Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini on Trump-Meloni dispute:

Whoever attacks our Prime Minister attacks the entire government and the whole country.

However, this cannot and must not call into question the good relations between Italy and the United States, which go beyond the current president or any future president.

Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini on Trump-Meloni dispute:

There is no war between Italy and the United States.

There are already too many wars, and I hope the United States will help bring some of them to an end, especially since, in Iran as well, things don't seem to be going very well.

Marco Rubio on Iran:

If ships are moving, then that's what we are gonna react to.

If the ships don't move, then that's a violation of the agreement, and we are gonna have a problem with it.

Marco Rubio on Iran:

Let's suppose that we went crazy and lost our minds completely and decided to agree to have a tolling or a fee mechanism.

How would that work? It's not doable. Because what's the consequence for not paying?

Let's say a ship says, "well, I'm not going to pay the fee." It's not like a toll on a road, you don't get a ticket in the mail. They get shot at.

You shoot at one ship, you sink one ship, no other ship is going to move. So that sort of system is not only unwise, it can't happen.

It's not even workable. So you might as well abandon the fantasy now.

Marco Rubio on Iran:

The Iranian system is still led by radical clerics.

That's what it's always been led by, and that's what it continues to be led by.

Marco Rubio on Iran:

They have some people on the political branches that seem more flexible and more willing to work with us.

Those are the ones we are negotiating with.

Marco Rubio on Oman:

Our relationship with Oman is fine.

They say they are not in favor of a tolling system in Hormuz.

Denmark's Left-Wing Government Targets Islamic Call to Prayer

Denmark's immigration minister wants to ban the Islamic call to prayer, saying the country should not become a "suburb of Islamabad". It's their third attempt to make it law.

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Iraq has warned it could consider leaving OPEC if the group does not significantly raise its oil production quota, as the country faces mounting economic pressure after disruptions to exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

While Baghdad says remaining in OPEC is its preferred option, officials argue a higher quota is essential and should reflect Iraq's production capacity.

An Iraqi exit would be a major blow to OPEC, given the country is the group's second-largest producer and a founding member.

Source: Reuters

Marco Rubio on Russia-Ukraine:

There was no agreement in Alaska; there was a proposal made in Alaska.

It was never an agreement.

Apple has removed VK, Russia's largest social media platform, and 15 other apps from the App Store, citing compliance with sanctions.

VK, which is backed by state-linked entities, said it received no prior warning and claimed it is not under sanctions.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov criticized the decision, suggesting users switch to Android.

Where do the leading candidates for the Israeli premiership stand on key regional issues?

Despite their different PR strategies, Netanyahu and Bennett hold broadly similar foreign policy positions.

Iran's Ghalibaf:

America falsely claims our unfrozen assets will buy their agriculture.

Interesting. The only crop we're harvesting is what you planted: decades of mistrust. It's organic, abundant, and homegrown.

But apparently the US only exports GMO soybeans, broken promises and trash talks.

Trump's Closed-Door Meeting With Republicans Erupts Into Shouting Match

President Donald Trump's meeting with Senate Republicans turned into a volatile shouting match over the ongoing Iran war, highlighting deepening GOP fractures.

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Colombia's Closest Election Produces a Far-Right Winner

Colombia officially confirmed Trump-endorsed Abelardo de la Espriella as president-elect after he narrowly defeated left-wing Ivan Cepeda.

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Iran and Oman Eye Hormuz Fees Despite US Opposition

Iran and Oman work together on maritime service fees for Hormuz passage, despite US insistence that no tolls are permitted under international law.

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Obama:

I have not missed all the fuss of the presidency. You know, walking into a room and folks all standing up, and having to wear a tie every day—I don't miss that.

And a lot of the ceremony and the attention. I wasn't somebody who came in looking for it, looking like I just needed a lot of attention.

Source: ALL THE SMOKE

The Pentagon has reinstated mandatory flu vaccinations for all new military recruits after a flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base sickened nearly 300 trainees.

The policy reversal follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's April decision to make the vaccine optional, though officials say the change is unrelated to the outbreak.

Only about 40% of recruits chose to get vaccinated when it became optional.

Source: AP

JD Vance said one of the biggest breakthroughs from the Switzerland talks was an agreement in principle to establish a direct military communication channel between the U.S. and Iran to help prevent future escalation.

"One of the things we wanted to come out with was a channel on the Iranian side for reducing conflict."

According to Vance, the Iranian side agreed:

"They were like, 'OK, fine, we'll send somebody from the IRGC to go hang out in Doha with somebody from CENTCOM, and that's how we're going to settle a lot of these disputes.'"

Source: UnHerd

JD Vance to UnHerd:

The Emiratis—by far the most hawkish, by far the most pro-Israel country in the GCC—are having conversations with the Iranians that have never happened before, including with the IRGC, about various types of economic incentives.

JD Vance to UnHerd:

Israel, and every other nation in the region, has the right of self-defense.

But we want to make sure everyone has that right of self-defense in [a] background where we’re talking about how to de-escalate.