Free Republic

In the Persian Gulf, 16 miles off the Iranian coast, lies a small island that could be the key to finally sending Iran's theocratic regime into its well-deserved place in the ash heap of history. It's called Kharg Island, and it may well be the small scrap of dry land with the potential to end this whole thing.Kharg Island is located about 16 miles off the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf, making it difficult to defend and easier to isolate — reportedly drawing the attention of administration planners.“Kharg Island handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports. Take it...

President Donald Trump announced Monday that the war in Iran would be over “very soon,” and that oil tankers would be given special U.S. Navy escorts to navigate between the Persian Gulf and global oceans. With gasoline prices and energy inflation already ticking up around the world, the speedy resumption of global petroleum trade has become a matter of urgency for the global economy, according to the world’s largest oil and gas company.The widening conflict in the Middle East has all but immobilized the fossil fuel trade stemming from the region over the past 10 days. Attacks targeting vessels and...

President Trump on Tuesday quipped about Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney becoming the “future Governor of Canada,” reviving an insult previously hurled at his predecessor Justin Trudeau over the president’s push for America’s northern neighbor to become the 51st state. “I’m working with Governor Gretchen Whitmer [D-Mich.] on trying to save The Great Lakes from the rather violent and destructive Asian Carp, which is rapidly taking over Lake Michigan, and all of the beautiful surrounds,” Trump wrote in his Tuesday Truth Social post.

Sirens blared in Tel Aviv early Wednesday as the city came under attack amid another wave of Iranian strikes. Fox News correspondent Nate Foy said despite Israel's strong air defense, half of the missiles are hard to defend against because half of the missiles are cluster munitions. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it detected a waved of missiles launched from Iran, which still possess the ability to strike despite its depleted capabilities, he said on "The Ingraham Angle." Explosions could be heard in the distance. Foy noted that some Israelis have chosen to continue with daily life despite the...

As the United States continues to strike Iran roughly 10 days since ordered by President Donald Trump, questions about how long the war may last have been coupled with the prospect of a military draft that administration officials admit remains "on the table.”Six U.S. soldiers have been killed in the war that Trump has continually defended on the backdrop of what he and other senior officials have attributed to “an imminent threat” posed by Iran towards the U.S., Israel and other Middle East nations. The potential length of this conflict has drawn many assumptions, as Trump has floated a “4-5...

Donald Trump dismissed Keir Starmer's justifications for staying out of Iran strikes in an apparently frosty call. The US president is said to have given short shrift to the PM's arguments that the action was against international law. Sir Keir's attempts to switch the topic to the King's impending state visit also seem to have had limited impact, as the pair had their first conversation since the military campaign was launched. Details have been leaking out of the chat on Sunday amid concerns about long-term damage to the Special Relationship. Sir Keir initially refused to allow the use of UK...

Pedro Quiala Carmenate says he’s not religious but he’s praying for President Donald Trump to liberate Cuba. “There’s no food, there’s no electricity and there’s no medical care,” he told The Post from his neighborhood, Old Havana, where he was speaking on his cell phone Monday during one of the frequent blackouts on the island. In addition to power outages, an increase in crime, no trash collection and climbing inflation, the 34-year-old pro-democracy activist can barely find enough food to feed his children. Due to lack of food, he’s keeping his kids, aged six and fifteen years old, from class,...

Barcelona has always been a weird city but now it's getting really weird, and not in a good way.AdvertisementAs Front Page Magazine reported, citing Spain's ABC: The Barcelona City Council , through its Office of Religious Affairs (OAR), has distributed to the city’s schools the guide ‘Guidelines for educational centers on Ramadan,’ in which it recommends that school principals , as a gesture of respect for the Muslim celebration, which this year began on February 18 and concludes on March 20, not carry out extracurricular activities such as music or dance, which may be considered by some people as ‘inappropriate’...

NPR correspondent Eyder Peralta was amazed during a segment Friday by his recent trip to Venezuela following President Donald Trump's arrest of the country's president Nicolás Maduro. "It is absolutely surreal because you land at the airport and the signs are in Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese, which tells you just where this country was facing a few months ago," Peralta told host Steve Inskeep. "And then you go out on the streets and people here tell you that they feel like a weight has been lifted." He continued, "For the first time in a long time, there are street...

SINGAPORE: Oil prices fell on Tuesday after hitting an over three-year high in the prior session as US President Donald Trump predicted the war in the Middle East could end soon, easing concerns about prolonged disruptions to global oil supplies. Brent futures fell $6.28, or 6.35 percent, to $92.68 a barrel at 10:24 a.m. Saudi time, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was down $6.24, or 6.58 percent, to $88.53 a barrel. Both the contracts fell as much as 11 percent earlier before paring some losses. Oil surged past $100 a barrel on Mondayto hit their highest since mid-2022, ‌as...

Pakistan told the United Nations on Monday it would take all measures required to protect its citizens from militant attacks emanating from Afghanistan as tensions between the neighboring countries intensify, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of harboring armed groups and the Afghan Taliban denying the allegation. Pakistan’s UN ambassador, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, laid out Islamabad’s position during a debate at the UN Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan, warning that cross-border militancy posed a serious threat to regional security. The remarks came after clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces erupted last month when Afghan forces attacked Pakistani military positions along...

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has told Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in a call that violation of Turkiye’s airspace by Iranian ballistic missiles was unacceptable, Reuters reports, citing a Turkish Foreign Ministry source. The source said Araqchi told Fidan that Tehran had conducted a wide investigation into the missiles, adding Fidan reiterated Turkey’s demand for all sides to refrain from steps that could put civilians at risk and told Araqchi that Ankara would take measures against missiles targeting it.

People on the Falkland Islands have said they have forgotten what fresh food looks like with a crucial shipment of supplies delayed. Residents are waiting for the latest supply vessel to arrive from Uruguay, which usually lands every four to five weeks, but there has not been one for three months. It is thought that the boat will arrive on Saturday, March 8. There is a shortage of fresh fruit, vegetables and processed bread, as well as “no cheese”. The shipments are done via Uruguay because Argentina “wouldn’t allow them”. Cathy Jacobson, 67, originally from Southampton, runs the Victory Bar...

Mojtaba Khamenei has been named Iran’s new supreme leader, succeeding his father just more than a week after he was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes. A statement from the Assembly of Experts — the panel of Shia clerics responsible under Iranian law for choosing the country’s top leader — said Mojtaba Khamenei had been selected as the third leader of the Islamic Republic, according to reports from IRIB state TV and the Fars, Tasnim and ISNA news agencies. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, the second son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is widely viewed as a hard-line figure with close ties to the powerful...

This market will resolve to "Yes" if the Islamic Republic of Iran’s current ruling regime is overthrown, collapsed, or otherwise ceases to govern by March 31, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. Otherwise, this market will resolve to “No”.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters he had a "very good call" with ​Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine ​and the conflict in the Middle East. "There's ⁠tremendous hatred between President Putin and (Ukraine's) ​President Zelenskiy. They can't seem to ​get it together, but I think it was a positive call on that subject," Trump said. Trump ​added that Putin "wants to be helpful" ​with the Iran conflict. "I said, 'You could be more helpful ‌by ⁠getting the Ukraine-Russia war over with. That will be more helpful,'" Trump told reporters in a press conference at ​his Florida ​golf...

Five members of Iran's women's national team are seeking asylum in Australia following the team's participation at the AFC Asian Cup, and are currently safe and being cared for by local authorities. The players defected on Monday, a day after a 2-0 defeat to the Philippines, which would ensure the team would be eliminated in the group stage. The team was scheduled to depart Gold Coast, Australia, on Monday despite airspace restrictions in the Middle East because of the Iran War, which began on Feb. 28, after the team traveled to take part in the Asian Cup. The Iran War...

In a phone interview with CBS News Monday afternoon, President Trump said the U.S. war with Iran could almost be over. "I think the war is very complete, pretty much," the president said, speaking from his Doral, Florida, golf club. "[Iran has] no navy, no communications, they've got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones." The president said the U.S. "could do a lot" about the strait and threatened Iran if it inhibits the waterway. "They've shot everything they have to shoot,...

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and other major stock indexes traded slightly lower ahead of Tuesday's open, after President Donald Trump's comments on the U.S.-Iran conflict Monday sparked a stock market reversal. Oil prices tumbled after spiking above $119 a barrel in volatile trading. Broadcom shares jumped 4.6% Monday, bullishly retaking its 50-day moving average. Shares are forming a new base. Micron stock found much-needed support at the 50-day line, reversing up 5.1%. Nvidia stock erased early losses to rally 2.7% Monday. Shares found support at their long-term 200-day line, but remain below their 50-day. Finally, Tesla shares...

Iran allegedly is attacking Turkey, and NATO is joining the fight. Might be wishful thinking on Mahyar's part. But if not, and this is true, well, no tears for the IRGC. Iranian soccer team is being taken in as asylum seekers, due to Trump leaning on Australia. Ayatoday Moushjadah Hamanahominahomina is still alive, but got his leg blown off and didn't show up for his inauguration as the new Supreme Leader.