Free Republic

On a day when Americans traditionally pause to honor the brave service members who made the ultimate sacrifice, MS NOW opted for a different approach: publishing an opinion piece accusing the U.S. military of wrongdoing in the ongoing conflict with Iran. In her Memorial Day article entitled "The Pentagon can honor our military dead this Memorial Day by committing to fight the right way," retired Air Force Lt. Col. and MS NOW contributor Rachel E. VanLandingham argues that the best way for the Pentagon to honor fallen troops is by “owning the mistakes” that have killed Iranian civilians, restoring the...

According to Iranian and Arab sources Trump agreed to -compensate Tehran by releasing blocked funds (at least $6 billion) -lift sanctions -remove American forces from around Iran (Iranian sources more specifically mention the naval assets in the region) -lift the blockade -ceasefire in all fronts including in Lebanon (basically allowing Tehran to rearm its proxy network and help Hizballah reasserts its control in Lebanon) In exchange for -gradual reopening of Strait of Hormuz with the transit remaining under Tehran’s management and control -negotiations over other issues with no hard deadline (the 30-day negotiation window can be extended) Washington has not...

Iran has asserted expanded control over the Strait of Hormuz, publishing a map showing its claims extending into the coastal waters of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and holding talks with Oman about sharing fees from ships traversing the waterway. The move was denounced on Friday as unacceptable by US Secretary of State Mario Rubio, who urged all countries to oppose it, and prompted a letter of protest from five Gulf states. US President Donald Trump on Thursday stressed, “We want [the Strait of Hormuz] open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls. It’s an international waterway.” Iran’s...

Iran has rebuilt most of its missile infrastructure along the Strait of Hormuz, according to US intelligence assessments.The regime has reportedly restored operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along and around the narrow maritime chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.According to people with knowledge of the assessments, Tehran has also retained roughly 70 per cent of its pre-war missile stockpile and mobile launchers.About 90 per cent of its underground missile storage and launch facilities are now considered “partially or fully operational”, The New York Times reported.

Secret new assessments say Iran has operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that its military remains far stronger than President Trump has asserted. The Trump administration’s public portrayal of a shattered Iranian military is sharply at odds with what U.S. intelligence agencies are telling policymakers behind closed doors, according to classified assessments from early this month that show Iran has regained access to most of its missile sites, launchers and underground facilities. Most alarming to some senior officials is evidence that Iran has restored operational access to 30 of the 33...

It’s hard to think of a time when the United States suffered a total defeat in a conflict, a setback so decisive that the strategic loss could be neither repaired nor ignored...The initial failure in Iraq was mitigated by a shift in strategy... Defeat in the present confrontation with Iran will be of an entirely different character. It can neither be repaired nor ignored...The Strait of Hormuz will not be “open,” as it once was. With control of the strait, Iran emerges as the key player in the region and one of the key players in the world... Far from...

The U.S. media has tabled a question that warrants examining two 20th-century historical events. The question asked is whether U.S. credibility in deterring Iran’s mullahs and getting them to toe the line has been weakened by critics such as comedian Jimmy Kimmel and politicians who mock or otherwise criticize President Donald Trump’s actions against Tehran. The first historical event involves a battle of the Cold War, fought against the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980. While this battle resulted in American blood being shed, it was not due to a military conflict but to an athletic one. It was fought...

As Iran says it's reviewing the latest U.S. proposal to end the war, it is also attempting to formalize its control over the vital shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz, which were free and open prior to the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. Shipping intelligence firm Lloyd's List says the strait is now closed, as Iran says an agency it just created is in charge of clearing vessels for transit.President Trump is again voicing optimism for a peace deal, saying the war will be "over quickly" and insisting it's going "unbelievably well." But he also warned Wednesday that if Iran...

At least 16 US military bases damaged, some rendered unusable, across Persian Gulf during war with Iran, CNN report says. Iran caused extensive damage to a large portion of US bases in the Persian Gulf using missiles and drones, according to a CNN investigation. The report states that Iran struck at least 16 US military bases across eight Gulf countries, representing the majority of US bases in the area. Several of the bases were reportedly hit so severely that they were rendered inoperable. A US source familiar with the matter told CNN, "I have never seen anything like this at...

President Donald Trump notified Congress on Friday that the conflict between the United States and Iran has been terminated, just as the 60–day War Powers Act deadline for congressional approval lapses later in the day. “On April 7, 2026, I ordered a two-week ceasefire. The ceasefire has since been extended. There has been no exchange of fire between United States forces and Iran since April 7, 2026,” Trump wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in a Friday letter. Trump was asked about seeking Congressional approval earlier in the day at the White House and replied, “So many presidents, as you...

Multiple oil spills are visible from space after Iranian and US-Israeli strikes hit oil facilities and ships in the region, with experts warning of an impending environmental catastrophe. Satellite images are giving an insight into destruction in the region, including to the fragile biodiversity of the Persian Gulf. Oil spilt there has the potential to affect the lives and livelihoods of people along the Gulf coastlines, as well as the region’s rich marine life...such as turtles, dolphins and whales that might ingest or become trapped in the oil. They could also potentially affect the filtering systems of desalination plants, on...

Donald Trump's naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is unraveling after dozens of Iranian vessels secretly slipped past US surveillance, even as the regime tightened its grip on the critical oil passageway by attacking three tankers. Approximately 34 Iranian oil tankers have slipped through the blockade, with 19 vessels exiting the Persian Gulf past Trump's navy and another 15 ships entering from the Arabian Sea toward Iran, according to the Financial Times. Six of those tankers were smuggling Iranian crude oil totaling 10.7 million barrels, estimated to be worth approximately $910 million in revenue for the regime. The report...

Democrat Chris Murphy is getting slammed for replying "awesome" to the news that 26 Iranian shadow fleet vessels breached the U.S. naval blockade. Murphy has been hammering the war effort. He's argued the U.S. is spending “billions” to keep its navy there “to fecklessly fail,” calling the conflict “pointless” and warning current plans are “almost certain not to work.”

Barbara Boyd argues Tom Friedman admitted some prefer Iran not be defeated if it politically benefits Trump or Netanyahu, then frames recent events as exposing “theater” about defending democracy. She claims the EU executed a regime-change operation against Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, citing NGO pressure, frozen funds, threats to strip voting power, and a push to end EU member-state vetoes, amid protests over a fuel crisis tied to the Iran war. Boyd highlights JD Vance’s remarks in Hungary about radicals, sovereignty, and foreign election pressure. She says Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents showing Trump’s first impeachment was a hoax driven by whistleblower...

For a few glorious weeks in the spring of 2026, the foreign policy establishment believed it had witnessed the impossible. Iran, a nation whose air defenses had been systematically dismantled, whose navy had been reduced to wreckage on the floor of the Persian Gulf, whose supreme leader had been killed by an American strike, had somehow emerged from 38 days of devastating combat as the victor. That, at least, was the story the drive-by media told. European leaders repeated it with undisguised satisfaction. Democrats echoed it with barely concealed glee. Iran had closed the Strait of Hormuz, the world's...

A fragile ceasefire agreement in the war began with bombs continuing to explode in Lebanon and contradictory statements about whether Iran will continue to control the critical Strait of Hormuz energy choke point.But the most likely scenarios moving forward involve either Iran exerting more control over global energy markets than it did before the fighting started in March, or the current tenuous agreement merely delaying another military escalation by days or weeks, geopolitical and energy experts said.

The New York Times escalated its Iran support yesterday, in a treasonous story headlined, “Trump Revels in Threats to Commit War Crimes in Iran.” Exactly what the mullahs have been saying! But … what war crimes? Or are they saying he’s just threatening to? And does the Times even know what “revels” means? One thing is true; it was all pretty surreal. The Times was definitely not reveling after reading a short but provocative Easter post from Trump directed at the Iranians. In three sentences, he dropped an F-bomb, called the mullahs “crazy bastards,” and most controversially, mockingly ended with...

In 1991, American officials flew to Israel to keep the country from retaliating against Scud missile attacks and joining the Gulf War. In 2002, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned it would be “in Israel’s overwhelming best interests not to get involved” in the looming invasion of Iraq. In 2026, the United States went to war alongside Israel. “It’s the first time,” said Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, “that Israel is going to war together with a superpower.” The United States has been the Jewish state’s most important backer for decades, providing it with weaponry and working...