We also received a message during the battle on the western street, so that we could decipher the mixed messages in his mind and reassure him. The general political message was about trying to avoid the strife resulting from the victory of revolutions, and so on, because many revolutions may succeed but then enter a spiral of conflicts and disputes. We were monitoring this from the very beginning, as well as the behavior of those working in the revolution, from the military and so forth. I mean, we might have met with the military units before the battle began. 70% of the discussion was about how to deal with people, and 30% was about military plans and how to organize.

Many messages were being conveyed, most notably after the liberation of Damascus and the establishment and maintenance of civil peace, such as the state's monopoly on weapons. The idea that the revolution had ended at the borders of Damascus and that the focus had shifted to state-building was countered. The perception that the revolution had triumphed here could lead to its expansion elsewhere. We thwarted this from the outset, and anyone contemplating such a course of action was prevented from doing so. We also emphasized the mechanisms for state-building and related matters.

Economic integration between us and the Arab countries is a necessity, regardless of what is happening in Hormuz. Common sense always seeks multiple safe routes. Trade between East and West shouldn't be conducted via a single route; we must utilize all available paths. I believe that the new situation in Syria has created a suitable environment for connecting road and rail links, especially given its strategic location. This means Syria, Jordan, and Turkey are linked to the Gulf states, Europe, and so on. We discussed this from the moment we arrived in Damascus and met with our Arab brothers, even before the problems in Hormuz arose. This is the historical nature of the region, and we must rely on it in one way or another. Even if things seem to have improved in Hormuz, we must always seek alternatives.

Events are reported based on impressions rather than facts. Therefore, there are often impressionistic or politically motivated assessments that are far removed from truth and credibility. As you know, the media must always be independent and credible. This is paramount. It should address current events from multiple perspectives, including political analysis.

«No, I didn't [convince him not to]. No. I said you do what you want to do. I said you do what you want because it doesn't matter, because he listens to other people. No matter how good a job he does... no matter how good a job, he's got a hostile board.»

«Well, I will tell you, interest rates are too high.»

«No, I don't think so. I think I want him to be independent. But my opinion, I'm very good at this stuff, interest rates are too high. We should have the lowest interest rate anywhere in the world because we're the best credit.»

«...lowest interest rate anywhere in the world because we're the best credit.»

Q: «Do you acknowledge that they’re raising rates to bring down prices because of the war in Iran?»

«No, they're raising the rates to make Trump do as bad as they can possibly do. The problem they have is that we have the greatest economy in history. We have over $21 trillion being invested in this country, which is five times more than they've ever had before. So they're raising that only for political reasons and that's a raise against Trump.»

«Well, hopefully we're towards the end of the war. They want to make a deal and we'll see how that works out.»

Q: «What have you heard from them recently, sir? Have you heard from them directly or through intermediaries?»

«Intermediaries.»

«Canada's in a terrible trade position. [...] If they do that, if I think it's an overall hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things. So if they do that, if Europe does that with a bad intention—if it's a good intention, that's fine—if it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.»