Free Republic

Iran has likely earned $139 million per day by selling its flagship Iran Light crude so far in March, according to Bloomberg calculations based on export estimates by Tankertrackers.com and prices for Iranian Light. The estimated daily revenues were nearly $25 million higher compared to the average of $115 million daily proceeds from Iranian Light in February, according to Bloomberg's calculations. Iran is benefiting in several ways from the Hormuz crisis. First, its tankers are transiting the Strait of Hormuz while most other Gulf oil supply is still trapped. Then, the massive supply shock from the Middle East has hiked...

Judging by Donald Trump’s outbursts of late, he can’t seem to decide whether reopening the Strait of Hormuz is easy or hard. He also can’t seem to decide whether he needs international allies to help with this urgent task or not. Iran’s blockade on oil shipments exiting the strait—done in response to Trump’s attack—is causing worsening global consequences daily. So it would be useful for Trump to settle these arguments in his own mind already. But Trump’s incoherence on the Strait of Hormuz actually reveals something else, as well: a massive political weakness. .....

[Robert Besser is a news editor who has worked in television and newspapers in the United States, Asia and the Middle East.] Since its founding, Israel believed it could develop alliances with western countries because we shared the ancient values of our Judeo-Christian heritage. We also believed such alliances were natural joinings, since we Jews had much in common with Western Civilization. But the 77-year history of Israel’s diplomatic alliances with the West appears to be ending, and increasingly we see that we have disturbingly little in common with the dying West. Indeed, today’s totalitarian leftist and progressive ideas prevalent...

Almost 62 years after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Central Intelligence Agency has revealed that one of their officers had contact with Lee Harvey Oswald before and after the November killing, documents released this week and first reported by Axios have revealed. The documents concern a CIA officer who specialized in psychological warfare known as George Joannides. The crux of the revelation is in a document dated Jan 17, 1963 revealing that Joannides had an alias and fake driver’s license under the name “Howard Gebler.” Prior to Thursday's document revelation, the CIA had denied that “Howard” was in fact...

This proposal is the most realistic means for keeping the peace after an armistice. Bloomberg cited unnamed “people with knowledge of Kremlin thinking” to report that Russia will only demand that Ukraine restore its constitutional neutrality, “drastically cut back military ties with the NATO alliance”, limit its army, and freeze the front lines, albeit with some territorial swaps. Also, “The Kremlin’s position is that while individual NATO members may continue to send arms to Ukraine under bilateral security agreements, any such weapons should not be used against Russia or to recapture territory.” To be sure, Bloomberg might have either invented...

[No transcript or substantive description has been provided that summarizes the subject matter of this interview/town hall discussion.]