Free Republic

President Donald Trump issued another warning to Tehran on Friday, saying “Iran should make a deal.” At a news conference, he described the situation as very sad and said the Iranian people are better than their leaders, adding that 32,000 protesters were killed in a short period of time. Amid the threats, The New York Times reported that Washington is preparing for a range of scenarios, including a broader confrontation than last year’s. Pentagon officials said hundreds of troops have been evacuated from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and personnel have also been moved from a cluster of US...

U.S. forces have now surpassed 2,800 strikes against targets in Iraq and Syria under President Obama’s war against the Islamic State, all as part of a conflict Congress has yet to specifically authorize — and amid worries lawmakers won’t ever act. Under intense pressure from Capitol Hill, Mr. Obama finally submitted a draft authorization for the use of military force against the Islamic State in February, but it’s since languished, caught in the stalemate between those who want tighter restrictions and those who want the president to have as free a hand as possible. Now analysts worry that inaction will...