Free Republic

President Trump suspended a plan to have the military escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Saudi Arabian officials warned Riyadh would not allow the US to use its airspace or air bases to support the initiative.“Project Freedom,” which the president announced Sunday evening, was paused Tuesday following pushback from the Gulf nation — as well as a phone conversation between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that did not resolve the issue, NBC News reported. The military operation had been intended to stop Iran from blocking the vital waterway, through which at least one-fifth of...

Fresh questions are being raised over why US President Donald Trump abruptly paused “Project Freedom,” the naval mission launched to secure commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. According to reports, Saudi Arabia refused to allow US military aircraft involved in the operation to use its airspace or bases, forcing Washington to halt the mission days after it began. The developments come as the US claims progress in talks with Iran over a possible deal. However, Tehran has pushed back against reports of a breakthrough, with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf mocking US media coverage of the negotiations as...

She is the loudest, most aggressive pro-Israel voice in Donald Trump's orbit. So when Laura Loomer leaned in close to the President two months ago and warned him that the American public was giving up on the Jewish State, his two-word reply landed like a thunderclap, carrying an ominous message for Benjamin Netanyahu. 'You're probably going to be the last pro-Israel President we ever have,' Loomer recounted telling Trump, in an interview with the New York Times. Trump, she says, replied: 'You're right.' The White House pointedly did not deny the exchange. Spokeswoman Anna Kelly instead offered a boilerplate response...