https://freerepublic.com/tag/armchairgeneralsoffr/ en-us Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:38:35 GMT Focus Forum 15 https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374935/posts Retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Muhammad Saeed tells the New York Post that Iran lacks the "compatible military means" to sustain a conflict against the U.S. and Israel. As Operation Epic Fury chokes the Iranian economy, Saeed predicts Tehran will be forced to accept a "take it or leave it" deal. A retired Pakistani lieutenant general with deep regional insight has told the New York Post that Iran simply “does not have the military means” to keep up its confrontation with the United States and Israel. Lt. Gen. (ret.) Muhammad Saeed, who spoke exclusively to the Post in Islamabad on Monday,... JFeed https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374935/posts#comment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:38:35 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374942/posts US Vice President JD Vance expresses optimism about US-Iran talks, revealing President Trump’s “grand bargain" to make Iran economically prosperous in exchange for abandoning nuclear weapons. Arutz Sheva https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374942/posts#comment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:30:48 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374857/posts A Chinese tanker under US sanctions passed though the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, defying Washington's naval blockade that began on Monday. After circling the area late on Monday and initially turning back, the 600ft long vessel passed through the waterway on Tuesday. Daily Mail https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374857/posts#comment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:05:58 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/4374869/posts A Chinese tanker under US sanctions passed though the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, defying Washington's naval blockade that began on Monday. After circling the area late on Monday and initially turning back, the 600ft long vessel passed through the waterway on Tuesday. Oil tanker Rich Starry is owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd. and became a target for US sanctions because it was used to transport Iranian crude. Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker that is carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, the UAE's... daily mail https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/4374869/posts#comment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:51:12 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374848/posts America’s leverage in the Strait exposes Iran’s weakness—turning its greatest asset into a liability and reshaping the balance of power without a ground war. The prognosis of the Iran War is now so couched in politics and so warped by the American Left that the public has grown tired and wants it all to go away. But in truth, the situation is so fluid that any accurate prediction is impossible. Yet there is good reason to believe in an eventual outcome quite favorable to the U.S. and one far better than the status quo ante bellum. The Strait of HormuzPrior... Americab Greatness https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374848/posts#comment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:54:54 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374822/posts The US and Iran have failed to reach an agreement after 21 hours of talks in Pakistan. I can’t say I’m surprised. After all, we didn’t have to wait for the negotiations to finish to make an informed guess of the outcome. We needed merely to consider the shape of things beforehand to know that Donald Trump’s hoped-for new world order would fall into new world chaos. America and Iran agreed on a ceasefire conditional on the Islamic Republic’s complete opening of the Strait of Hormuz. It has so far refused to honour that condition. Earlier this week, President Trump... The Spectator https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374822/posts#comment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:50:23 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374816/posts Donald Trump claims that the "right people" in Iran have reached out to cut a deal for real after imposing a naval blockade and cutting off Iran's income stream. Who are we talking with in Tehran? Mahdi al-Hall? That's what Trump claimed in an ad-hoc press conference on the veranda of the Oval Office this afternoon. Trump didn't specify the identities of the "right people," but hinted that the blockade may have changed some minds over the last few hours: Trump: The right people called from Iran, they want to make a deal. pic.twitter.com/nbcXnyn19P— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 13,... Hotair https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374816/posts#comment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:52:51 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374787/posts President Donald Trump has announced that the Iranian regime contacted his administration to resume negotiations, even as the United States maintains its strict naval blockade. In a significant diplomatic development, President Donald Trump revealed from the White House that his administration has received a formal outreach from the "proper authorities" in Tehran. According to the President, the Iranian leadership has expressed a clear desire to return to the negotiating table following the collapse of high level talks in Islamabad earlier this month. While the President appeared open to the prospect of renewed dialogue, he maintained a rigid stance on the... JFeed https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374787/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 22:26:18 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374807/posts At least two oil and chemical tankers were forced to turn away from the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after the United States moved to enforce a naval blockade, according to maritime tracking data. One of the vessels, Rich Starry, which had listed its destination as China, reportedly reversed course within minutes of the blockade taking effect, data from MarineTraffic showed. Responding to the developments, China issued a strong message signalling it would continue its maritime activity in the region. Defence Minister Dong Jun said Chinese vessels would keep operating in the area and warned against external interference. “Our ships... Moneycontrol https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374807/posts#comment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:41:33 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374747/posts Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated - 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, “fast attack ships,” because we did not consider them much of a threat. Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal. P.S. 98.2% of Drugs coming into the U.S. by Ocean or Sea have STOPPED! Thank you... Truth Social https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374747/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:17:05 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4374711/posts The islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf hold the key to the global economy's most vital chokepoint: the Strait of Hormuz..In the current landscape of the West Asia conflict, the islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb have transformed from sleepy patches of sand into what military analysts call “unsinkable aircraft carriers". While the world watches the missile exchanges between major powers, these three tiny landmasses in the Persian Gulf hold the key to the global economy’s most vital chokepoint: the Strait of Hormuz.The story of how these islands became part... News18.com Cable News Network LP, LLLP https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4374711/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:38:46 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4374712/posts FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the island of Qeshm, separated from the Iranian mainland by the Clarence Strait, on December 10, 2023. Nicolas Economou/Reuters With thousands of US ground troops reportedly on the way to the Middle East, speculation is mounting that they may be assigned to take Iran’s Kharg Island, a key fuel hub in the northern Persian Gulf which handles 90% of Tehran’s oil exports. But Kharg is just one of dozens of Iranian islands in the gulf, and others may be more important to securing the safe passage of ships – and naval vessels –... Mehr News Agency https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4374712/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:39:19 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4374713/posts Iran does not need to secure the Strait of Hormuz. It only needs to make sure that no one else can, either. Despite the sorry condition of its naval forces,.. Iran still maintains selective control of the Strait of Hormuz—resulting in 80 to 90 percent of the traffic being halted. How? Not through naval dominance, but rather through asymmetric disruption, which Iran uses to make travel through the Strait too dangerous to risk. Iran Doesn’t Need to Close the Strait to Cut Off Shipping Iran’s strategy is not to implement a total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, it... MSM https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4374713/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:43:58 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374716/posts The Iranian delegation to the US-Iran high-stakes peace talks has adopted the name “Minab-168”. Iranian Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf explicitly identified the aircraft the mission as “Minab-168”. The front row of the aircraft was arranged with blood-soaked bags, the children's shoes, and their photograph with white roses. He posted a picture the caption, “My companions on this flight #Minab168.” The Iranian embassy in South Africa re-shared the picture with the caption, “We will never forget the children of Minab" It also posted an AI-generated video emphasising that association. Iranian officials and state media have used the name... WION India https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374716/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:08:44 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/4374717/posts The current U.S. military buildup in the Middle East signals a shift far beyond traditional deterrence. As of early April 2026, the concentration of full-spectrum forces—air, sea, rapid deployment, and special operations—indicates a posture designed for Systemic Paralysis. While diplomatic headlines focus on a fragile ceasefire, the military-technical reality suggests a theater prepared for a coordinated Leadership Disruption Strategy targeting the regime’s critical infrastructure.Mobilized Resources: The Architecture of Total WarThe U.S. deployment since late March encompasses every component necessary for a high-intensity theater operation:...The April 8th “Ceasefire”: Pressure Through Strategic Pause>The brief ceasefire announced on April 8 serves distinct strategic... Real Clear Defense https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/4374717/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:19:12 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374718/posts Iran’s ambassador to India said Tehran is open to talks with the United States if Washington refrains from making “unlawful demands.” Mohammad Fathali was referring to talks held in Islamabad and said the main sticking points were Iran’s nuclear program, war reparations and sanctions relief. Asked about the prospects for future negotiations, Fathali told reporters in New Delhi, “If they (the U.S.) accept our conditions, it is possible.” The Associated Press https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374718/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:21:09 GMT