Free Republic

US forces sank six Iranian small boats deployed to harass traffic in the Strait of Hormuz Monday, shortly before President Trump warned the Islamic Republic will be “blown off the face of the earth” if it interferes with efforts to reopen the crucial waterway. Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) told reporters on a Monday press call that while Iran historically has deployed “between 20 and 40 small boats” to threaten commercial shipping in the strait, “today, we saw just six, and eliminated them quickly.” “We have an enormous amount of capability and firepower concentrated in...

"He comes from a place called Cuba, which we will be taking over almost immediately. Now, Cuba's got problems. We'll finish one first. I like to finish a job. On the way back from Iran, we'll have one of our big, maybe the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the biggest in the word. We'll have that come in, stop about 100 yards offshore, and they'll say, 'Thank you very much. We give up.'"

The war between the US and Iran is “likely” to restart, a senior Iranian official predicted on the heels of comments by President Trump that the US might be “better off” without an agreement. A “renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely,” said Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a high-level officer in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran’s leadership, which has been decimated by US strikes, wants to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the US blockade before reestablishing nuclear talks, according to details of its latest counterproposal, which was presented to intermediaries in Pakistan. Trump told reporters...

The White House is arguing to lawmakers that President Donald Trump does not need to disengage troops from the conflict with Iran in order to comply with the War Powers Act because an extended ceasefire has effectively ended military hostilities. The Trump administration faced a Friday deadline under the 1973 law that is designed to end military operations after 60 days unless Congress has formally blessed the mission. The White House essentially states that the 60-day clock no longer applies, in letters sent Friday to Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Charles E. Grassley and obtained by CQ...

Iran is considering using dolphins armed with mines to blow open the Strait of Hormuz, which has been under a financially crippling US military blockade for weeks, according to a report. While the tense extended cease-fire with the US holds, a growing number of Iranian hardliners believe that the financial crisis sparked by the US blocking Iran’s oil exports amounts to an act of war and have called for resuming military action. That military action could include unleashing previously unused weapons to attack US warships deployed in the region — including mine-carrying dolphins, according to Iranian officials, the Wall Street...

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...

President Donald Trump said to reporters on Friday that construction will begin “over the next week” on a temporary arena on the White House South Lawn to host a planned UFC event in June. Appearing outside of the White House, Trump answered a question on the event, scheduled for June 14 to mark both his birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary. “You’re gonna be hosting the first-ever UFC fight at the White House in 45 days, sir,” said an unpictured reporter. “Can you preview the event? Can you talk about the card and what does it mean…?” “They have some...

For decades, Iran survived by staying just below the threshold of direct confrontation. It relied on shadow oil shipments, asymmetric attacks, and strategic disruption. That formula worked against sanctions. It is now colliding with something it was never built to handle: a sustained, enforced blockade.And markets are only beginning to understand what that means.How a Shipping War Turned Into Economic ContainmentThe escalation did not begin with the blockade. It began with Iran attempting to weaponize uncertainty.Early in the conflict, Tehran targeted commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively freezing traffic through one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints....

... Iranian sources earlier disclosed Iran's latest proposal, which would set aside discussion of its nuclear program until the war is ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved...

RT 39 m 27 s In this episode of What's Going on With Shipping?, Sal Mercogliano dives into the eighth week of the intensifying maritime conflict between the United States and Iran. As both sides enforce competing blockades across the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea, the "choke points" are truly being choked, with significant implications for global trade and oil prices. 00:00 – Intro: Staged Takeover Analysis 01:25 – JMIC Update: Somali Piracy Surge 01:58 – "PEG LEG" & The Pirate Action Groups 03:05 – Regional Threat Overview: The Mine Question 05:41 – The...

I’ve been convinced for quite some time that the political polarization of America has passed the point of no return. At this stage there seems to be no political solution to the problem. To be blunt about it: there is no voting our way out of this. Where political matters are concerned, the hard Left — which seems to occupy a larger and larger portion of the Democrat Party — has all but cornered the market on violent, incendiary rhetoric. If you disagree with them, you should be beaten up and imprisoned. If you oppose the Narrative, you need...

FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau spent nearly a year investigating a social media post that led to Tuesday’s indictment of one of his predecessors, James Comey. Comey was charged over an Instagram post he made in May 2025, which he later deleted after conservative uproar. The post showed an image of seashells on a beach arranged in a way that read “86 47.” The former FBI director wrote, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” President Donald Trump is the 47th president, while “86” is slang in the service industry and typically means to refuse service to someone...

https://x.com/overton_news/status/2049226546171568400 Overton@overton_news·Apr 28He just put the Deep State on notice.Dan Bongino says he and Kash Patel made so many important changes at the FBI that whoever comes in next and tries to reverse them will leave a massive paper trail.He then dropped a major hint for what's coming:“That Comey indictment, if you think that was the end, you're out of your mind.”BONGINO: “We have made enough dramatic changes. We put a TON of new FISA rules in place.”“I mean, Kash and I were on FISA probably three, four times a week in special meetings just for that.”“I brought in a...

President Donald Trump berated CBS News correspondent Norah O'Donnell and "60 Minutes" Sunday night after reading from the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting suspect's alleged manifesto.Trump sat down for an interview after authorities identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Allen, of Torrance, Calif., adding that he prepared a manifesto outlining his intent and shared anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric on social media.O'Donnell read alleged portions of the document that alluded to concerns over a rapist and a pedophile and asked for Trump's reaction. Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you're horrible people,"...

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...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its assault on shipping in the key waterway a day after U.S. President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports.Iranian media said the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was bringing the two ships to Iran after seizing them in the strait, through which 20% of the world's oil passes in peacetime. The standoff over Iran's closure of the strait and the U.S. blockade raised doubts about when or if talks would resume...

The Trump administration is in advanced talks for a financing package for Spirit Airlines as the carrier is facing the risk of a liquidation, according to a person familiar with the matter. The iconic discounter Spirit has been challenged for years by rising costs, changing consumer tastes, an engine recall and a court-blocked plan to be acquired by JetBlue Airways two years ago. “Spirit Airlines would be on a much firmer financial footing had the Biden administration not recklessly blocked the airline’s merger with JetBlue,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to CNBC. “The Trump administration continues...

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he believes the United States is “going to end up with a great deal” with Iran to end the weeks-long war. “I think they have no choice,” Trump said during an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” when asked what he expected to come out of a second round of peace negotiations with Iran. “We’ve taken out their Navy, we’ve taken out their Air Force, we’ve taken out their leaders,” the president said. “We’ve taken out their leaders, frankly, which does complicate things in one way, but these leaders are much more rational,” Trump said....

While the post did not identify the women, it included a photo of Bita Hemmati, a protester arrested during anti-regime demonstrations in January The regime accused Hemmati of multiple crimes, including using explosives and weapons, throwing objects such as concrete blocks, participating in protest gatherings, and disrupting national security, according to the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Hemmati was arrested alongside her husband and two other men who lived in their apartment building, with all four sentenced to death for purported crimes against the regime. Also featured in the post were Diana Taherabadi, 16, and Mahboubeh Shabani,...

The U.S. military is preparing in coming days to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters, according to U.S. officials, expanding its naval crackdown beyond the Middle East.