUR750 million, was reportedly signed in March of this year, but was not announced. The Gowind corvettes, which are built by France’s Naval Group, are to come equipped with Raytheon’s RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missiles to protect from aerial threats as well as MM40 Exocet anti-shipping missiles, produced...

The gathering will take place on June 25-26 and will be attended by several Gulf Arab States as well as Arab partners for peace all over the region. By Mike Evans Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump hold up the signed document acknowledging Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, on March 25, 2019. (photo credit: AMOS BEN-GERSHOM/GPO) The Trump administration announced on Sunday the first stages of the peace plan roll-out, confirming that it will host a workshop in Bahrain in late June to focus on more direct economic investments of the West Bank and Gaza. The...

Gen. Petraeus DESTROYS ABC Fear Mongering, Trump Not for War With Iran By Nicholas Fondacaro | May 19, 2019 1:33 PM EDT Despite warnings from the Trump administration about an imminent attack by Iran or its proxies against American allies and forces, and the attack against oil tankers that followed, the liberal media has been claiming the threat from Iran was being overblown by an administration itching for a war. But, during an interview with ABC’s chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz for This Week, former Army General David Petraeus pushed back and dismantled their fear mongering. On Wednesday, Raddatz...

Trump: Fighting the US Will Be 'Official End of Iran' In-Depth Coverage By VOA News May 19, 2019 President Donald Trump has given a strong warning to Iran, threatening its destruction if it attacks the United States or U.S. interests. "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran," Trump tweeted Sunday. "Never threaten the United States again!" Just three days earlier, Trump appeared to be backing away from his apparently hawkish stance against Iran, saying he would be willing to talk with Tehran. When asked by a reporter at the White House if the U.S....

Saudi Arabia has shot down two ballistic missiles over the cities of Taif and Jeddah, east and west of Mecca respectively, which it blamed on Yemen's Houthi movement. Saudi air defences shot down a ballistic missile over the city of Taif, 65 kilometres east of Mecca, in the early hours of Monday morning. Another missile was launched at the port city of Jeddah, on the other side of Mecca, according to Saudi-owned news channel Alarabiya.

A Filipino maid was allegedly tied to a tree by her wealthy employers in Saudi Arabia on May 9 as punishment for leaving furniture out in the sun. The 26-year-old woman named Lovely Acosta Baruelo has been working as a maid for a rich family in Riyadh for many months. While going about her duties, she left an expensive piece of furniture outside, which allegedly angered her employers, reported the Daily Mail.

Dubai: Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih said on Tuesday that two oil pumping stations for the East-West pipeline had been hit by explosive-laden drones, calling the attack "an act of terrorism" that targeted global oil supplies. Falih condemned the attacks in a statment saying: "The latest acts of terrorism and sabotage in the Arabian Gulf... not only target the Kingdom but also the security of oil supplies to the world and the global economy." "These attacks prove again that it is important for us to face terrorist entities, including the Houthi militias in Yemen that are backed by Iran,"...