Free Republic

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke via phone on Tuesday with US President Donald Trump, the American leader said, declaring that the pair “are on the same side of every issue.” The call covered “numerous subjects including Trade, Iran, etc.,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, adding that the conversation went “very well.” Notably, Trump did not include Gaza or the 59 hostages being held there in his list of topics discussed amid the ongoing impasse in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. However, according to a report in Axios, the pair did talk about efforts to reach...

When war once again came to Gaza in late 2023, Palestinian photographer Fatma Hassona began documenting all aspects of life: death, displacement, destruction, children celebrating during Eid, relief as people were allowed to return to northern Gaza during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas this year. Despite the challenges she faced, the 25-year-old was planning for the future: She was engaged to be married this summer and received news last Tuesday that a documentary about her life in Gaza during the war had been accepted to Acid Cannes, which runs alongside the Cannes Film Festival in France. A day later,...

The powerful unit, and Tehran's insistence: "We will not give it up." Why did Iran set a red line, and how dangerous is it for us? All the details. "Outside the scope of any agreement": Iran's insistence on the missile force, and Israel's containment battle. While the Iranian foreign minister claims that the American team did not raise "any issue other than nuclear" in the talks, Israel insists that any agreement with Iran must also limit the Iranian missile program. • How long will it take Iran to adapt a missile to a nuclear warhead? Can the Iranian missile array...

Sen. Ron Johnson is actively investigating 9/11. A day after the Wisconsin Republican went on a far-right podcast promoting conspiracy theories about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, a spokesperson for Johnson said the lawmaker is currently seeking information and documentation in order to hold hearings on the event nearly 25 years later. He would do so in his capacity as chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, one of Congress’s most storied and powerful panels with far-reaching jurisdiction that gives its chair wide latitude to probe a diverse array of matters. It has...

0:00Introduction 1:10 What Would Happen if the US Went to War With Iran? 9:13 The Real Reason the US Invaded Iraq 15:38 The Military Power of Iran 22:25 The Global Coalition Iran Has Formed Because of the US 26:37 Is This Evil or Stupidity? 31:10 How Trump Exposed Regime Change Wars 41:37 Caldwell’s Experience in the Marine Corps 50:31 The Impact of the Iraq War on Veterans 1:00:59 How Caldwell Helped Pete Hegseth Become Secretary of Defense 1:08:21 The Real Reason Caldwell was Fired 1:11:30 Was Caldwell the Source of the Leaks? 1:22:09 How Caldwell Was Escorted Out 1:23:41 Who...

The Journal of Architectural Education (JAE), the field's premier scholarly journal, has dedicated past issues to topics like the "various nuances through which water and design mix" and the "relationship between stories and architecture." Last year, the journal landed on a different topic for its fall 2025 issue: The "ongoing Israeli genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza." The journal's "call for papers"—a prompt for essay submissions—was littered with anti-Semitic rhetoric. It lauded "siege and prison breaks" as methods of "anti-colonial life- and land-protection" and justified Hamas's Oct. 7 attack as "the rupture of settler containment." The fall issue, the journal...

Ten years ago, when President Barack Obama and other leaders reached a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program, Saudi Arabia was dismayed.Saudi officials called it a "weak deal" that had only emboldened the kingdom's regional rival, Iran. They cheered when President Trump withdrew from the agreement a few years later.Now, as a second Trump administration negotiates with Iran on a deal that might have very similar contours to the previous one, the view from Saudi Arabia looks quite different.The kingdom's Foreign Ministry issued a statement recently saying that it hoped the talks, mediated by neighboring Oman, would enhance...

Dan Caldwell was one of the strongest voices at the Pentagon opposing war with Iran. Then he was falsely accused of leaking classified documents and fired. (0:00) Introduction (1:10) What Would Happen if the US Went to War With Iran? (9:13) The Real Reason the US Invaded Iraq (15:38) The Military Power of Iran (22:25) The Global Coalition Iran Has Formed Because of the US (26:37) Is This Evil or Stupidity? (31:10) How Trump Exposed Regime Change Wars (41:37) Caldwell’s Experience in the Marine Corps (50:31) The Impact of the Iraq War on Veterans (1:00:59) How Caldwell Helped Pete...

I think we don’t really realize what’s happening. When British PM Keir Starmer visited the White House, he rejected J.D. Vance’s claim that free speech is restricted in Britain. “We’ve had free speech for a very long time in the UK,” Starmer retorted, “and it will last for a very long time”. Unfortunately, Starmer’s Home Office seems not to have taken notice. Because it has just blocked a famous French writer from entering the UK to give a speech on the dangers of mass immigration, while in the courts British lawyers are trying to legalise Hamas. The writer is Renaud...

President Trump announced Monday that his administration would convene direct talks with Iran later this week — saying that he hopes for “a deal” to avoid “the obvious” military alternative. “We’re having direct talks with Iran,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office while hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “On Saturday we have a very big meeting … doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious.” Trump added that the US is “dealing with them directly, and maybe a deal’s going to be made — that would be great. it would be really great for Iran.”

From Grok: (the article is behind the NYTs paywall) Yes, the claim appears to be true based on a New York Times article published on April 16, 2025. The article reports that President Trump intervened to halt Israeli plans for an airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities, which were scheduled for as early as May 2025 and would have required U.S. assistance. Instead, Trump favored pursuing negotiations with Tehran to limit Iran’s nuclear program. The decision followed internal debates within the Trump administration, with some officials skeptical of a military strike’s ability to eliminate Iran’s nuclear ambitions without triggering a broader...

MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — Envoys from Iran and the United States began negotiations Saturday in Oman over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. No overall agreement is immediately likely, but the stakes of the negotiations couldn’t be higher for these two nations closing in on half a century of enmity. Trump repeatedly has threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. Flight-tracking data analyzed by The...

Dubai -- US airstrikes targeting an oil port held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed 74 people and wounded 171 others, the group said Friday, marking the single-deadliest known attack under President Donald Trump’s new campaign targeting the rebels. Assessing the toll of Trump’s campaign, which began March 15, has been incredibly difficult as the US military’s Central Command so far has not released any information on the campaign, its specific targets and how many people have been killed. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels strictly control access to areas attacked and don’t publish information on the strikes, many of which likely have...

Cenk Uygur @cenkuygur If @nytimes is right and Trump refused Israel's request to attack Iran, he deserves a ton of credit for that. Times reporting @TulsiGabbard made the argument against the strike - huge credit for that. @JDVance also spoke against. Not a lot of good news lately, but this is great. 4:24 PM · Apr 17, 2025

Washington and Tehran are expected to hold a second round of nuclear talks this Saturday, April 19, in Rome, following what Axios described as a “serious and substantive” first meeting in Oman. On April 12, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi held the highest-level US-Iran dialogue in eight years. Trump later said the talks are "going ok".

In a recent social media incident, Lauren Young, a Democratic campaign strategist known for her involvement in Hillary Clinton’s campaign, sparked significant controversy with a Facebook post that suggested Iran should target President Donald Trump at his Mar-A-Lago residence. This provocative statement has raised alarms about the implications of such rhetoric and the broader narrative surrounding political discourse in the United States. Background of the Incident Lauren Young’s comments were made public through a tweet by the account Libs of TikTok, which highlighted her suggestion and branded the Democratic Party as "the party of violence." This incident has reignited discussions...

US military airlifters flew over 70 cargo loads of equipment from the Pacific to the Middle East, moving a Patriot air defense battalion from a priority theater to the tense region, a top commander said on Thursday. The recent relocation of the high-profile air defense system comes amid a broader build-up of US military assets in the Middle East, including aircraft and warships. Tensions with Iran and the Houthi rebels in Yemen are running high. During testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Adm. Sam Paparo, who leads US Indo-Pacific Command, was asked about the military's capability gaps that exist...

Lawmakers in Russia’s lower-house State Duma on Tuesday ratified a 20-year strategic partnership treaty with Iran, deepening military and political ties between the two countries as they remain under heavy Western sanctions. The pact, signed by President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in January, aims to strengthen cooperation in areas including defense, intelligence sharing, trade and nuclear energy. “The agreement takes [Russian-Iranian relations] to a fundamentally new level,” Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said last week ahead of the vote. One of the treaty’s key provisions commits Russia and Iran to counter shared security threats, exchange intelligence and...

IRNA – Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has rejected the idea of holding direct negotiations with the United States as long as the “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran is in place, saying Washington has agreed to hold indirect negotiations. Speaking at a meeting with Algerian elites and media figures in Algiers on Tuesday, Araqchi said bilateral talks should be conducted on equal footing, not under maximum pressure and military threats. “As long as maximum pressure and threats exist, there is no ground for fair negotiations, and we will not hold direct negotiations,” he said. However, he hastened to add, the path...

The United States imposed new sanctions on five Iranian entities and one individual accused of supporting Iran’s nuclear program. IRNA - The United States Department of the Treasury issued new sanctions against Iran just two days after President Donald Trump announced plans for discussions with Tehran regarding its nuclear program. In a statement on Wednesday, the Treasury identified five Iranian entities and one individual as targets for their alleged support of Iran’s nuclear program. Among the designated groups were the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and its subsidiary, the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company. The sanctions also included Majid Mosallat, head...