Senator Graham blasts Hegseth and Caine:

I don't trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them. If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate.

No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere!

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan:

Syria used to be a place of civil war, a cradle for terrorism, and a threat to all of the neighboring countries.

Now, alhamdulillah, it’s all gone. Syria is a stable country posing no threat to anybody, and all the refugees are coming back.

This is a big success.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan:

I want to make it very clear that Israel’s actions in Syria should not first be presented or identified within the perspective of Turkish security concerns.

It is violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of a nation-state called Syria, and it is occupying it. It is a major national security threat for Syria, just as it is a national security threat for Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza.

Therefore, I think all the Arab countries, the Muslim countries, the regional countries, the Europeans, and everybody else should come together and confront this policy.

French President Macron:

Whoever ignores Africa today is mistaken and is giving up on their own future.

Reporter: Are you reconsidering the Pakistanis as mediators?

Trump: No, they are great. The field marshal and the prime minister of Pakistan have been absolutely great.

Reporter: Would you send the National Guard or ICE to voting locations in November?

Trump: I would do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections.

Trump:

I don’t think about Americans’ financial situations. I don’t think about anybody.

I think about one thing: we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.

Trump:

Iran’s leaders will either do the right thing, or we will finish the job.

Reporter: Is there any understanding between you and Putin that Russia should get the entire Donbas?

Trump: No.

Trump:

We and China are the two superpowers of the world.

Trump:

We have Iran very much under control.

We are either going to make a deal, or they will be decimated. One way or the other, we win.

Trump:

Every American understands that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

If the stock market goes up or down a little bit, the American people understand.

Reporter: Do you think you might travel to Russia this year?

Trump: I will do whatever is necessary.

Trump:

You will see the golden age of America when this war ends, and you are seeing it now.

Trump: We have a ballroom that’s under budget. It’s going up right here. I’ve doubled the size of it because we obviously need that.

Reporter: The price doubled.

Trump: I doubled the size of it, you dumb person. You are not a smart person.

Reporter: Inflation is now at its highest level in 3 years. Are your policies not working?

Trump: My policies are working incredibly. If you go back to just before the war, inflation was at 1.7%. If you want to let these lunatics have a nuclear weapon, then you’re a stupid person, and you happen to be I know you very well.

A source told Fars News Agency that Iran will not enter a second round of talks with the U.S. unless five conditions are met: ending regional wars (especially in Lebanon), lifting sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian funds, compensating war damages, and recognizing Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran says these are minimum trust-building steps before any new negotiations.

BIG: Saudi Arabia secretly launched retaliatory airstrikes on Iran in late March after repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.

Source: Reuters

Trump leaves for China.

Palantir CEO Alex Karp delivered a sharp rebuke to Germany, criticizing the Bundeswehr's refusal to integrate Palantir's software and urging Europe to buy battle-tested Ukrainian defense technology instead of "politically favored" alternatives.

He challenged Europe:

Which products will Europe buy to defend itself?

Products tested in PowerPoint presentations, or products that single-handedly held off a major military power?

He called Germany's debate around his company "like talking about witchcraft."

Source: Welt

Belgium's Defence Minister Theo Francken on his Türkiye visit:

We visited Baykar yesterday. It was truly mind-blowing.

We need to adapt, to modernize, to adapt to technology and artificial intelligence — and to learn from Türkiye.

Yes, we will buy drones. We currently have a large ongoing tender process.

I hope yes. Whenever possible, we will work together with Türkiye.

Today we signed many contracts between Belgian defense companies and Turkish companies.