Free Republic

Tucker Carlson has once again taken the internet by storm, this time for a fiery exchange with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas over Iran, Israel, and isolationism writ large. -snip- Tucker has been criticizing the Trump administration on these subjects, piquing the president enough that he fired back. “I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying,” Trump, who knows Tucker personally, told reporters. “Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.” The president followed that up with a post on Truth Social: “Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that, ‘IRAN CAN NOT HAVE...

Vladimir Putin today vowed to back Iran and condemned 'groundless' aggression against its ally after the U.S. joined Israel in striking nuclear facilities on Sunday. 'This is an absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran,' Putin told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who travelled to Moscow seeking support in mediation. Putin called recent strikes 'unjustified' and added that Russia was 'making efforts to provide assistance to the Iranian people.' Araghchi on Monday thanked Putin for condemning U.S. strikes on Iran, telling him Russia stood on 'the right side of history'.

Russia deeply regrets and condemns the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the Kremlin said on Monday. The U.S. actions had increased the number of participants in the conflict and ushered in a new spiral of escalation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He added it was not yet clear what had happened to Iran's nuclear facilities and whether there was a radiation hazard. The situation on the ground in Iran after the strikes cannot fail to be a cause of concern, he said.

The Iranian foreign minister said on Sunday that he was heading to Russia to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday, as Iran weighed a response to a wave of U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites. There was little sign that Russia was prepared to provide military assistance to Iran, its closest remaining Middle East ally, as it prioritized its own war against Ukraine. Iran has not received concrete support from any allies through 10 days of war with Israel and, now, an attack by the United States, leaving the country more isolated than it has been in decades....

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Moscow on Sunday for critical diplomatic consultations with Russian officials, as tensions continue to escalate in the region following recent U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, Araghchi is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials to discuss regional and international developments in light of the ongoing conflict. The visit comes on the tenth day of the Israel-Iran war and follows what Tehran has described as coordinated U.S. and Israeli military aggression. The Iranian foreign ministry emphasized the importance of dialogue with...

At the request of the Trump administration, the Israeli Air Force took out multiple Iranian air defense systems in the 48 hours leading up to the U.S. strike on Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, three U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios. -snip- Trump's request was made directly to Netanyahu last week, after the president decided he would move forward with a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities unless a surprise diplomatic opportunity emerged. "How can we help?" Netanyahu asked, according to Israeli officials. Trump told Netanyahu he wanted the Israeli Air Force to eliminate as many Iranian air defense systems as...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call on June 19 during which both leaders condemned Israel for its strikes on Iran and agreed de-escalation was needed, the Kremlin said. Both men “strongly condemn Israel’s actions, which violate the UN Charter and other norms of international law”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. “Both Moscow and Beijing fundamentally believe that there is no military solution to the current situation and issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme. “This solution must be achieved exclusively through political and diplomatic means,” said Mr Ushakov. Russia has warned of catastrophe...

Iran’s mission to the U.N. on Wednesday dismissed recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, stating that Tehran will not engage in negotiations or accept peace imposed through pressure. "No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House," the mission said in a post on X, responding to Trump's recent claim that Iranians "even suggest that they come to the White House." "The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to 'take out' Iran's Supreme Leader," it added. Reaffirming its defiance against pressure, the mission said: "Iran does NOT negotiate...

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned on Wednesday that direct U.S. military assistance to Israel could radically destabilise the situation in the Middle East, where an air war between Iran and Israel has raged for six days. In separate comments, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, was quoted as saying that the situation between Iran and Israel was now critical. Ryabkov warned the U.S. against direct military assistance to Israel or even considering such "speculative options," according to Russia's Interfax news agency.

Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, traveled to Pyongyang on Tuesday under the direct orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling a deepening of strategic military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. The visit, Shoigu's second in less than two weeks and third meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in just three months, comes as Moscow seeks to draw Pyongyang closer in its protracted war effort in Ukraine. Observers say the visit suggests a bid by Russia to leverage shifting global attention — particularly the West’s growing preoccupation with escalating tensions between Israel and Iran — to secure...

Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for President George W. Bush, on Sunday called conservative commentator Tucker Carlson a “phony” for accusing the Trump administration of being “complicit in the act of war” in supporting Israel in its conflict with Iran. “I’ve known Tucker for 25 years, when he co-hosted an MSNBC show with Paul Begala. Tucker doesn’t have a consistent thought in his head, except self-promotion,” Mr. Fleischer posted Sunday on X with past videos of Mr. Carlson calling for Iran’s destruction. “Now he says that’s a warmonger. He’s a modern carnival barker.” -snip- On Sunday, Mr. Fleischer’s post on...

Dramatic footage has caught the extraordinary moment the wing of a £15million Russian warplane fell off in the middle of a Ukraine attack mission. The attack jet crashed after flying in a pair over Ukraine's Donetsk region, with the pilot miraculously cheating death by ejecting before his aircraft fell to the ground. The doomed Su-25 warplane is seen on the video turning and falling out of the sky, crashing into a field. At first it appeared it had been shot down, with Ukrainian media claiming it had possibly been the victim of 'friendly fire' by an unguided missile from its...

Iranian media on Saturday reported fire breaking out after Israel bombed infrastructure at the South Pars gas field in southern Bushehr province. Developing

THIS IS THE MAGA FOREIGN POLICY! So tired of the isolationists barking about the old and failed foreign policy of the past and insisting that they’ve uncovered the secret, new way forward — isolationism. There’s nothing new or good about isolationism which, in a word, is appeasement. It’s old and promotes war, such as WWII. Even worse, these knuckleheads can’t even coherently explain what they mean. Have you watched them on TV? They’re too self-righteous in their ignorance to realize how absurd they sound. They don’t agree among themselves what the hell they're talking about. In fact, they’re so blind...

Host and pundit Tucker Carlson has publicly criticized President Donald Trump and other conservatives for their support of Israel's recent military strikes on Iran. In his newsletter titled "This Could Be the Final Newsletter Before All-Out War," Carlson accused Trump of being "complicit" in Israel's attack, arguing that U.S. funding and weapons supplied to Israel, which Trump has boasted about, place the U.S. at the center of the conflict. He stated, "Washington knew these attacks would happen. They aided Israel in carrying them out," and suggested that direct U.S. involvement in a war with Iran would betray voters who supported...

Putin holds phone call with Trump Statements from Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov: 🔸The call lasted 50 minutes 🔸The conversation was useful, with the two leaders discussing the escalating situation in the Middle East. 🔸Putin informed Trump about his recent phone contacts with the president of Iran and the prime minister of Israel. 🔸Putin reminded Trump of Russia’s proposal to seek mutually acceptable agreements on the Iranian nuclear issue. 🔸Trump assessed the situation in the Middle East as highly alarming. 🔸The presidents did not rule out a return to the negotiating track on the Iranian nuclear program. 🔸Putin also informed Trump...

A Russian Orthodox priest has sparked controversy with his provocative claim that Russian Muslims could be mobilized to commit violence against Christians. The statement was made as Moscow's Muslim community celebrated the holy festival of Eid al-Adha on Sunday. Schema-abbot Gavriil, during his sermon, referred to the Muslims congregating on Peace Avenue in Moscow for the festivities: "The entire space is covered with people. And these are healthy men, who do not drink alcohol, who wrestle and go to gyms for training." He made an alarming assertion: "This is a whole army. And if, one fine day, a mullah orders...

President Donald Trump told Fox News that Iran has become "much more aggressive" in nuclear talks. "Iran is acting much differently in negotiations than it did just days ago," Trump told Fox News' Bret Baier. "Much more aggressive. It’s surprising to me. It’s disappointing, but we are set to meet again tomorrow – we’ll see." Senior administration officials also told Fox News that Iran appears to be dragging negotiations on without concrete progress while pushing forward with its nuclear efforts. This comes as Israel is growing more concerned it will have to act unilaterally to prevent Iran from getting a...

At a farm near Moscow, newly arrived guest workers from India are planting potatoes and cabbages - work closely monitored by central bank analysts as they prepare for board meetings to set interest rates. While in developed economies such as the United States food accounts for about 14% of the basket used to calculate inflation, in Russia it makes up a hefty 40% or so, and surging prices for potatoes and other staples have been a major reason for its tight monetary policy. The central bank trimmed its benchmark rate to 20% on June 6 but even that is around...

Production of vodka in Russia has plummetted by more than 13%, according to the latest data. The dip occurred between January and May as the country also deals with a shortage of potatoes. On May 14, President Vladimir Putin admitted that Russians "don’t have enough potatoes". Figures suggest that, in the first few months of 2025, the price of the crop surged by 52%, while the overall harvest dropped by 12%. In the first five months of 2025, Armenia exported nearly twice as many potatoes to Russia as it did during the first half of 2024, and almost 17 times...