Free Republic

Iran's military has threatened to block marine traffic in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Sea of Oman if the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continues, escalating tensions in an already volatile region and raising alarms about global trade and energy supplies.***Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, a senior commander in Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that continued U.S. enforcement actions against Iranian shipping could trigger sweeping retaliation. "If the aggressive and terrorist America continues its unlawful actions of maritime blockade in the region and creates insecurity for Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers, this action will...

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...

A Chinese tanker under US sanctions passed though the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, defying Washington's naval blockade that began on Monday. After circling the area late on Monday and initially turning back, the 600ft long vessel passed through the waterway on Tuesday.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney secured a stronger hold on power – and bigger mandate to push back against US President Donald Trump - after a series of historic floor crossings and two special election wins supercharged his Liberal Party to a majority government. Liberals were set to win two additional seats in parliament Monday, CNN-affiliate CBC News projected, bringing the party to 173 seats in the House of Commons – just one above the threshold needed to claim a majority government. A third race, a knife-edge contest in Quebec which the Liberal candidate previously won by just one vote,...

A group of conservatives aligned with President Donald Trump is pushing him to aggressively expand immigration enforcement as his administration signals a shift to less deportation rhetoric ahead of the midterm elections, Axios reported. The Mass Deportation Coalition, a group of immigration law and policy experts, former senior and rank-and-file law enforcement officials, advocates, and supporters that launched in February, last week released a playbook to fulfill the largest deportation push in U.S. history. “Our basic goal of the mass deportation coalition is to actually provide Trump with what we call kind of a right flank, saying, 'No, Mr. President,...

President Donald Trump is responding to the decision by a New York appellate court Thursday to throw out the bogus $515 million fraud case brought against him by Attorney General Letitia James. Here is Trump's full reaction, which he posted on Truth Social: TOTAL VICTORY in the FAKE New York State Attorney General Letitia James Case! I greatly respect the fact that the Court had the Courage to throw out this unlawful and disgraceful Decision that was hurting Business all throughout New York State. Others were afraid to do business there. The amount, including Interest and Penalties, was over $550...