Free Republic

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...

President Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Saturday that White House envoy Steve Witkoff is ready to resume nuclear talks with Iran's foreign minister, the Russian president's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said. -snip- A senior White House official told Axios: "Whatever happens today cannot be prevented. But we have the ability to negotiate a successful peaceful resolution to this conflict if Iran is willing. The fastest way for Iran to accomplish peace is to give up its nuclear weapons program." Driving the news: The nuclear talks planned for Sunday in Muscat have been cancelled...

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...

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...

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

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...

Israel Defense Forces has achieved full freedom of operation in the air space around Iran's capital Tehran, the IDF announced on Saturday. -snip- "We established aerial freedom of operation in western Iran, up to Tehran... Tehran is no longer immune—Iran's capital is now exposed to Israeli strikes," IDF spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a press conference. Driving the news: IDF officials said in a briefing with reporters that over the last 36 hours since Israel launched the war against Iran the Israeli air force has eliminated the Iranian air defenses that could threaten Israeli fighter jets on their...

Despite rising tensions following Israel’s major military strike, Iran has not yet officially cancelled the upcoming round of nuclear talks with the United States, originally scheduled for June 15 in Muscat. Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, told NourNews that no final decision had been made on whether the dialogue would proceed as planned. “It is still unclear what decision we will make on 15 June on this matter,” Baghaei said, adding uncertainty to an already strained diplomatic situation. His remarks follow earlier statements in which Baghaei had cast serious doubt on the value of continued negotiations. After Israel’s...

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in separate telephone conversations on Friday, told Iran's president that Moscow condemned Israel's actions against Tehran and told Israel's prime minister that questions around Iran's nuclear programme could only be solved through diplomacy. A Kremlin statement said Putin told Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian that Russia "condemns the actions of Israel taken in violation of the U.N. Charter" and expressed condolences for those killed.

Political pundit Tucker Carlson criticized President Trump on Friday, saying he is “complicit” in Israel’s attack on Iran and warning the escalating conflict between the two nations could lead the U.S. into war. Carlson, as part of his morning newsletter, said Trump was “complicit in the act of war,” noting the U.S. long-standing alliance with Israel, which attacked several military targets in Iran overnight Thursday and killed top Iranian military leaders — leading to fears of an all out war between the two nations. “What happens next with define Donald Trump’s presidency,” Carlson wrote in his newsletter, which was highlighted...

Minutes before heading to the Situation Room for a strategy session on Iran, President Trump told Axios he believes Israel's massive strike likely improved the chances of a U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement. -snip- Israel just killed much of Iran's military leadership, targeted its top nuclear scientists for assassination, and is actively bombing the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities and ballistic missile sites. -snip- Asked whether Israel's strike jeopardized his nuclear diplomacy, Trump told Axios: "I don't think so. Maybe the opposite. Maybe now they will negotiate seriously." "I gave Iran 60 days, today is day 61," Trump continued. "They should have made...

A Hezbollah official tells Reuters that the Iranian proxy group based in Lebanon will not unilaterally launch an attack on Israel in support of Tehran. “Hezbollah will not initiate its own attack on Israel in retaliation for Israel’s strikes,” the official says.

President Trump on Friday called on Iran to go back to the negotiating table and cut a nuclear deal "before there is nothing left" after Israel attacked its nuclear sites. -snip- The Trump administration wants to use the war Israel started to get the Iranians back to the nuclear talks when they are in a weaker position. A U.S. official said White House envoy Steve Witkoff still wants to meet Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday for the planned sixth round of the nuclear talks. But the Iranians said they are not going to participate. -snip- "I gave Iran...

An ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that "a full-scale war" in the Middle East is possible following Israel's airstrikes on Iran. -snip- Konstantin Kosachev, vice-speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament, made clear that Russia would stand by its ally, Iran. "Israel's actions cannot be justified from a legal, political, military or moral point of view. The only hope, albeit illusory, of avoiding a full-scale war is a consolidated condemnation of this operation by the international community," he said, according to Russia's official TASS news agency. "We can and must hope for another demonstration of restraint from...

Russia said on Friday that Israeli strikes on Iran were unprovoked and in breach of the United Nations charter, accusing Israel of wrecking diplomatic efforts to strike a deal to allay Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear programme. -snip- "Russia is concerned and condemns the sharp escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state media. President Vladimir Putin was getting real-time reports on the situation from Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service and the foreign and defence ministries, Peskov said. In a detailed statement drawn up at Putin's behest, the Foreign Ministry fiercely condemned Israel and blamed...

Israel is prepared to attack Iran in the coming days if Tehran rejects a U.S. proposal that would place tough limits on its nuclear program, Trump administration and Israeli officials said. A senior Israeli official warned that a strike could come as soon as Sunday unless Iran agrees to halt production of fissile material that can be used to make an atomic bomb. Israel’s high-stakes brinkmanship is aimed at pressuring Iran to give up its ability to enrich uranium, the senior official said. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is to hold a sixth round of talks with his Iranian counterparts...

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on Thursday to build and deploy drone troops as soon as possible, APA reports citing TASS. "We are currently building drone troops as a separate branch of the military, and these should be developed and deployed as soon as possible," the head of state said at a meeting discussing a new state arms program. Fighting against various unmanned aerial vehicles has required "new approaches and non-standard solutions," Putin explained. "The new state arms program should provide for forming a universal air defense system that would function in any situation and effectively hit means of air...

White House envoy Steve Witkoff privately warned top Senate Republicans last week that Iran could unleash a mass casualty response if Israel bombs their nuclear facilities, according to a U.S. official and a source with direct knowledge. -snip- Last Thursday, Witkoff held a closed-door briefing on Iran with a group of Republican senators. Among them were Sens. Risch (R-Idaho), Graham (R-S.C.), Barasso (R-Wyo.), and Ricketts (R-Nebr.), the source with knowledge said. Witkoff told the Senators that military strikes by Israel are on the table if no agreement is reached. He then brought up Iran's ballistic missile capabilities. The U.S. is...

The Trump administration confirms that US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff will travel to Muscat on Sunday for the sixth round of nuclear talks with Iran. Talks will be both direct and indirect, as in previous rounds, says a statement to reporters attributed to a source familiar.

Iran on Thursday repudiated a declaration from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it's not complying with its nuclear obligations, and said it would enhance aspects of its nuclear program in response. -snip- The IAEA board of governors approved a resolution proposed by the U.S., U.K., France and Germany to condemn Iran for not providing clarity about its undeclared nuclear sites and material. 19 countries on the 35-member voted in favor. Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed the resolution, and the others abstained or didn't vote. -snip- The Iranians announced that in response, they would launch a new Uranium...