Free Republic

Iran is avoiding a broad, direct attack on Israel because it fears Israeli strikes on senior regime figures and institutions vital to its survival, Iran researcher Beni Sabti told 103FM on Sunday. Sabti, an Iran researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, spoke with Ron Kofman and Prof. Aryeh Eldad following an Al Hadath report citing an Israeli security source who said that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was not in the Islamic Republic. ***“The Iranian regime fears our involvement because they know that we are going straight to the center. We are targeting the most important part and...

The Justice Department (DOJ) said on July 20 that it was investigating whether Harvard University violated Title VI by excluding American students from financial aid programs funded by China-based sources. The DOJ announced that Harvard's foreign funding disclosures raised concerns about its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on national origin.Universities are required by federal law to report gifts and contracts from foreign sources that exceed $250,000 in a year. Harvard had disclosed nearly $4.5 billion in foreign funding, of which $630 million came from sources based in China - the university's largest...

The Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen announced today that they were closing the Red Sea to ships from Saudi Arabia.The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait during the U.S.-Iran war. The strait is a choke point for commercial ship traffic that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and global markets.The militants, in a statement carried by state news, accused the Saudis of laying an “aggressive siege” against them. Tensions escalated last week after they claimed that Riyadh had bombed Sanaa International Airport.It's actually a bit confusing why the Houthis took this action today....

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani floated the ridiculous idea of trying to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he came to the U.S. in September for a United Nations meeting. His little theatre kid performance for his anti-Israel base was smacked down with reality from the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump, and even CNN legal analyst Elie Honig. Mamdani was told he had no legal ability to do any such thing and that, in the words of Trump, "no way, no how" was it happening. Mamdani was finally forced to concede that he didn't...

In every war, there comes a point where the battlefield expands beyond missiles, fighter jets and tanks. It becomes psychological. The objective is no longer simply to destroy your opponent's military capability, but to break their political will.That is why recent comments from members of Iran's parliament deserve far more attention than they have received.According to reports circulating from Iran, some lawmakers have openly discussed the possibility of invading neighboring Kuwait, seizing American military personnel stationed there, transporting them back to Iran and using them as human shields against future U.S. attacks.Could they actually accomplish something like that?Probably not.The United...

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it has attacked Amazon’s data infrastructure in Bahrain, according to a statement reported by Fars, an IRGC-linked state media outlet. Fars News Agency said on Tuesday the IRGC had “attacked the central data infrastructure of the American company Amazon in Bahrain with several cruise missiles and destroyed it,” according to a translated Telegram post. CNBC was unable to independently verify the information. CNBC has reached out to the National Communication Center of Bahrain and Amazon for comment. Hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have ratcheted up over the past 10 days as President Donald...

The First Temple, built by the biblical King Solomon, was destroyed in 586 BCE at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar II, the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

JD Vance's office flatly denies an Israeli media report claiming that it has been working to block a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin and Donald Trump...

Saudi broadcaster Al Hadath reported Sunday, citing an Israeli security official, that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is not in Iran. According to the report, the new leader's complete disconnection from events on the ground means that all statements and written messages recently issued in his name are fake. The official said the messages were actually being drafted by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmad Vahidi and other senior figures in the organization, who were attempting to create a false impression of control and continuity. In addition to disclosing the supreme leader's whereabouts, the Israeli security official also offered a...

Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has described the renewed US war on Iran as the ideal outcome for Israel, provided Israelis do not have to fight it themselves. "Israel has no interest in joining the campaign - the current situation is the best for us". Israel and the US started the war with coordinated attacks on Iran on 28 February, after Israel lobbied Washington into the conflict, prompting Tehran to retaliate against US military assets across the region. The war was renewed earlier this month with the US striking Iranian targets and Iran hitting US assets across the region. Israel...

@Chicago1Ray 🇺🇸 @Chicago1Ray Big round of applause 👏 goes out to Stephen Miller's (AFL) legal team They filed suit against Katie Hobbs & won Now only American citizens can vote in (15) counties in Arizona... many described it as a huge win for election integrity Can I get a Hell yeah for Stephen Miller https://x.com/Chicago1Ray/status/2079331361781883139

US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on a wide range of goods imported from Canada, in retaliation for what he called "unequal treatment" of US cars, dairy and alcohol. Everyday consumer items like wine and hockey sticks and industrial goods such as cement are among the goods targeted. However, several key exports will be spared, such as energy, potash, critical minerals and fish. Prime Minister Mark Carney responded by saying Canada stood ready to "intensify" trade talks with the US in the coming weeks. The White House said the duties would take effect in 30 days.

Iran’s government is unlikely to feel significant impact or soften its negotiating position as a result of new rounds of U.S. military strikes like those now underway, according to a new intelligence assessment described by current and former U.S. officials.

Last year, a bipartisan group of members of Congress introduced H.Res.776: a resolution expressing concern about the persecution of Coptic Christians under Egypt’s Islamic regime. The resolution has only picked up 8 cosponsors and has yet to make it out of committee. By contrast, 103 House Democrats voted in favor of the Massie amendment to cut aid to Israel out of H. R. 8595 which also apportions $1.4 billion to Egypt and $1.6 billion to Jordan. Meanwhile an amendment to zero out the $1.4 billion in military aid to Egypt never even made it out of the House Rules Committee...

And remember, that’s where these people are going: home. An earthquake brought them here. They knew the stay would be temporary (18 months). That turned into 16 years, and instead of complaining, protesting, and making things difficult for their very generous hosts, they should be grateful for the extra time and thank America on their way … home. Trump administration, backed by a recent Supreme Court decision, put the “temporary” back into “Temporary Protected Status (TPS),” the current focus is on Springfield, Ohio, a town of about 45,000 that saw its population explode when 15,000 Haitians with TPS moved in....

Britain's seventh prime minister in ten years took office Monday, promising even more of the same failed policies in his first address to the public.Keir Starmer, who served as Prime Minister for just over two years, officially resigned Monday morning; back in June, he announced that he would resign as soon as his party chose a successor. That happened on July 16, when Andy Burnham was elected Leader of the Labour Party.BREAKING: Keir Starmer departs 10 Downing Street for the final time as Britain's prime minister after officially resigning.Following a farewell ceremony outside No. 10, Starmer leaves office as former...

When President Donald Trump talked about some of the things China has done to literally steal our democracy by seeing to it that, in 2020, its Manchurian candidate was elected in the form of a semi-comatose Joe Biden, many of the things he mentioned had already been in the news, but they may not have been covered by the legacy media.Case in point: Trump mentioned in his July 16 address to the nation that China stole TikTok data to create fake U.S. driver’s licenses.If you follow conservative media, you may have known this. If you get your news from the...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday imposed 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, declaring that Canada has unfairly discriminated against American autos, alcohol and dairy products.The move could unleash a new wave of economic chaos, with risks of higher inflation and further fraying of relations between two nations that had been closely woven together before Trump’s return to the White House. The administration official previewing the action said that Canada was one of the only nations other than China that retaliated against Trump’s previous tariffs and must be held accountable.The official insisted on anonymity on a call with...

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday said two "deviant" oil tankers exploded after passing through the Strait of Hormuz.The IRGC said the ships exploded after they tried to enter and exit the strait through an "unsafe route," according to the state-run Fars News Agency. The outlet added that the tankers were "instigated and forced by the United States" to enter the strait and violate the designated routes through the crucial waterway."If they break their oaths after their covenant and attack your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief; indeed, they have no oaths; perhaps they will cease," the...

• Trump's willingness to even consider lifting the F-35 ban is being seen in the context of his charm offensive to forge closer ties with Erdogan, an initiative the American leader has undertaken despite the Turkish leader's well-documented support for radical Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. • Erdogan also seems to have initiated a charm offensive, most likely with at least a partial view to prying loose those F-35s. • According to the report published by Israel's i24News, Kurdish militias were preparing to launch an attack on Iran with the aim of instigating a nationwide rebellion...