Free Republic

Many scholars believe that Jews are Iran’s oldest religious minority, having lived there nearly 2,700 years (if you count the first 100 years of Jewish captivity in Babylon, after the fall of the First Temple). Jews lived in Iran, which until 1935 was known as Persia, for over 1,000 years before the arrival of Islam. The land — its language, culture, prose and history — is ingrained in us, whether we still live in Iran or escaped in the last four decades and resettled in countries such as the United States, Israel, Canada or Italy. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution...

House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Saturday night said that President Donald Trump has “failed” to bring peace to the Middle East after Trump ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. Jeffries, the leader of House Democrats, said in a written statement: Donald Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East. He has failed to deliver on that promise. The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm’s way. President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional...

Russian leader Vladimir Putin should first end the war that Russia started in Ukraine before talking about mediating in the Middle East, stated US President Donald Trump during a conversation with journalists, APA reports citing RBC Ukraine. "I spoke to Putin yesterday, he offered to help mediate. I said, do me a favor — mediate your own. Let's mediate Russia first, OK? I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later," Trump said. According to the US President, he told Putin that he should deal with Russia first before involving himself elsewhere. "So many people have...

The United States has spent EIGHT TRILLION DOLLARS fighting and policing in the Middle East. Thousands of our Great Soldiers have died or been badly wounded. Millions of people have died on the other side. GOING INTO THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE WORST DECISION EVER MADE.....

A senior Israeli source speaking to Israel Hayom today (Tuesday) says that a "significant" Middle Eastern country - not Israel - has asked President Trump to join the war against Iran's nuclear program to end it quickly. According to the source, the country - which is a bitter foe of Iran - is concerned that Israeli strikes on Iranian economic targets, especially their oil and oil processing facilities, could send prices skyrocketing and harming their economy. At present, the United States is maintaining a defensive posture, providing Israel with weapons and defensive tools, but refusing to attack Iran unless Iran...

The Israel-Iran conflict has entered its fifth day, casting a shadow over Washington as Democratic lawmakers, led by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, move to curb President Donald Trump’s authority to wage war against Iran without congressional approval.... Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, launched on June 13, 2025, struck over 100 Iranian targets,...The underground Fordo facility, however, remains largely unscathed, fueling speculation about further Israeli or U.S. action. In response, the U.S. bolstered its regional presence, deploying 12 F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II jets, supported by 30 KC-135 and KC-46 tankers, to bases like Al-Udeid in Qatar, as reported by...

Today (Tuesday), the White House posted on X, quoting President Trump: “Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Trump’s rhetoric has oscillated between advocating for diplomacy and issuing threats of military action. For instance, he has pushed for a new nuclear deal since taking office in January 2025, As Iran passed the 60 day limit Trump had given them to come to a deal regarding their nuclear...

Saudi Arabia has executed a prominent Saudi journalist who was arrested seven years ago and convicted on terrorism and treason chargesA prominent Saudi journalist who was arrested in 2018 and convicted on terrorism and treason charges has been executed, the kingdom said. Activist groups maintain that the charges against him were trumped up. Turki Al-Jasser, who was in his late 40s, was put to death on Saturday, according to the official Saudi Press Agency, after the death penalty was upheld by the nation’s top court. Authorities had raided Al-Jasser's home in 2018, arresting him and seizing his computer and...

North Korea has played a critical, though often overlooked, role in developing the very Iranian military capabilities now being used against Israel. Iran’s Emad and Ghadr ballistic missiles, deployed in its recent retaliatory strikes, are advanced derivatives of the North Korean No Dong missile, developed with direct North Korean assistance and parts.

The US aircraft carrier the USS Nimitz has left the South China Sea and is heading west as the conflict between Israel and Iran descended into open warfare. Donald Trump has issued a warning to Iran, saying the country will experience 'the full strength' of the American military if it attacks the US. It comes amid reports he vetoed Israel's plans to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader. The USS Nimitz had a planned port call in Vietnam later this week, but this has been called off as the conflict escalates. Tracking websites show the vessel moving west along with its strike...

D-Day update and thoughts on the ongoing Iran-Israel War - I was hoping it would be known as the One-Day War, but the sides seem to have resumed fire just now. Items to discuss: 1. Israeli assassination campaign 2. Israeli air campaign 3. Iranian missile campaign 1. Israeli targeted killings The Israelis kicked off their attack on Iran early yesterday morning (local time) with a series of targeted attacks aimed at assassinating senior leaders in the Iranian armed services as well as nuclear scientists. Alongside several scientists and Ali Shamkhani (a very prominent diplomat), three prominent figures in the Islamic...

Israel’s surprise attack on Iran in the early morning hours of June 13 saw more than 200 aircraft strike more than 100 targets in Iran. Among the targets were key Iranian commanders, including the head of the Iranian army and also the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This type of decapitation strike is how Israel dismantled Hezbollah, Iran’s ally in Lebanon.

Should Israel decapitate the Iranian leadership and should the regime fall, the Trump administration must send in investigator to track down, detain, and interrogate those responsible for killing Americans and funding the insurgency. Some should be extradited to the United States to serve the rest of their lives in prison; others can be offered the opportunity to turn state’s evidence.

A California man was charged Monday with operating a ring of illegal test-takers who helped dozens of Middle Eastern nationals obtain U.S. student visas by passing proficiency and college-placement exams for them. Eamonn Daniel Higgins, 46, of Laguna Niguel made an appearance in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud as immigration agents arrested 16 of his suspected clients who remained in Southern California... The allegations revealed a potentially dangerous security breach in the country's student visa system and underscored the vulnerability of a tracking process that relies on schools to verify...

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday hailed Christian communities in the Middle East who “persevere and remain in their homelands, resisting the temptation to abandon them” despite war, marginalization or persecution. “Christians must be given the opportunity, and not just in words, to remain in their native lands with all the rights needed for a secure existence. Please, let us strive for this!” he told a meeting of Eastern Catholic Churches at the Vatican. On Sunday, the pontiff called for an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages held by militant group...

Journalists covering President Donald Trump’s arrival to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday observed the presence of a mobile McDonald’s set up at a press center for covering the event in Riyadh, an apparent nod to the president’s love of the burger restaurant. Officials reportedly set up the mobile McDonald’s, which was “still shuttered” as of Tuesday, in a “Media Oasis” for journalists, according to the Associated Press. The “Oasis” featured various displays of Saudi government propaganda touting the government’s construction projects, including the controversial, still-unbuilt “city of the future” Neom and venues for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which Saudi Arabia...

Is it just me, or is this a sight to behold? Seeing Trump & MBS as co-hosts greeting all of them...I've never seen anything like it.. The MSM made it sound like a dozen or so CEO's & business leaders would be there. It seems like maybe 50.

Christian evangelist Franklin Graham is urging Americans to pray for President Donald Trump ahead of the commander-in-chief’s trip to the Middle East. “Pray for President @realDonaldTrump as he travels to the Middle East for meetings,” Graham wrote on Monday morning. “There will be much pressure put on him relating to Israel, Gaza, and the Palestinians.” “Pray for God’s protection, and may God give him wisdom,” he added. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previewed Trump’s four-day trip to the Middle East on Friday, telling reporters that Trump plans to “reemphasize his continued vision for a proud, prosperous, and successful Middle...

Could President Donald Trump officially recognize Palestine as an independent state on his trip to the Middle East? That’s what some analysts are predicting as a lively debate rages in the Arab media sphere over just how far the U.S. president will go while abroad. There had already been some writing on the wall that Trump’s Middle East tour — which includes visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — was not coming in the midst of a period of unalloyed harmony between the administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hebrew-language Israeli media reported Thursday that...

Trump is furious about what he views as an attempt by Netanyahu and his team to pressure National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who has since been dismissed from his position, toward military action in Iran. Netanyahu claimed in response to the publication of this matter in The Washington Post that he spoke with Waltz only once. However, Trump remained unconvinced. The president's anger likely explains Israel's exclusion from both the announcement regarding the ceasefire with the Houthis and Israel's inclusion in the agreement. It's worth noting that even after Trump announced the agreement with the Houthis, Israeli representatives handling relations...