Free Republic

The deployment aimed to enhance joint military coordination, improve operational readiness between the armed forces of the two countries, and support security and stability at regional and international levels

Several U.S. Navy ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, a U.S. official told Axios. Why it matters: The move was not coordinated with Iran. It is the first time U.S. warships crossed the strait since the beginning of the war. The operation was aimed at increasing confidence for commercial ships to cross, sources say. It came as peace talks between the two sides kicked off in Pakistan. "This was an operation that focused on freedom of navigation through International waters," the U.S. official said.

Britain will host further talks on reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane with a coalition of countries next week. The meeting will continue the Government’s efforts to restore freedom of navigation to the strait, which provides shipping routes for oil and gas. It comes after the Prime Minister spoke to Donald Trump about the need for a “practical plan” to get ships going through the area amid suggestions Iran wants to charge vessels for passage. An official with knowledge of the planning has said the meeting is expected to look for ways to support a sustainable end to...

TEHRAN — March 29, 2026 : Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has cautioned senior leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that Iran’s economy could face total collapse within three to four weeks if a regional ceasefire is not achieved, according to informed sources cited by Iran International. The warning reflects growing internal divisions between Iran’s civilian administration and military leadership as the ongoing conflict enters its fifth week, intensifying both economic strain and governance disputes. Internal Tensions Over War Strategy The reported disagreement centers on the direction and management of military operations. President Pezeshkian is said to have directly...

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful To the people of the United States of America, and to all those who, amid a flood of distortions and manufactured narratives, continue to seek the truth and aspire to a better life: Iran—by this very name, character, and identity—is one of the oldest continuous civilizations in human history. Despite its historical and geographical advantages at various times, Iran has never, in its modern history, chosen the path of aggression, expansion, colonialism, or domination. [Unless you count our colonization of Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, neighboring portions of Iraq, Kurdistan, and any other...

Qatar and Ukraine have signed a defence agreement seeking joint expertise on countering threats from missiles and drones, according to Qatar’s Ministry of Defence, as Iran continues attacking its Gulf neighbours. The agreement was made on Saturday during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Doha, following his stop in the UAE earlier in the day. Earlier on Saturday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates had also agreed to cooperate on defence, a day after signing a deal with Saudi Arabia during his visit to the kingdom on Thursday.

Ukraine signed a defense cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia on Friday, as Gulf countries look to Kyiv for assistance on defending against drone attacks from Iran. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the agreement with senior Saudi officials during his two-day visit to Riyadh. The accord "lays the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation, and investment. It also strengthens Ukraine’s international role as a security donor," Zelenskyy announced Friday morning. "We are ready to share our expertise and systems with Saudi Arabia and to work together to strengthen the protection of lives. Now into the fifth year, Ukrainians are resisting the same...

Jewish residents of London's Golders Green neighborhood were not happy to see a news crew from the Qatari Al Jazeera network in their community. The journalists from the network, known for its highly anti-Israel and even antisemitic coverage, had arrived in the heavily Jewish neighborhood to cover the arson attack on Hatzolah ambulances. Video from the scene shows locals surrounding the news crew, chanting “Al Jazeera off our streets", “go home," and “terrorist". In other videos, several young Jewish Londers are seen confronting members of the crew, telling them that they are not wanted in the neighborhood due to their...

Iran on Saturday issued an unusual evacuation warning to residents of Doha, Qatar, calling on them to leave the city immediately. According to the notice, due to the deployment of American forces and assets and incitement against it, the area has become a legitimate target, and it places responsibility on the leadership of Qatar. Later, Iranian TV denied the reports, saying that no official evacuation announcement had been issued for Doha. Earlier this month, Iran came under fire for attacking Doha without warning. The strikes had targeted locations associated with the United States military presence in the region. .....

"The British Isles are declared to be in a state of blockade,” announced Napoleon Bonaparte, and elaborated: “All commerce and all correspondence with the British Isles are forbidden.” It was 1806, and what would be known as the Berlin Decree aimed to strangle the British economy. The bold scheme seemed economically logical and militarily practical, but it ended up a grand flop. Britain’s economy, coastline, and navy all proved too big for the plan, which also underestimated the kingdom’s link to America and access to the high seas. In fact, Napoleon’s blockade backfired. Europe, it turned out, needed British exports...

Serbia has sharply condemned Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, for what it described as “unacceptable interference in internal affairs,” after she criticized the Balkan country’s military cooperation with Israel. The diplomatic dispute follows Albanese’s visit to Belgrade this week, during which she accused Serbian authorities of collaborating “without shame” with Israel, claiming Serbia is among its strongest allies and that Serbian weapons are being used in Gaza. “We consider the statements made by the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Mrs. Albanese, to be unbalanced and activist in nature, and as such inappropriate to the mandate she...

The latest attacks by Iran on Qatar facilities have damaged infrastructure that accounts for 17% of QatarEnergy’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capability, Reuters reports. The attacks will also cut helium output by 14%, said QatarEnergy. QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi told the news agency today, “I never in my wildest ‌dreams ⁠would have thought that Qatar would be, Qatar and the region, in such an ⁠attack, especially from a brotherly Muslim country in the month of ⁠Ramadan, attacking us in this way.” That cut in production capability equates to an estimated $20bn in lost revenues each year, including the value...

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan warned Thursday that the Kingdom’s restraint in the face of escalating Iranian attacks “is not unlimited,” signaling that military action remains on the table — as Arab and Islamic states issued a unified call for Tehran to halt its aggression. “The Kingdom and its partners possess significant capabilities, and the patience we have shown is not unlimited. It could be a day, two days, or a week — I will not say,” he told reporters following an emergency meeting of foreign ministers in Riyadh. In some of his strongest remarks since...

Iranian attacks have knocked out 17% of Qatar’s liquefied natural ⁠gas export capacity, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies to Europe ​and Asia, QatarEnergy’s CEO told ​Reuters on Thursday. Saad ​al-Kaabi said two of Qatar’s 14 LNG trains and one of its two gas-to-liquids (GTL) facilities were damaged in the unprecedented strikes. The repairs will sideline 12.8 ⁠million tons ‌per year of LNG for three to ⁠five years, he said. “I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that Qatar would be - Qatar and the region - in such an attack, especially...

Two weeks into Operation Epic Fury, the dominant narrative has settled into a comfortable groove: The United States and Israel stumbled into a war without a plan. Iran is retaliating across the region. Oil prices are surging, and the world is facing another Middle Eastern quagmire. US senators have called it a blunder. Cable news has tallied the crises. Commentators have warned of a long war. The chorus is loud and, in some respects, understandable. War is ugly, and this one has imposed real costs on millions of people across the Middle East, including the city I live in. But...

US President Donald Trump says he will not allow another Israeli attack on Iran’s South Pars natural gas field, after the IDF struck the key energy site on Wednesday. Trump writes on Truth Social that Israel “violently lashed out” at South Pars “out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East,” while insisting that only “a relatively small section” of the oil field has been hit. The US president claims that the US “knew nothing about this particular attack.” ...

Sabina Gurung, 32, travelled to Kuwait in 2021 to work as a domestic help. By 2024, after around three years on the job, she began asking her employer for permission to return to Nepal. Each time, the response was the same: “Not until we find someone to replace you.” Soon after, her employer’s responses turned into threats and violence. When she ran out of options one evening, she called the Nepali embassy in Kuwait for help. She was doing her duties as per the contract, but her employer held her passport to make sure she couldn't leave. This is a...

Though allies with Iran, Qatar's relationship with the country is being tested amid repeated missile and drone attacks.. 'To see the attack which had been pre-planned...once the war started, just an hour after the start of the war, Qatar and other Gulf countries were attacked right away.

The White House said on Wednesday that Spain has agreed to cooperate with the US military against Iran after President Donald Trump threatened to cut off trade, but Spain denied making such a deal. Trump on Tuesday had vowed to sever trade with Madrid over its stance against the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Asked about the issue on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had been told that Spain had relented. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. “I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear....

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said this week that Doha has “no information” about alleged Israeli intelligence cells operating in the country, after US media personality Tucker Carlson asserted that Qatari and Saudi authorities had arrested “Mossad agents” (Israel’s foreign intelligence agency) planning bombings in both countries. Carlson made the allegation in a widely shared segment posted by the Tucker Carlson Network under the title “BREAKING: Mossad Agents Arrested in Planned Bombing Operation,” describing the purported arrests as an unreported “fact.”