Free Republic

The price of oil rose sharply Monday, after Iranian government-aligned media reported that the country was cutting off talks with the United States to end the ongoing war. Conflicting comments from President Donald Trump hours later did little to dent oil’s jump, although prices ended the day somewhat lower than the highs of the morning. U.S. crude oil closed higher by 5.5% at $92.16 per barrel. International Brent crude closed higher by 4.5% at $94.98 per barrel. Heating oil, a proxy for jet fuel, also rose 4%, while wholesale gas prices rose 2%. As a result of of the most...

Iranian negotiators will stop exchanging messages with the U.S. through intermediaries, and Tehran will move to fully close the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for ongoing ceasefire violations, Iran’s state-affiliated news outlet Tasnim said Monday.

Key Points Iranian negotiators will stop exchanging messages with the U.S. through intermediaries in retaliation for ongoing ceasefire violations, Iran’s state-affiliated news outlet Tasnim said. Tehran will also move to fully block the Strait of Hormuz, Tasnim reported. Oil prices leapt more than 5% higher following Tasnim’s report. ============================================================ Iranian negotiators will stop exchanging messages with the U.S. through intermediaries, and Tehran will move to fully close the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for ongoing ceasefire violations, Iran’s state-affiliated news outlet Tasnim said Monday. The report, in a translated post on the social media site Telegram, homed in on Israel’s...

President Donald Trump declared that Iran 'really wants to make a deal' early on Monday morning, just hours after the US military launched strikes against Iranian drone facilities. In a late-night Truth Social post shortly after 1am, Trump insisted diplomacy remained within reach despite the latest exchange of fire, while simultaneously lashing out at critics he said were undermining his negotiating position. 'Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA and those that are with us,' Trump wrote. But the president also took aim at what he called 'Dumocrats' and 'seemingly...

President Trump has toughened the terms of a potential framework for a deal to end the war in Iran, and has sent those proposed changes back to the country for consideration, according to three officials. Mr. Trump has been concerned about parts of the potential deal that would include unfreezing funds for the Iranians, two officials said. He has been harshly critical of President Barack Obama for doing the same in the more than decade-old agreement that was signed to curtail Iran’s nuclear program. Mr. Trump has also been frustrated by how long it has taken for Iran to respond...

If the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz is a game of chicken, it sounds as though the Iranians will either swerve first – or accelerate. One way or the other, though, the blockade appears to have succeeded in bringing the regime to its crisis point. As discussions around a potential deal (really a pre-deal) continue, the IRGC has begun to demand an end to the US Navy's complete siege on Iranian ports. That message has come from the top of the food chain today, including the Nepo Babytollah's supposed attaché: [X links at source article] The "direct action" threat...