Free Republic

srael’s campaign in Iran has reached far beyond missile depots and military command. Over roughly a month, it has also hit the architecture of domestic repression: intelligence compounds, police stations, Basij bases, judicial buildings, and senior officials tied to crackdowns. That matters not only because of the damage done, but because of what these places meant. In Iran, repression has never depended on one institution alone. It has been built as a layered system, running from the top decision-making bodies in Tehran down to the neighborhood police station, the local Basij outpost and the courthouse where detainees are processed. A...

While Washington has been trying to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero with heavy sanctions for years, these sanctions have been thwarted by a key factor: China. A country that has injected billions of dollars into Tehran's economy with the massive purchase of Iranian oil and has become the main pillar of the Islamic Republic's financial sustainability. At the same time, ideas such as acquisition of Iranian oil by Donald Trump have been proposed, which is more than practical, it is a reflection of geopolitical competition with Beijing. «maximum pressure policy » America is designed with the aim of completely...

Dozens of congressional Democrats are demanding that Republicans remove President Donald Trump for his latest threat against Iran, but one lawmaker says the idea isn’t "realistic." Several congressional Democrats want to invoke the 25th Amendment, a decades-old addition to the Constitution that empowers a president’s Cabinet to remove him from office if he is unable to do the job. Some Democrats are arguing that Trump’s latest threat against Iran on Truth Social — where he declared that a "whole civilization will die tonight" unless his demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are met — is proof that he has...

A huge reason why there's this rift on the Right that didn't exist a year ago is because Neocons are not team players. They operate as political parasites, using our candidates and elected officials for their own ends without ever reciprocating anything in return. This isn't how stable political coalitions work. The entire point is that you join forces with people you may not agree with 100% of the time, but you still fight for their priorities so they will fight for yours. But Neocons like to pretend they're above all of that. They're a single-issue constituency. They will bounce...

Tehran’s targeting campaigns against U.S. organizations ‘have recently escalated,’ a federal advisory warns.Iran has demonstrated an ability to penetrate networks tied to critical U.S. infrastructure before.WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence agencies are “urgently warning” private sector companies throughout the nation that Iranian actors “are conducting exploitation activity” that has resulted in “disruptions across several U.S. critical infrastructure,” according to a government notice reviewed by The Times.The Iranian cyberactivity comes as President Trump is threatening to target Iran’s critical infrastructure in the coming hours, particularly its bridges and power plants.Iran’s attack targeted products by Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley, one of the most widely...

Iran’s bloodthirsty mullahs are now openly turning their own citizens, including children and young people, into human shields around the regime’s critical power plants and key infrastructure sites. As The Gateway Pundit reported just hours ago, Iran’s Deputy Minister for Youth Affairs and Secretary of the Supreme Youth Council, Alireza Rahimi, has brazenly called on “young people, athletes, artists, students and professors” to gather around the nation’s power plants at 2 p.m. local time today. They’re dubbing it the “Iran’s Youth Human Chain for a Bright Future.” Reports flooding in confirm Iranians are already gathering en masse around key sites....

On Tuesday's CNN This Morning, host Audie Cornish turned to retired Brigadier General Steven M. Anderson to assess President Trump’s potential expansion of military strikes on Iran. Anderson repeatedly warned that targeting infrastructure such as bridges, power plants, and water facilities could amount to “war crimes,” even suggesting U.S. troops could be put in the position of refusing “illegal” orders. Cornish failed to disclose that Anderson sits on the board of VoteVets, a progressive PAC that backs Democrat candidates. Nor did she note his record of sweeping, alarmist claims, including warning in a Washington Post op-ed of a potential military...

Explaining the decline of the Roman Empire in The Story of Civilization, Will Durant wrote: “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within.” The same could become true of the European Union (EU) in the 21st century. Postmodern illusions of a benign and righteous multiculturalism are allowing Islamist ideology—which has no reservations about its supremacist ambitions—to spread its roots with unprecedented virulence. Consider how a guilt-shame complex fostered by leftist academia in institutions, the media, and the public is eroding the Judeo-Christian ethos. Christmas is no longer Christmas but some silly secular celebration like...

NEW YORK, March 2025 – A United Nations envoy is currently en route to Tehran for critical negotiations, according to Iran’s ambassador to the UN. This diplomatic movement signals potential progress in ongoing international discussions. The envoy’s mission represents a significant development in multilateral diplomacy. Furthermore, it underscores the UN’s continued engagement with regional stakeholders. This article examines the context, implications, and potential outcomes of this diplomatic initiative.Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations confirmed the envoy’s travel plans. The UN Secretary-General’s personal representative is undertaking this mission. Consequently, this development follows months of preparatory discussions. The envoy carries specific...

Iran's hardline judiciary chief on Tuesday urged courts to speed up verdicts linked to the US-Israeli war, including capital punishment, as activists sounded the alarm about surging hangings of convicts seen as political prisoners. Since the war began on February 28, Iran has hanged seven people in connection with January protests, six convicted of membership of banned opposition group the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) and a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen on charges of spying for Israel. Rights groups have warned dozens more are at risk of execution over the January protests or after being arrested on suspicion of helping the...

With about a day left before the deadline expires, the US president held a marathon of calls with regional leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the center of the talks was the possibility of a significant escalation in the fighting against the Iranian regime. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed said there should be no ceasefire without removing the threat from Tehran.

In 1420, the mightiest military force in all of Christendom rode to war. The death of Czech reformist preacher Jan Hus, an early precursor to Martin Luther, had sparked a religious revolt in the lands of Bohemia. Masses of Czech peasants grabbed their pitchforks, forming armed bands that promised to defend their faith and their homeland. To call these people suicidal would have been an understatement: they were now at war not merely against the Holy Roman Empire, but against Christendom itself. As the Emperor Sigismund gathered his forces, Pope Martin V asked every Christian knight to fight the heretics....

Asian nations - most recently the Philippines - have been particularly keen to reach agreements as their economies are heavily reliant on energy from the Gulf. In recent weeks - several Asian countries including Pakistan, India and the Philippines - have made agreements with Tehran to let some ships pass through the strait safely. China has also acknowledged that their vessels have also used the channel. Questions remain over the scope of these assurances and just how lasting these agreements with Iran will be. The Philippines imports 98% of its oil from the Middle East and was the first country...

The diverse and expansive Persian/Iranian restaurant scene in Los Angeles comes as a direct result of political strife that emerged in Iran in the 1970s, fueled by American intervention that has come roaring back in recent weeks with a new regional war. In the decades since the Iranian Revolution, the Persian community has developed strong ties to Southern California areas like Glendale and Westwood... Iranian food spans centuries, even longer, with historic ties to the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Silk Road routes. The result, says Farinaz Pirshirazi, is a distinct cuisine that goes beyond the popular kebabs that tend to dominate...

Iran-backed militia group Kataib Hezbollah said it has decided to release American journalist @shellykittleson who was kidnapped in Baghdad last month. The militia's security chief said on his Telegram channel that it “decided to release the American suspect on the condition that she leave the country immediately."

The regime has flooded the White Bridge with a human chain OF CHILDREN in Ahvaz, Iran to send a message to President Trump THERE ARE CHILDREN HERE Those kids have NO IDEA what they are doing or why Further proof the regime needs obliteration

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that he was ready to sacrifice his life for Iran, writing on X that more than 14 million Iranians had already declared their readiness to do the same. The post came hours before an Iranian official urged young people to form human chains around the country’s power plants as fears mounted over possible US strikes on civilian infrastructure. Pezeshkian wrote that “more than 14 million” Iranians had declared their readiness to give their lives in defense of the country and added that he too “has been, is, and will be” devoted to Iran. The...

Since the beginning of the war, the Iranian regime has seen a massive reduction in its ability to launch ballistic missiles toward Israel. At the start of the engagement, Tehran was capable of firing more than 90 missiles a day, but recent data reveals that this number has plummeted to just 10 per day over the last week. This decline is the result of a relentless pursuit by the Israeli Air Force and intelligence branches, which have systematically hunted down both fixed and mobile launchers. Defense Minister Israel Katz has prioritized the achievement of total aerial superiority, allowing Israeli jets...