Free Republic

Summary At least 648 protesters have been killed in an ongoing crackdown against anti-government demonstrations in Iran, a human rights group says Norway-based group Iran Human Rights warns the death toll could be far higher, but a nationwide communications blackout is making it difficult to verify information Earlier, Donald Trump said the US was considering "very strong options" to intervene in the country, after previously warning he would act if protesters were killed Following Trump's comments, Iran's supreme leader accuses the US of "deceit" and relying on "treacherous mercenaries", while praising state-organised pro-government rallies Trump must now decide whether to...

As the Iranian uprising continues to escalate, it’s been reported that hundreds of protesters have been killed by the regime’s security forces.The internet, phone signals and lighting have been cut, and it’s feared the killings are intensifying behind the blackout.Yet the Iranian people have increasingly poured onto the streets to confront the regime’s murder and torture squads. There’s never been such a mass display of raw courage in the teeth of such vicious repression.If the regime does fall, this will be a seismic event, reshaping the region and world politics. The insurrection might be the most consequential global event so...

…Amid seismic changes in the Middle East, where new alliances are forming and old powers waning, Iraqi leaders face a daunting task: navigating relations with US-blacklisted pro-Iranian factions. The US has held significant sway over Iraqi politics since leading the 2003 invasion that ousted long-time ruler Saddam Hussein. But another spectre also haunts Iraq’s halls of power: Washington’s arch-foe, Iran. Iraq has long been caught between the two, with successive governments negotiating a delicate balance… A US State Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Iraqi leaders know well what is and is not compatible with a strong US-Iraq...

U.S. military superiority may delay Beijing's worst ambitionsIn our 50-year-long twilight struggle with the Soviet Union, it was often said — especially by those who leaned politically rightward — that the U.S. overestimated the capabilities of the Russians and consistently underestimated their threat.It was a short way of communicating that the Red Army looked a lot more imposing than it really was, but at the same time, the goals of the Russians were more ambitious than we appreciated.The recent strike on Venezuela made me think about that bit of received wisdom.It has been reported that the U.S. armed forces...

When President Trump sent American forces into Venezuela and walked out with Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs, the world took notice. Critics called it reckless. Supporters called it overdue. But while the chattering class debated the raid’s legality, the administration was already eyeing its next move on the global chessboard. The Arctic has quietly become one of the most contested regions on the planet. Russian vessels patrol waters they haven’t touched in decades. Chinese “research” ships appear with uncomfortable regularity near strategic chokepoints. And no, these aren’t fever dreams from hawkish think tanks — this is happening right now. Sitting in...

For him, extreme volatility and risk are not a problem but an opportunity.Is Iran next? That was the question the world was asking this weekend. As both protests and repression escalated, President Trump repeatedly warned that the U.S. would not stand idly by if the theo-thugocracy in Tehran fired on protesters. The mullahs’ response came from their usual playbook. They carried out a bloodbath and threatened to attack American bases and assets across the region if Mr. Trump raised a hand against them. As in Venezuela, Russia and China aren’t doing much either way. Joint exercises involving the Chinese, Russian,...

CNBC (MS NOW) host Joe Kernen confronted Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner on Monday as the senator criticized the surge in arrests of illegal immigrants made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The panelists on “Squawk Box” discussed the response to the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, who was shot by an ICE officer while allegedly accelerating her vehicle forward during a confrontation with agents. Warner claimed that ICE agents are detaining illegal immigrants who have not committed any crimes, but rather are arresting mothers dropping off their kids at school and people heading to work....

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order that aims to block the seizure of Venezuelan oil revenue held in U.S. Treasury accounts. The executive order states that the revenue, which is held in foreign government deposit funds, are “held solely for sovereign purposes” and that any court attempt to seize the funds will “materially harm the national security and foreign policy” of the U.S. The order, which declared a national emergency, said the funds are the sovereign property of Venezuela held in U.S. custody for governmental and diplomatic means, and are not assets subject to private claims....

President Trump was briefed on new options for military strikes in Iran, a senior U.S. official confirmed Sunday. Mr. Trump appeared to lay out his red line for action on Friday when he warned that if the Iranian government began "killing people like they have in the past, we would get involved." "We'll be hitting them very hard where it hurts," he said at the White House. "And that doesn't mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts." On social media, Mr. Trump offered his support for the protesters, saying that "Iran...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina has repaid the funds it drew from a $20 billion credit line with the Trump administration, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Friday, in a crucial step for Argentine President Javier Milei to restore confidence in his chronically distressed economy. In addition to making payments to bondholders, Milei’s radical libertarian administration had “quickly and fully repaid its limited draw,” Bessent said, without specifying the amount. The Treasury’s latest report on the status of the credit line said that Argentina’s central bank had traded pesos for $2.5 billion through the swap as of the end...

Iranian Activist Masih Alinejad Slams Ana Kasparian's Ridiculous Iran Comments | WATCH Iranian activist Masih Alinejad torches Piers Morgan for platforming regime-apologist drivel amid Iran's bloody crackdown, because nothing says 'uncensored' like fueling tyrants' excuses to kill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st8GKlONVz8 Jan 11, 2026 The CIA has been quietly helping Ukraine target Russian oil infrastructure, and in this video I explain why that shift has nothing to do with explosions and everything to do with breaking systems. This isn’t Hollywood spy stuff. It’s industrial warfare aimed at the parts Russia cannot easily replace. I break down how Ukraine moved from flashy refinery strikes to precision attacks on critical bottlenecks, why intelligence agencies excel at identifying industrial choke points, and how hitting the right component can keep a refinery offline for weeks or months. This is pressure applied at the foundation...

In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. operation that led to Nicolás Maduro’s capture, much of Washington made a familiar assumption: that Donald Trump would now formally embrace the Venezuelan opposition and usher in a U.S.-backed political transition. Within policy circles, think tanks, and cable news studios, expectations hardened quickly. The usual people anticipated recognition ceremonies, opposition figures positioned themselves for legitimacy, and commentators spoke confidently about a “handoff” phase, as if regime change naturally culminates in international endorsement and applause. That assumption reflected Washington’s worldview, not Trump’s. [SNIP] Trump has never equated removing an adversary with an automatic claim...

Civilisational decline happens slowly at first, and then all at once. Britain has not been this weak and irrelevant on the global stage since the early 1500s; France and Germany are facing equally severe existential crises. It took Donald Trump to call our bluff, exposing our impotence and insignificance to a world we once dominated. British and European politicians cannot stop Trump from buying Greenland, or kidnapping Latin American tyrants, or taking out the Mullahs’ evil nuclear programme, or sanctioning Left-wing international judges, or doing whatever else he wants. Eighty-one years after the end of the Second World War, the...

Sen. Rand Paul expressed concerns Sunday over President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb Iran as the Middle Eastern country sees widespread protests continue. Speaking with ABC’s “This Week,” the Kentucky Republican said he is not sure striking Iran “will have the effects intended.” “We wish freedom and liberation the best around the world, but I don’t think it’s the job of the American government to be involved with every freedom movement around the world,” Paul said.Paul also expressed concerns over how the administration would distinguish between Iranian protesters and law enforcement if Trump were to approve military action in the...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that if the U.S. annexed Greenland, “it would be the end of NATO.”

See new posts Conversation Andrew C Laufer, Esq @lauferlaw Yet deafening silence from our Free Hamas friends. Quote NewsWire @NewsWire_US · 4h Eyewitness to BBC World Service: Over 10,000 Dead as Iranian Forces Unleash Automatic Rifles on Protesters. Jan 11, 2026 https://x.com/lauferlaw/status/2010525352171577640

A U-Haul truck drove into a crowd of demonstrators during an anti-Iranian regime rally in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, injuring at least three people as the city’s Iranian-American community gathered to support freedom protesters facing a deadly government crackdown overseas.The Los Angeles Fire Department said two patients were evaluated at the scene, but both declined treatment and transport. Firefighter-paramedics also responded to reports of a third person injured in the general area, though officials have not released that individual’s condition.Iranian-American communities across the United States have organized demonstrations supporting protesters in Iran who are facing violent suppression from security...

Nato’s silence in response to Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland has prompted alarm among European capitals fearful that the alliance is failing to defend the rights of Denmark. It has not issued a public statement asserting Denmark and Greenland’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, or responded to the US president’s stated ambition for the vast Arctic island that is part of the kingdom of Denmark. That has raised the ire of European members trying to present a united front and ease transatlantic tensions, and stands in stark contrast to the EU’s recent efforts to rally around Copenhagen. Mark Rutte, the...

President Trump spoke for about 20 minutes with reporters on Air Force One on his return flight to Washigton from Palm Beach.