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.

French President Macron:

One day, Russians will have to reckon with the enormity of the crime committed in their name and with the devastating long-term effects on their country.

French President Macron:

We should definitely step up and expand this effort against the Russian shadow fleet because it is effective—and it is painful for Russia’s war economy.

French President Macron:

If we reach a settlement on Ukraine, we will still have to contend with an aggressive Russia, with a defensive industry on a sugar high and a bloated army.

French President Macron:

We have to be the ones to negotiate this new architecture of security for Europe’s day after, because our geography will not change.

We will live with Russia in the same place, and the Europeans are in the same place, and I don’t want this negotiation to be organized by somebody else other than Europeans.

French President Macron:

Europe has to become a geopolitical power. It’s ongoing, but we have to accelerate.

French President Macron:

When I speak about Europe becoming a power, I don’t speak about France or Germany becoming a power.

I speak about Europe.

Marco Rubio skipped a key meeting with European leaders on Ukraine in Munich, cancelling at the last minute due to scheduling conflicts.

European officials viewed the move as a sign that Washington is losing interest in coordinating closely with its allies on ending the war.

One EU official called the decision “insane,” and another said the meeting lacked substance without US participation.

Source: FT

Trump:

Our advanced F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet — Greatest in the World!

French President Macron:

It makes sense to develop the Future Air Combat System together with Germany and Spain.

It does make sense to have concrete projects like air defense with new-generation systems with Italy and the UK.

It does make sense to have early warning systems like our initiative with Germany.

If this money is used just to have national solutions or to favor national players without a clear European approach— to build European standards, to simplify Europe, and to help countries deploy additional industrial footprints—we will waste our money, waste our time, and create a lot of these synergies. Huge mistake!

So, I’m an old-fashioned guys in these days, but I do believe in the FCAS. I do believe in joint projects, and I do believe in some stage of new generation systems, because it’s hard for me to understand how we will build new command solutions if we destroy the few ones we had. Sorry to say that.

French President Macron on social media:

Foreign interference, amplified by online platforms and social media, is clearly a critical issue for all of us.

How is it that the craziest and most harmful narratives can go unchecked in our digital space, when they would fall under the law if published in print?

Will we give the mind, the brain, the heart of our teenagers to the algorithms of big guys?

I’m not totally sure I share the values of Chinese algorithms without any control. We are crazy.

This is why we launched this initiative to ban access to social media for those under 15 years old.

Because it’s a matter of health, but also protection of our education and democracy.

Trump:

They design ugly equipment for stealth.

We are designing great-looking equipment, also stealth.

French President Macron on social media:

We must go further in the regulation of social media in order to preserve the DNA of our democracy.

Because at the same time, we are opening Pandora’s box and allowing a lot of hate speech on these platforms and social media. We are too weak and too naive.

And we should ask these platforms, first, to completely block bots.

We have to be sure there is one single person with one account. If this is an AI system, if this is bought and organized by a big organization, it should simply be forbidden.

We need transparency of the algorithm. We are a democracy. We don’t ask for the IP, but we do ask for transparency, which is part of our democracy.

We need responsibility from these platforms when they don’t respect our social order, when they don’t respect our rules.

And to allow us to do so, we have to go further in order to sue those who clearly decide not to respect our rules and our regulation. And we should block all those who refuse to comply.