German Chancellor Merz:

I am not as pessimistic as Emmanuel Macron. I do not see the European Union at the edge of a cliff.

We have an economy ten times the size of Russia’s — but we are not ten times as strong militarily or industrially.

We could be. And we must become.

German Chancellor Merz:

If we only talk about bureaucracy, then reintroducing full conscription now would indeed create a bureaucratic monster, because we simply do not have the structures for it anymore.

We are talking about around 800,000 young people per year, half of them men — and at the moment only men can be required to perform military service.

That is why we have initially said: voluntary service. Much of this can now be organized digitally. And if we see that this is not sufficient, then we will introduce mandatory elements.

But we need barracks, we need instructors, we need structures — and the Bundeswehr no longer has all of that. These are now being rebuilt.

We will review this regularly. The first review will take place in the middle of next year. If it is not sufficient, there will be an obligation.

German Chancellor Merz:

America has 300 million people. The world has 8 billion.

7.7 billion people do not live in America.

We have to exploit this great potential.

German Chancellor Merz:

Currently the constitution only allows compulsory military service for men.

In the CDU, we have decided that we want a compulsory year of service for everyone.

That would not only be military service, but also civilian service — in aid organizations, churches, social associations.

I would like to see that. But for that, we would need to amend the constitution.

German Chancellor Merz:

Do we work too little? There are millions of people in this country who work very, very hard.

But when looking at our overall economic output as a country, there is room for improvement.

Many people are retiring. Too few young people are entering the workforce.

Reporter: Are you considering land strikes on Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela?

Trump: Don't worry about it.

Trump:

I am going to make a visit to Venezuela.

NATO's Rutte:

NATO is maybe the strongest it has been since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Reza Pahlavi:

We saw how many people were chanting slogans and came to the streets, only to be faced with severe repression that led, unfortunately, to genocidal levels.

The regime reacted by shooting people on the streets with military weaponry, chasing people in hospitals, finishing them off, you know—final shots to their heads in their hospital beds.

Women are currently being raped in prison. Soldiers are being arrested and executed for refusing to cooperate with the regime in repressing the people.

This is really something that is happening right under our eyes.

Reza Pahlavi:

Many Iranians who have been fighting this fight and dying in the streets are asking the world to intervene.

We are asking for a humanitarian intervention to prevent more innocent lives from being lost in the process.

We need that support and an equalized playing field so that we, as unarmed citizens, have a real chance to overcome this repressive regime.

Reza Pahlavi:

We know for a fact that the regime had to import elements from Afghanistan, from Iraq, and from Lebanon—people who were not even Iranian citizens—to do the dirty work.

Reza Pahlavi:

Does liberty have a price? Of course it does.

Are we prepared to die for this cause? Of course we are.

We don't have a choice but to fight.

Reza Pahlavi:

There is too much blood between us and this regime.

There is no turning back for us.

Reza Pahlavi:

I don’t have any personal ambition. I’m not seeking power. I don’t want a crown on my head or a title.

But I think they should look at me as a bridge to that destination, not the destination itself.

U.S. officials to NYT:

Trump has not yet made a decision regarding launching a strike against Iran.

Trump’s options include targeting Iran’s nuclear program and its ballistic missile capabilities and sending commando forces to target specific Iranian military sites.

We have sent more than 12 additional F-15 fighter jets to the Middle East.

B-2 bombers and other long-range strike aircraft capable of hitting Iran remain on alert.

Reza Pahlavi:

There are two nations on this planet that can claim a biblical relationship with one another. One is Israel; the other is Iran.

It goes back to the time of Cyrus the Great—who liberated the Jewish slaves in Babylon and helped them rebuild their temple in Jerusalem.

Reza Pahlavi:

We’re talking about the water crisis in Iran. And guess who has some of the best specialists and experts in the world when it comes to dealing with water issues? Israel.

One of the reasons I went to Israel was to talk about that as well.

French President Macron:

Everybody is asking us to be stronger, except, of course, our adversaries.

Sometimes also, less understandably, ourselves.

French President Macron:

Let’s provide a positive image of ourselves, and let’s be proud of ourselves.

This is what our fellow citizens need.

French President Macron:

Russia keeps pounding civilians and destroying energy facilities with the obvious aim of freezing Ukrainians into submission.

The answer cannot be to cave in to Russia’s demands, but to increase pressure on Russia instead.

French President Macron on Russia:

Russia, after invading Ukraine, is a weakened country.

It has squandered enormous amounts of money on a senseless war and has now entered a recession.

It is economically isolated. It is completely dependent on China.

It already had a severe demographic problem. It has lost hundreds of thousands of young lives to an illusion.