Residents of Bezmer, a Bulgarian village beside a military airbase, have felt relief after two U.S. Air Force refuelling planes left the country.

Their deployment had sparked weeks of anxiety because Iran had warned Bulgaria against allowing its territory to support U.S. and Israeli military operations, raising fears that the base could become a potential target.

More than 3,000 people from Bezmer and nearby villages signed petitions against the deployment and held peaceful protests.

Many residents said they felt caught in a conflict they had no control over, especially because local families have relatives working at the base.

Bulgarian officials insisted the security risk was extremely low and said the aircraft were mainly involved in NATO training and exercises.

Source: Al Jazeera

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis:

Have no doubt: the clouds are gathering, and the seas of international relations are becoming rougher.

The hour is therefore approaching — the hour when it will be judged whether Greece will find itself among those who endured the storms, or whether it will be swept away together with those who failed to resist the vortex of events in time.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says Greece has gone from “bankruptcy to leadership” under his leadership.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis:

Go to Lesbos and remember the image of an island sinking under 330,000 illegal migrants and refugees. Today, there are just over 300.

And instead of migrants and refugees, we have Turkish visitors whom we welcome and who support the local economy.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis:

By 2030, a very important plan to strengthen our defense will be completed, with Rafales, Belharra frigates and F-35 fighter jets, with the Achilles Shield protecting our skies from every threat.

Kremlin:

Witkoff and Kushner promised to use, in their contacts in Kyiv tomorrow, the assessments expressed by Putin regarding possible paths toward a settlement.

Kremlin:

Putin’s talks with Witkoff and Kushner were substantive, extremely candid, and conducted in an atmosphere of trust.

European defense officials warn that Europe is not prepared for a prolonged war with Russia.

NATO planners fear weak public support, limited military capacity and political divisions could make a long conflict difficult to sustain.

Officials also say Russia is already exploiting Europe through cyberattacks, disinformation and political interference.

Source: The Guardian

Iran’s IRGC says it launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer, claiming the warships were involved in actions against Iranian vessels.

The IRGC said the ships were damaged and withdrew from the area, and warned of further responses if hostile actions continue.

Trump:

So sad what is happening in Spain, a country with ZERO control of its Border. WOW!

U.S. forces near Ecuador destroyed several vessels allegedly used to refuel drug-smuggling boats, with no casualties reported.

CENTCOM:

Thanks to the precision and professionalism of American service members, the M/T Kylo sank in the Gulf of Oman today and joined Iran’s navy at the bottom of the sea.

Acting U.S. sanctions czar Gene Lange joined Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow, signaling that sanctions relief was part of discussions with Russia.

Lange took part in preparatory talks with Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev but did not attend the meeting with Putin.

Source: Axios

Bessent on Iran:

There’s probably only about 30 million barrels of Iranian crude oil left that China hasn’t bought.

That will run out soon, and there will be no more China buying because they have no product.

Bessent on Canada:

I would like someone to show me the statistical significance of the Canadian tariffs on U.S. prices.

I’m happy to debate them.

Q: Are you a socialist?

Abdul El-Sayed: I'm not. I'm a capitalist who just understands capitalism.

The term capitalism — it was coined by a guy named Adam Smith. And Adam Smith said, "There is no market without rules."

He also said that the biggest danger to capitalism was not government regulation. It was monopoly.

We've got monopolies and oligopolies up and down our economy. It is anti-capitalist.

Abdul El-Sayed on Palestine:

And at the end of the day, I'm interested in whatever solution folks come together [on].

They say they want a two-state solution, great. If they say they want a one-state solution, fine. If they say they want a 23-state solution or a land-for-all solution, fine.

But as the next senator from Michigan, my responsibility is to Michigan — to build schools in Michigan, to provide healthcare in Michigan, to make sure that we got roads in Michigan.

Q: Is there any condition under which you think open borders are acceptable?

Abdul El-Sayed: No. I mean, you have to have borders that you can control. There's no question about that.

Like, at some point it's crazy to think that you would ever not have a closed border.

Q: JD Vance told you to keep his wife's name out of your mouth.

Abdul El-Sayed: Do you remember who brought wives into the whole thing? That was Donald Trump.

A couple days after I was nominated, he tweeted a picture of him and his wife and me and my wife, trying to draw attention to the idea that somehow my wife is less American than his wife.

Except for my wife was born here and his wife wasn't.

So, I'm just saying that at the end of the day, if you don't want to talk about wives, maybe you should talk to your boss about how he brought spouses into it.

Abdul El-Sayed on Palestine:

We've been told by every American president that we believe in a two-state solution, but nobody ever asked me, "Does Palestine have a right to exist?"

Israel exists, but Palestine doesn't, except for we're sending our tax dollars to aid, arm, and abet Israeli leadership right now that wants to foreclose on the possibility of a Palestinian state at all.

And so we need to get to a point where Jewish Israeli kids and Palestinian kids no longer have to fear what happens to them.

And the only way you do that is to create a system by which you enable both of these communities to come together to negotiate how this ought to look like.

I just think we have to have a conversation that doesn't start with the question of states. It starts with a question of self-determination, and then we enable people to make those decisions about how that ought to look like in the long term.

Abdul El-Sayed:

My commitment to the safety of Jewish children and Jewish families is the same as the commitment that I got to the safety of my kids and my family.

We can deeply disagree on how we ought to get equal rights of peace, dignity, and self-determination for Palestinians and Jewish Israelis in the Holy Land, but I will never question whether or not Jewish communities and Jewish families and Jewish children should be safe in our land.