Free Republic

The man who ran security at 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Games — where a bomber killed two and wounded more than 100 — warns that Iranian “sleeper cells” are likely plotting attacks during next month’s World Cup, as federal officials race to secure the 39-day competition. “I’m fairly confident there are Iranian sleeper cells or surrogate sleeper cells, and this would be an incredible opportunity for sleeper cells to attack,” Former LAPD Deputy Chief Bill Rathburn told The Post. His comments came after the feds warned about Iranian “prepositioned sleeper assets” in the US while the...

A spokesman for Iran’s terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) condemned the United States on Friday for conducting what U.S. Central Command referred to as “self-defense strikes” to protect American assets in the region, claiming that it had responded and caused “significant damage.” Central Command (CENTCOM), the wing of the American armed forces responsible for operations in the Middle East, revealed on Thursday that it had “intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes,” destroying the Iranian assets used in the attack. CENTCOM described a flurry of “missiles, drones, and small boats approaching American naval assets and attacking, but...

Iran

President Donald Trump said Thursday that retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets were “just a love tap." The strikes came as U.S. Central Command said Iranian forces “launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats” while the U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason were transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. forces disabled M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda, May 8, prior to both vessels entering an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of the ongoing U.S. blockade. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) enforced blockade measures against two Iranian-flagged unladen oil tankers attempting to pull into an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman. A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, preventing the non-compliant ships from entering Iran. U.S. forces also disabled Iranian-flagged M/T Hasna, May 6, as...

Just yesterday, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Beijing, meeting with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The two ministers reportedly discussed bilateral ties, the Iran-U.S. conflict, the Strait of Hormuz, and regional issues. But today, as Araghchi is already back in Tehran, the unpredictable happened, with the Iranians reportedly striking a Chinese-owned cargo ship in the Hormuz waterways. The attack was confirmed by US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz. “A Chinese-owned oil products tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, Chinese media outlet Caixin reported, as President Donald Trump launched a...

OK. I have been doing my best to read the Trump tea leaves, figure out the Art of the Deal, and parse all the information out there so that I can figure out Donald Trump's strategy in the Iran War. I thought I had a good handle on it, and until the past few days, Trump's behavior accorded pretty well with my overall theory. Trump's strategy appeared to have been to pressure Iran into full and complete capitulation on the issues of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles (which exist to make attacking Iran nearly impossible), and to get the Strait of...

Dubai: Defying international law governing global waterways, Iran is trying to force shippers to comply with a new protocol for transiting the Strait of Hormuz — or risk attack. According to a document seen by CNN, Tehran has introduced new rules for vessels seeking passage through the strategic waterway, pressing ahead with efforts to formalise control over Hormuz despite repeated US and regional warnings. The document, titled “Vessel Information Declaration,” was issued by Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA). It requires vessels transiting Hormuz to submit detailed information, including ownership, crew nationalities, cargo details and voyage plans, before...

"Saudi Arabia is reported to have told him its airspace cannot be used for operations." Donald Trump has suffered a major operational setback as he has been reportedly told by Saudi Arabia that the US cannot use their airspace, says former US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, David Satterfield.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran will be bombed “at a much higher level” if it doesn’t agree to a peace deal, raising tensions even as news outlets reported that Washington and Tehran are nearing an agreement to end the war. Trump in a Truth Social post said the U.S. military offensive known as Operation Epic Fury “will be at an end” if Iran “agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption.” ... But “if they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity...

MS NOW's Morning Joe descended into juvenile innuendo on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, as host Joe Scarborough repeatedly mocked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) over U.S. policy on the Strait of Hormuz by hammering the homophone “strait/straight.” In a segment criticizing the Trump administration’s handling of the Iran conflict, Scarborough launched into a repetitive riff while adopting his signature faux-folksy persona: “You know, Lindsey goes, ‘It’s all about the Strait. Everything’s about the Strait. We’re doing this, it’s all about the Strait. Say it’s all about the Strait.’” This isn’t Scarborough’s first time using this kind of Beavis & Butthead personal...

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh·1h 🚨 UPDATE: The US military has just STRUCK another Iranian oil ship that tried to go through President Trump's Strait of Hormuz blockadeFAFO. They can't conduct ANY business. 🔥CENTCOM: "After Hasna’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings, U.S. forces disabled the tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from the 20mm cannon gun of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Hasna is no longer transiting to Iran."May 6, 2026

Rising optimism surrounding a potential diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran placed renewed focus on the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday, as traders monitored signs of easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Reports indicate Washington and Tehran are nearing a one-page memorandum of understanding aimed at de-escalating the conflict between the two nations. The development sparked a shift in market expectations regarding global shipping activity through the strategically critical waterway, which handles a significant share of the world’s oil flows. On prediction platform Kalshi, traders increased the probability that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will normalize...

The United States and Iran are closing in on a one-page memo to end their war, a Pakistani source involved in the peace efforts told Reuters on Wednesday, confirming an Axios report citing two US officials."We will close this very soon. We are getting close," the source said, with Pakistan's Foreign Minister adding that the country is working to ensure the agreement would lead to a "permanent end" to the conflict.According to Axios, the US expects a response from Iran within 48 hours regarding the key points of a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told...

The Norwegian government has been heavily criticised for approving plans to reopen three North Sea gasfields nearly three decades after they were closed to help fill the gap in energy supplies created by the Middle East war. Amid sharp price rises in oil and gas since the US and Israel’s attack on Iran in February, Oslo has also given its approval for oil and gas companies to explore in 70 new locations in the North Sea, Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea. The decision by the Labour-run government goes against the advice of the country’s environment agency and has infuriated left-leaning...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran. If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP May 06, 2026, 7:41 AM

Caution: I don't know about the neutrality of the source. But reports are that thousands of IRGC and Basij members have defected, some to neighboring countries (Armenia, Turkey, Azerbeijan) and others within Iran. Note: To my knowledge, while IRGC is a full-blown military force with it's own "navy" and "air force," and is tasked with border security and extra-territorial action throughout the world, the Basij started as volunteer militia for border defense, but in peacetime, is tasked with suppression of popular uprising.

Iranians need access to weapons to challenge their rulers, President Donald Trump said on Monday, arguing that protesters would fight effectively if armed but are currently outmatched by government forces. “They have to have guns. And I think they’re getting some guns. As soon as they have guns, they’ll fight like, as good as anybody there is,” Trump said in an interview with The Hugh Hewitt Show. Trump also suggested that US military pressure had already significantly weakened Iran and that further action could be completed within a short timeframe. Trump: The Iranian people have to have guns and I...

The ​U.S. Treasury ‌Department is ​sanctioning ​multiple wallets ⁠tied ​to ​Iran, thereby freezing $344 ​million ​in cryptocurrency, Treasury ‌Secretary ⁠Scott Bessent ​said ​in ⁠a statement ​on ​X.....

Beijing's empire isn't built on factories, AI labs, or rare earths. It's built on a single nation the West spent two decades dismissing — Iran. And the day Tehran's regime falls, the entire architecture China assembled over thirty years folds inward like wet cardboard. In this deep dive, we expose the hidden financial, energy, and geographic dependencies binding Beijing to Tehran — from the secret yuan-settled oil deals and the petroyuan experiment, to the Belt and Road's only viable land corridor, to the $9–12 billion annual "shadow fleet" subsidy quietly underwriting Chinese export manufacturing. We examine why China cannot quietly...