Free Republic

The U.S. is being “humiliated” by the Iranian regime, Germany’s chancellor has said, as disquiet among European leaders over a prolonged conflict in the Middle East gradually intensifies. “The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday. “An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible,” Merz added, speaking to students in Marsberg in Germany. The comments...

President Donald Trump on Saturday abruptly canceled a planned trip by special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan, pulling back from what had been billed just a day earlier as a potential jump-start to fragile Iran talks. “I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going is [to] Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership.’ Nobody knows who on earth is in charge, including them. Also, we have all...

ISLAMABAD — Tehran held firm in its claim that its foreign minister Abbas Araghchi would not meet with US negotiators for a second round of talks during his Saturday visit to Islamabad — throwing into question the future of the negotiations. Abbas and the Iranian delegation left for the airport shortly before 6 p.m. local time after holding meetings with primary Pakistani mediators Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed on Friday that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would leave the US for “direct talks” with Tehran in Pakistan...

Iran has released a video purportedly showing armed, masked commandos seizing two cargo vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The propaganda clip was pumped out by state media Wednesday after the regime boasted it had seized the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and Liberia-flagged Epaminondas vessels, just hours after the cease-fire was extended. The armed soldiers then climbed up the stairs to the ship’s top decks. The IRGC has accused the two vessels of operating without the required permit and tampering with their navigation systems. Personnel on the Epaminondas reported damage to its bridge after Iranian soldiers opened fire and hurled grenades...

The price of oil plunged sharply and U.S. stock indexes opened at new all-time highs after the Iranian foreign minister said that the Strait of Hormuz was open for commercial vessels. U.S. crude oil plunged 10% to nearly $85 per barrel, while international Brent crude also slid more than 8% to around $90 per barrel. Heating oil futures, which are a proxy for jet fuel, plummeted 13%. Wholesale RBOB gas futures also fell 7%. At the opening bell, the S&P 500 rose 0.6% and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1%. Both set new all-time highs in early trading as a result....

Like General Patton, President Trump also understands how to express himself in a way that serves the dual purpose of communicating with America’s enemies and, at the same time, with the American people. General George S. Patton knew how to get a point across: “When I want my men to remember something important, to really make it stick, I give it to them double dirty. It may not sound nice to some bunch of little old ladies at an afternoon tea party, but it helps my soldiers to remember.” On April 5, 2026, President Trump directed a profane Truth Social...

Iran may not be able to officially close the Strait of Hormuz even as its military launches attacks on vessels in the conflict-ridden waterway, but the country appears to be setting up an unofficial toll system for ships to pass. According to multiple members of Iran’s parliament, the Islamic republic has started charging transit fees on some commercial vessels passing through the critical artery, which harbors roughly 20 percent of the world’s supply of oil and liquefied natural gas. More from Sourcing Journal Hormuz Disruptions Lift India-Bound Freight Rates Freight Recovery Gains Steam as Heavy-Duty Truck Orders Surge Three Ships...

Conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly said Monday that it was becoming increasingly clear that the Trump administration will not be able to change the Iranian regime as a result of its war. “It is becoming apparent to the Trump administration that they are not going to be able to change the regime, unless you throw 10,000 ground troops into Iran, which is never going to happen,” O’Reilly told NewsNation’s Leland Vittert on “On Balance.” “So, the thinking is, we’ll make a deal, the deal will encompass inspectors going in to see that they aren’t enriching uranium, no ballistic missiles and bunch...

President Trump announced Monday that the US will not attack any part of Iran’s power and energy infrastructure for five days after Washington and Tehran had engaged in “very good and productive talks” over the weekend about ending the three-week-old war. “I am please [sic] to report that the United States of America, and the country of Iran, have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” Trump wrote, without elaborating. “Based on the tenor and tone of these in-depth, detailed and constructive conversations,...