Free Republic

America’s leverage in the Strait exposes Iran’s weakness—turning its greatest asset into a liability and reshaping the balance of power without a ground war. The prognosis of the Iran War is now so couched in politics and so warped by the American Left that the public has grown tired and wants it all to go away. But in truth, the situation is so fluid that any accurate prediction is impossible. Yet there is good reason to believe in an eventual outcome quite favorable to the U.S. and one far better than the status quo ante bellum. The Strait of HormuzPrior...

At least two oil and chemical tankers were forced to turn away from the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after the United States moved to enforce a naval blockade, according to maritime tracking data. One of the vessels, Rich Starry, which had listed its destination as China, reportedly reversed course within minutes of the blockade taking effect, data from MarineTraffic showed. Responding to the developments, China issued a strong message signalling it would continue its maritime activity in the region. Defence Minister Dong Jun said Chinese vessels would keep operating in the area and warned against external interference. “Our ships...

Judge Khomeini’s state of mind for yourself: Since June 1981, according to estimates published by the Iranian resistance group known as the People’s Mojahedin, the Khomeini regime has put to death some 90,000 Iranians who don’t subscribe to its views. Another 140,000 have been incarcerated. Thousands of adolescent Iranian boys died in the recent war with Iraq when Khomeini asked them to clear mine fields by running across them. The children were promised they would be martyred and go directly to heaven. Iranian women who dare appear in public unveiled or who otherwise defy Khomeini’s standards of modesty are routinely...

0:1313 seconds: Hello ladies and gentlemen, welcome to TUCC TV. This is your global news channel Amaya Tusi and we come to you guys with some breaking news coming from 0:2121 seconds: the Middle East. The United States Navy has now officially begun the blockade of 0:2828 secondsthe Strait of Hormos as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are preparing to send their so-called fast ships towards the US military. And of course, 0:3939 seconds: President Trump and the US Central Command has warned any IRGC ship that gets close to the naval assets of the 0:4747 seconds: Americans will be...

U.S. President Donald Trump announced today (Sunday) a dramatic escalation in the confrontation with Iran, declaring a full naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The move comes just hours after reports of the unsuccessful conclusion of a round of talks between the American and Iranian delegations in Pakistan, and after the White House made clear it would not tolerate illegal transit fees being collected in the strait’s international waters. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, and they knowingly failed to do so. This caused anxiety, dislocation, and pain to many...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated - 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, “fast attack ships,” because we did not consider them much of a threat. Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal. P.S. 98.2% of Drugs coming into the U.S. by Ocean or Sea have STOPPED! Thank you...

The Iranian delegation to the US-Iran high-stakes peace talks has adopted the name “Minab-168”. Iranian Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf explicitly identified the aircraft the mission as “Minab-168”. The front row of the aircraft was arranged with blood-soaked bags, the children's shoes, and their photograph with white roses. He posted a picture the caption, “My companions on this flight #Minab168.” The Iranian embassy in South Africa re-shared the picture with the caption, “We will never forget the children of Minab" It also posted an AI-generated video emphasising that association. Iranian officials and state media have used the name...

TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, in accordance with the President’s proclamation. The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports. Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to...

As peace talks between America and Iran fell apart over the weekend, President Trump has called for the US military to take control of the Strait of Hormuz and clear the water of Tehran’s mines. The strait, which oversees 20% of the world’s oil transports, has remained closed since the war began on Feb. 28, with Iran filling the passage with deadly, underwater mines. To clear the waters, the US will tap its own navy and that of allied nations to deploy minesweepers and clear the Strait of Hormuz to resume global trade, Trump said Sunday. “We have minesweepers there...

President Donald Trump announced a U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Trump made the announcement in a post on his Truth Social account, blaming the failure to reach a deal with Iran during talks in Pakistan this weekend. "So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not. Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote. "At some point,...

.BREAKING: 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia fully restores East-West oil pipeline, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz and pumping 7,000,000 barrels per day. Saudi Arabia says it needs no more strait of Hormuz.

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

US Navy ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the start of the war — as Iran threatened to attack any US vessels that entered the strait. “Several” American military vessels crossed the channel Saturday in a move that “was not coordinated with Iran,” Israeli journalist Barak Ravid reported, citing intelligence officials. At least two were US Navy guided-missile destroyers, according to reports.

The New York Times reports, citing officials, that Iran may not have accurate records of the locations of all the mines it has laid. Reports suggest that the planting was carried out in a random and disorganised. The New York Times, citing US officials, reported that Iran is finding it increasingly difficult to reopen the Strait of Hormuz due to its inability to locate all the naval mines it planted during the recent conflict, in addition to the possibility of some of them being swept away by sea currents. ADVERTISEMENT The Strait of Hormuz crisis is a direct result of...

The U.S. military has launched operations to begin de-mining the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said on Saturday. Centcom said in a social media post highlighted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that two Navy guided-missile destroyers began “setting conditions” for this mission on Saturday morning. The USS Frank E. Peterson and USS Michael Murphy have previously operated in the Arabian Gulf to help clear the strait of sea mines set by Tehran, according to Centcom. “Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along...

Iran lost its own mines. Swalwell lost control of an exploding narrative. The WSJ lost the real cause of our health crisis. A terrific judicial appointment should delight MAHA. And more. Good morning, C&C, it’s Saturday! Your weekend edition roundup includes: how Iran’s mines are the most convenient excuse since the dog ate the homework — and why Trump is quietly delighted about it; the spectacular self-destruction of Eric Swalwell, who ran his entire campaign on protecting women and now faces four accusers, a surfaced NDA he said never existed, and a Democratic Party that just handed him his hat;...

President Donald Trump said Saturday the U.S. military has begun clearing the Strait of Hormuz, declaring Iran’s naval and air capabilities have been wiped out. "Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti Aircraft apparatus is nonexistent, Radar is dead," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. He added Iran’s missile and drone infrastructure has been "largely obliterated," along with the weapons themselves, and said the country’s longtime leaders "are no longer with us." Trump also said Iran’s ability to threaten shipping has been neutralized. "The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship...

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.

A US official denied on Saturday that Washington had agreed to release frozen assets belonging to Iran, contradicting earlier reports. Reuters had reported that the United States agreed to release Iranian funds held in Qatar and other foreign banks, citing a senior Iranian source, which described the move as a goodwill step ahead of talks.