Free Republic

The former crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, called for an end to the Islamic Republic government to bring peace to the Middle East in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Pahlavi, whose family was exiled from Iran following the 1979 revolution, has called for an end to the current government in Tehran and the reinstatement of democracy in the nation. After saying that Iran facilitated the October 7 attacks in Israel and fueled sectarian conflicts in countries across the Middle East, he also emphasized that this is "not the Iranian people's war," and promoted ousting the...

Two attempts on the life of a former president, less than two months apart, is unprecedented in American history. And yet it’s not entirely surprising given that the country’s most powerful institutions and industries have spent the last eight years weaponizing the most suggestible and mentally ill of our citizenry to target Donald Trump and his supporters. Now it seems the FBI may be recruiting from abroad as well. According to the Trump campaign, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently briefed the Republican candidate on “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort...

22 minutes. Lots going on. Transcript link below video.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Tuesday night local time that it would respond to the Iranian missile attack “in the place and in the time that we determine.” IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari addressed the nation in the immediate aftermath of an Iranian attack, the second since April. Iran reportedly fired 400 missiles, almost all of which were intercepted, with just a few missiles falling in Israel. Israelis across the entire country had been ordered into bomb shelters; shortly after Hagari’s briefing, the Home Front Command said that people could leave their shelters. Hagari said that there had...

The White House on Tuesday said the US believes Iran is preparing an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel. “The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel. We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” a senior White House official said in a statement. Tensions between Israel and Iran have ratcheted up significantly in recent weeks as Israel has stepped up its efforts against Hezbollah in Lebanon, an Iran-backed militant group. Israel...

Lots of rumors on Twitter right now.

Three fires have been observed on board a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Friday, one day after it was evacuated by its crew after being attacked by Yemeni Houthi militants.

Tehran is reconsidering its approach to retaliation against Israel following Ismail Haniyeh's assassination, Professor Uzi Rabi, head of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, explained to Nissim Mashal and Liat Ron in an interview on 103FM on Thursday morning. "There is ongoing deliberation in Tehran. If we go back to the day after Haniyeh was eliminated, they spoke of revenge at the highest level. However, as days pass, it seems that Iran is having second thoughts, mainly due to the American buildup in the Middle East," Rabi said. "Currently, Iran even sees...

A major cyber attack has targeted the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and several other banks, causing widespread disruptions in the country's banking system, according to a report by Iran International. Iran International, a news outlet aligned with the Iranian opposition, said the scale and impact of the attack suggest it could be one of the largest cyberattacks on Iran's state infrastructure to date. This incident occurs against a backdrop of rising tensions in the Middle East and international pressure on Iran. The incident comes on the heels of reports suggesting Iranian hackers are actively working to influence and monitor...

The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and other banks were targeted on Wednesday as part of a significant cyber attack that led to widespread disruptions in the country's banking system, Iran International reported. #BREAKING A major cyberattack has targeted the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and several other banks, leading to widespread disruptions in the country’s banking system, @IranIntl has learned. Initial assessments indicate this could be one of the largest cyberattacks ever against… pic.twitter.com/6TiuNrxosL — Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) August 14, 2024 According to reports, all the computer systems of the banks in Iran were paralyzed following the cyber...

The delegation sought to deliver messages to Tehran in order to de-escalate the tensions in the region between Iran and Israel. An unnamed source in Iran's Supreme National Security Council told Kuwaiti newspaper al Jarida that a high-ranking American security delegation, mediated by Oman, secretly traveled to Tehran, the Kuwaiti paper wrote on Wednesday. Fox News reported that the delegation allegedly sought to deliver messages to Tehran in order to de-escalate the tensions in the region between Iran and Israel, al Jarida noted in their reporting of the story… Allegedly, the American delegation presented a list with the names of...

With headlines like “Harris Surges Ahead: A New Era of Democratic Enthusiasm and Opportunity” and “Former Friend Exposes JD Vance’s Radical Transformation: A Study in Political Opportunism”, you might mistake NioThinker for another mainstream media outlet. Only the occasional odd word choice and convoluted bit of grammar hints that the digital media site flowing with enthusiasm for Kamala and contempt for Trump isn’t really American. Classified as part of Iran’s ‘Storm-2035’ network: NioThinker is an enemy operation. Why is an Islamic terrorist state spending its time putting up articles like “Trump Silent After Fox News Poll Favors Harris in Swing...

A potential Iranian attack could be larger in scope and more complex, including deeper use of multiple proxies, than what Israel experienced in April. Despite international pressure, there appears to be no stopping an expected attack by Iran and its proxies on Israel that could come within hours. Iran has promised to retaliate against Israel for the assassination in Tehran last week of Ismail Haniyeh, the top political leader of Hamas. Facing a potentially massive missile and drone barrage that could cause a large number of casualties, Israel meanwhile is mulling over the idea of a preemptive strike against Iran,...

The US embassy in Beirut has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon on “any ticket available”, amid soaring tensions in the Middle East. The advisory follows a similar warning from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who said the regional situation “could deteriorate rapidly”. The US embassy stated on Saturday that those who choose to stay in Lebanon should “prepare contingency plans” and be prepared to “shelter in place for an extended period of time”. It said that several airlines have suspended and cancelled flights, and many have sold out, but “commercial transportation options to leave Lebanon remain available".

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” former Defense Secretary and former CIA Director Leon Panetta responded to President Joe Biden scolding Israel for seemingly assassinating Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh by saying that “one of the things that we’ve encouraged Israel to do is to target the leaders of Hamas that were involved in the attack on Israel.” And that this is what Israel should do. Panetta acknowledged that the killing could have an impact on ceasefire talks, but argued, “that is what war is all about. And ultimately, it’s the price you have to pay in order...

During an interview with Portland CBS affiliate KOIN 6 on Friday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) responded to Israel killing some of Hamas’ leaders and its potential impact on ceasefire talks by stating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is going to just have to find a way to show some restraint and bring people together.” And Netanyahu, “in particular, is going to have to have some diplomacy to bring about restraint.” Co-host Elizabeth Dinh asked, “So, now to Gaza, of course, we want to talk about there was a wrench thrown in peace talks after the killing of some top...

S. J. RES. 106 JOINT RESOLUTION To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against the Islamic Republic of Iran for threatening the national security of the United States through the development of nuclear weapons.{... many grievances later ...} Whereas, on July 23, 2024, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence published an assessment, in accordance with Iran Nuclear Weapons Capability and Terrorism Monitoring Act of 2022 (22 U.S.C. 8701 note; Public Law 117–263), which stated, “Iran continues to increase the size of its uranium stockpile, increase its enrichment capacity, and develop, manufacture, and operate advanced centrifuges. Tehran...

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile was behind the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and accused the United States of supporting the attack which it blamed on Israel, state TV reported Saturday. The televised statement, which reiterated a call for retaliation, said a rocket with a seven-kilogram (about 15-pound) warhead was used to target the residence of Hamas' political leader in the capital Tehran on Wednesday, adding it caused heavy devastation. It didn't share details of the residence's location. “The action was designed and carried out by the Zionist regime and supported by the U.S.,” said the...

A Pentagon statement said the new deployments would "improve US force protection... increase support for the defence of Israel, and ... ensure the US is prepared to respond to various contingencies". The deployments would include additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers, it said. The US military had also intensified deployments before 13 April, when Iran launched an attack on Israel with drones and missiles. Israel and its allies shot down almost all of roughly 300 drones and missiles that were fired. Israel has not commented directly on the strike which killed Haniyeh. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his...

Sometimes you have to go with your gut instincts, and I wish I'd stuck with mine yesterday. Wednesday morning it was my happy duty to report on the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran, the night before. "My first thought was that a Mossad assassination team had snuck in, done some dirty work that needed doing, and then snuck back out," is what my gut assured me had happened. But then reports came in that Haniyeh had been killed in a precision airstrike. But no. "Never trust first reports." I'm going to write that on a...