Free Republic

Don't misunderstand what I'm about to say. The war in Iran will continue for at least another week, according to President Donald Trump, and probably much longer. There are still hundreds, maybe thousands of targets, human and places, to destroy, thousands of sorties to be flown by U.S. and Israeli forces, and American naval assets will soon be joined by up to 5,000 Marines. There undoubtedly will still be casualties to come, joining the 13 we've already lost in the last fortnight. But not only are we winning this war against Iran, the killer move that all but assures the...

We saw President Donald Trump take the audacious move of launching U.S. strikes against military targets on Iran's very important Kharg Island, where so much of their oil goes through. While Trump said they wiped out the military targets, he also made it clear they didn't hit the oil installations. But he warned Iran that if they didn't open the Strait of Hormuz, they would consider hitting them. He also said the United States and other countries would send warships to ensure that the Strait was open. Marines were also being dispatched to the region. After Trump's warning and action...

The U.S. military devastated the military installations on Kharg Island, Iran’s major oil transport facility, but left the oil infrastructure alone. President Trump threatened to blow up the oil facilities, too: “The United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump said in a statement Friday evening, referring to an island in the Persian Gulf where most of Iran’s oil is processed. “I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should...

Insurance giant Chubb will be the lead underwriter for a U.S. government-led program to provide insurance to ships making the risky transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Chubb will work with the U.S. International Development Finance Corp., or DFC, as part of a $20 billion plan to help get oil tankers and other commercial traffic moving again amid risks from the Iran war, the agency said. Oil prices have spiked since the war began at the end of February. Brent crude traded above $91 a barrel midmorning Wednesday. Oil prices have stayed relatively high despite an announcement Wednesday that the...

Iran's mullahs know their regime falling and they intend to take the rest of the world down with them.The missiles currently lighting up the skies over the Persian Gulf are not the precision tools of a confident power; they are the desperate flailing of a regime that has realized its end is near. For decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has maintained a thin veneer of "Islamic solidarity" to mask its expansionist ambitions. But as the "Epic Fury" strikes of early 2026 continue to dismantle the regime’s internal command, that mask has been ripped away, revealing a cold, nihilistic...

Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf channel that carries 20 percent of the world’s oil, according to U.S. officials, an effort that could further complicate American efforts to restart shipping there. While the U.S. military said it had destroyed larger Iranian naval vessels that could be used to quickly lay mines in the strait, Iran began using smaller boats for the operation on Thursday, according to a U.S. official briefed on the intelligence.

Iran’s new Supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei released his first statement Thursday vowing to use the “lever” of closing the Strait of Hormuz to international energy shipping — after reports circulated that he was in a coma and had his leg amputated after being severely injured in the US-Israeli strikes that killed his father and other family members. The lengthy message was read out on Iranian state TV by an anchor as an image of Khamenei was displayed on screen, a break from tradition. No explanation was given for why the 56-year-old did not appear in the flesh, with experts suggesting...

Global energy markets are bracing for a potential supply shock after Iran’s new Supreme Leader vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed while attacks on commercial ships intensified across the Persian Gulf. In his first public comments since taking power, Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a stark warning about the future of the conflict and the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz.Khamenei said Thursday that the maritime corridor must remain closed as leverage against Iran’s enemies.“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz should continue as a tool to pressure the enemy,” he said in televised...

The economic significance of Kharg Island to Iran renders it especially susceptible to potential military threats. However, experts suggest that any effort to capture it would likely necessitate a ground troop operation, which the U.S. seems hesitant to pursue. Experts further state that if Washington aims to intensify pressure beyond airstrikes, capturing or incapacitating Kharg Island’s oil infrastructure could strip Tehran of one of its most crucial financial resources. Given its pivotal role in global energy supply chains, any assault on the island might also cause a sharp increase in international oil prices, rendering it one of the most critical...

President Trump signaled on Wednesday that he plans to tap into the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to bring down rising gas prices. “I filled it up once, and I’ll fill it up again, but right now, we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down,” Trump said during an interview with Local 12 in Kentucky. The president shrugged off rising gas prices as a “matter of war” earlier in the day and expressed confidence the market would settle soon. I figured we’d be hit a little bit. We were hit less than I thought...

Iraqi channels are now reporting that “multiple tankers” are burning in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Basra

Three cargo ships have been hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz. The Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was struck and set on fire 11 nautical miles north of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. Oman’s navy rescued 20 crew members who evacuated the ship in a lifeboat on Wednesday morning, while three remain missing. A second ship, the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Star Gwyneth, was hit by a projectile 50 miles north-west of Dubai. The vessel suffered hull damage but all crew members are safe. A third vessel, a Japan-flagged container ship, sustained minor damage near...

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,...

Recent tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have led to widespread refusal by some shipping crews to sail through the waterway, even when companies have issued orders, due to heightened security risks and union demands. Why Crews Are Refusing to Go Through The Strait of Hormuz, a 20% global oil chokepoint, has seen tanker traffic drop by 70–90% since U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, and retaliatory Iranian missile and drone attacks Wikipedia+1. Iran has issued warnings to fire on any ship attempting passage, and at least 200 vessels are anchored outside the strait NewsBreak. Insurers have canceled...

Advisory UKMTO #2026 11 March 2026 Total Incident Summary. Reporting period: 28 February 2026 - 11 March 2026. UKMTO has received 17 reports of incidents affecting vessels operating in and around the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz (SOH) and Gulf of Oman. Total attack reports: 13. Total suspicious activity reports: 4. Details of these incident reports are available below. Attack UKMTO #20 11 March 2026 UKMTO WARNING 020-26 - ATTACK Report Date: 11 Mar 2026 Report Time: 0205UTC Issue Date: 11 Mar 2026 Source: Master UKMTO has received a report of an incident 50NM northwest of Dubai, United Arab Emirates....

At present, there is no sign of de-escalation in the Iran conflict. The Strait of Hormuz has become a geopolitical chokepoint that could plunge the global economy into a severe crisis. While European governments work on emergency plans to mitigate soaring energy prices, the maritime insurance market is experiencing a seismic shock. War is raging in Iran. Amid the fog of propaganda, it is increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction, to distinguish AI-generated material from actual bomb strikes, and to see behind the carefully woven veil of media spin and national interests. Yet, we attempt here to make sense...

China is in talks with Iran to allow crude oil and Qatari liquefied natural gas vessels safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz ​as the U.S.-Israeli war on Tehran intensifies, three diplomatic sources told Reuters. The war, ‌which entered its sixth day on Thursday, has left the critical shipping passageway all-but shut, with countries around the world cut off from a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. China, which has friendly ​relations with Iran and relies heavily on Middle Eastern supplies, is unhappy about the ​Islamic Republic's move to paralyse shipping through the Strait and is pressing...

According to CENTCOM, the Iranian naval presence in the Gulf of Oman has been denied, stating that none of the 11 warships stationed east of the Strait of Hormuz before the beginning of hostilities remained in the area within the first 48 hours of Epic Fury. In the weeks leading up to the current conflict, Iranian naval forces trained alongside Chinese and Russian warships in Marine Security Belt 2026 near the Chabahar, which was also struck by U.S. forces.The U.S. command also said the strikes have targeted Iran’s small submarine fleet, composed of numerous midget submarines and a handful of...

Global energy markets were put on alert after Iran temporarily restricted movement in parts of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most strategically important oil transit routes on Earth. The move came as Tehran simultaneously engaged in sensitive diplomatic talks with the United States over its nuclear program, underscoring how quickly geopolitical tensions in the Middle East can ripple through global markets. While the disruption was limited and short lived, investors, energy traders, and policymakers immediately focused on what the action signals about regional stability, oil supply risks, and the broader geopolitical chess match between Iran and the West....

Key Points Should Iran follow through on its threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, it could alienate its neighbors and trade partners. But the possibility of a closure of the strait is low, experts said, despite Tehran’s rhetoric around closing the strait. A closure would provoke Iran’s markets in Asia, particularly China, which accounts for a majority of Iranian oil exports. =============================================================== Iran may be threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz but experts told CNBC that it’s also the one with the most to lose. In major move after U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites, the country’s parliament on...