Free Republic

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 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...

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 refused to apologize Monday to Pope Leo XIV amid their public fight over the US-Iran war, claiming the leader of the Roman Catholic Church “said things that are wrong.” “He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran — Pope Leo would not be happy with the result,” Trump said. “Iran wants to be a nuclear nation so they can exterminate the world. Not gonna happen.”Trump also accused the pontiff of being “very weak on crime” during an impromptu press availability outside the Oval Office at the White...

Like General Patton, President Trump also understands how to express himself in a way that serves the dual purpose of communicating with America’s enemies and, at the same time, with the American people. General George S. Patton knew how to get a point across: “When I want my men to remember something important, to really make it stick, I give it to them double dirty. It may not sound nice to some bunch of little old ladies at an afternoon tea party, but it helps my soldiers to remember.” On April 5, 2026, President Trump directed a profane Truth Social...

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. ‌could end its military campaign against Iran ‌within two to three weeks. "We'll be leaving very soon," ​he told reporters in the White House's Oval Office, adding that the exit could take place "within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three." The ‌declaration was Trump's ⁠clearest to date that he intends to soon end a month-long war ⁠that has reordered the Middle East, disrupted global energy markets and changed the trajectory of ​the ​Republican's presidency. Trump added that ​Tehran does not ‌have to make a deal with Washington to end the...

President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about rising gas prices, insisting they’ll be dropping “very soon” once the Iran war wraps up. Trump spoke to reporters at the White House on Tuesday after signing an executive order cracking down on mail-in voting, and when confronted about the sharp rise in gas prices since the strikes against Iran were launched, the president insisted the U.S. will be leaving Iran “very soon.” According to AAA, the national average for gas is around $4. One month ago, it was below $3. The country hasn’t faced a $4 average for gas since 2022, when Russia...