Free Republic

The Iran and Ukraine wars have exposed the world’s reliance on the Middle East and Russia for diesel Persian Gulf states and Russia have invested tens of billions of dollars in refineries over the past decade to grab a bigger share of the global diesel market. Now, war in both regions has sent exports plunging, squeezing supplies of a fuel that powers much of the global economy. Diesel prices are soaring—they eclipsed $6 a gallon in the U.S. for the first time last week and have kept climbing, hitting $6.45 on Friday. The surge has rattled governments and markets around...

Long lines in IRAN!! (September 18th 2026) Very short video where Iranian man explains why there are long lines and how much food costs in Iran.

At least 16 US military bases damaged, some rendered unusable, across Persian Gulf during war with Iran, CNN report says. Iran caused extensive damage to a large portion of US bases in the Persian Gulf using missiles and drones, according to a CNN investigation. The report states that Iran struck at least 16 US military bases across eight Gulf countries, representing the majority of US bases in the area. Several of the bases were reportedly hit so severely that they were rendered inoperable. A US source familiar with the matter told CNN, "I have never seen anything like this at...

Donald Trump's naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is unraveling after dozens of Iranian vessels secretly slipped past US surveillance, even as the regime tightened its grip on the critical oil passageway by attacking three tankers. Approximately 34 Iranian oil tankers have slipped through the blockade, with 19 vessels exiting the Persian Gulf past Trump's navy and another 15 ships entering from the Arabian Sea toward Iran, according to the Financial Times. Six of those tankers were smuggling Iranian crude oil totaling 10.7 million barrels, estimated to be worth approximately $910 million in revenue for the regime. The report...

n Friday, tensions escalated between the US and Iran as Iranian forces shot down a US UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which was reportedly involved in a rescue mission for an F-15E pilot previously downed by Iran.

Iran’s armed forces headquarters has declared it is ready to close the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely if US President Donald Trump carries out a threat to bomb Iran’s power plants. Its statement Sunday is the latest warning from Tehran of retribution for any attacks on the country’s power industry. Trump said Saturday he would order the bombardment of such infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz was not fully open to shipping within 48 hours. Iran’s military responded Sunday that if the US threats regarding Iran’s power plants are carried out, the Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed and will...