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U.S. President Donald Trump sharply escalated tensions with European allies on Tuesday, lashing out at countries that have refused to support the war against Iran even as several governments moved to block military cooperation amid growing legal and economic concerns.  In posts on Truth Social, Trump criticised allies including the United Kingdom and France, telling countries struggling with fuel shortages to “go get your own oil” from the Gulf and suggesting they should “ just TAKE IT ” from the Strait of Hormuz, remarks that further rattled already volatile energy markets.  Image Via: @coinbureau on X His comments came as France blocked Israeli aircraft carrying military supplies from using its airspace, Italy denied U.S. bombers landing access in Sicily, and Spain reaffirmed it would not permit U.S. use of its bases, with Madrid declaring it would not “accept lectures from anyone.”  While the U.K. has allowed U.S. use of its bases despite calling the war illegal, ...

Iran’s leadership signalled defiance on Sunday as tensions escalated across diplomatic, military and economic fronts, with President Masoud Pezeshkian declaring in a brief message that “we will bring the enemy to its knees,” while Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi pushed back against Western pressure over maritime security, stating that “the Strait of Hormuz is not closed” and that “ships hesitate because insurers fear the war of choice you initiated—not Iran,” adding that “freedom of navigation cannot exist without freedom of trade. Respect both—or expect neither.”  Netan y ah u  at at the arenas in Arad and Dimona; Via: Avi Ohayon, GPO, Official Channel The remarks come as the United States has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to reopen the Strait, warning of strikes on Iranian infrastructure, sharply raising the risk of further escalation. The statements have now triggered immediate international reactions , with Emmanuel Macron calling for restraint after speaki...

Leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Japan issued a joint statement on Thursday strongly condemning Iran’s actions in the Gulf, warning that attacks on commercial shipping and energy infrastructure, along with the “ de facto closure ” of the Strait of Hormuz, pose a direct threat to global energy security and international stability. Representational Image: Six Pockets on X In the statement, the leaders said they “condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces,” while expressing “deep concern about the escalating conflict.” Calling for immediate de-escalation, the group urged Tehran to “cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping,” and to comply with United Nations Security C...

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken with the Emir of Qatar and  U.S. President  Donald Trump following strikes on major gas production facilities in Iran and Qatar, and urged an immediate halt to attacks on civilian infrastructure as the Iran war expands into critical global energy systems. Image Via: Mario Nafal on X Macron said it was in the “common interest” of all parties to implement “without delay, a moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, particularly energy and water supply facilities,” warning that continued attacks risk endangering civilian populations and destabilizing global energy supplies. The appeal comes after Israeli strikes targeted Iran’s South Pars gasfield — the world’s largest natural gas reserve — and Iranian missile strikes hit Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial city, home to one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas production hubs. The twin attacks marked a significant escalation in the conflict, bringing core ene...

Emmanuel Macron said he urged Iran to immediately halt attacks across the Middle East during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as escalating military confrontation in the Iran-Israel war continues to destabilize the region and threaten global shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz. File photo of Emmanuel Macron with Masoud Pezeshkian; Via latter In a statement posted on social media after the call, Macron said he asked Pezeshkian to end “unacceptable attacks” carried out by Iran either directly or through regional proxy groups, including operations linked to armed groups in Lebanon and Iraq. The French president said Paris was acting strictly in a defensive capacity to protect its interests, regional partners, and the principle of freedom of navigation in Gulf waters. Macron warned that the unchecked escalation surrounding the Iran war was pushing the region toward wider chaos with long-term consequences for global security and economic stability....

French President Emmanuel Macron has launched a flurry of emergency diplomatic calls with leaders across West Asia and the Caucasus as the Iran-centered conflict threatens to widen across the region. In a series of statements posted Sunday, Macron said he had spoken with the Emir of Kuwait, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani. Aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle; Via: FrenchEmbassyZA Macron said he also spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian , pressing Tehran to halt its military strikes across the region and ensure the security of global shipping lanes. Macron said he raised France’s “absolute priority” of securing the safety and return of French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, currently within the French Embassy compound, while urging Iran to immediately end attacks on regional countries and restore freedom of navigation by end...

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called for an immediate halt to escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and warned against the war spreading into Lebanon, saying both sides must step back from military escalation as the wider Iran conflict destabilises the region. Image Via: Visegrad24 Macron said he held discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump and Lebanese leaders before presenting a plan aimed at stopping the cross-border fighting that has intensified along Israel’s northern frontier. He said the objective was to prevent Lebanon from being dragged into a wider regional war linked to the ongoing U.S.–Israeli campaign against Iran. “For Lebanon, we must act,” Macron wrote in a statement. “Everything must be done to prevent this country close to France from being dragged into war once again.” Macron said Hezbollah must immediately stop firing rockets and missiles into Israel, while Israel must avoid launching a gr...

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday urged Hezbollah to immediately stop its attacks on Israel and called on Israel to avoid launching a ground offensive into Lebanon , warning that further escalation could endanger the entire Middle East as the widening Iran war spreads to new fronts. Macron said he conveyed the message during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, amid rising cross-border strikes between Israel and Hezbollah.  Representational Image Via Emmanuel Macron The French leader said Hezbollah’s continuing attacks were a “major error” that risks destabilising the region, while also stressing that Israel must respect Lebanon’s territorial integrity and return to the ceasefire framework along the border. The intervention comes as Israel intensifies operations against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon while expanding its broader war against Iran.  Israeli forces have ...

Over the crucial week in February 2026 that hosted AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of high-level meetings with leaders from Europe, South Asia, Central Asia and Latin America, using the convergence in New Delhi to deepen trade alignments, technology partnerships and strategic supply-chain cooperation in an increasingly multipolar world. Representational Image; Via PM NaMo Across the week, Modi met leaders from Sri Lanka, Slovakia, Greece, Switzerland, Estonia, Croatia, Bhutan, Serbia, Kazakhstan and Finland, as well as UN Secretary-General António Guterres, while also hosting Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and earlier welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron during his February 17–19 visit.  The clustering of meetings underscored how technology diplomacy, trade realignment and supply-chain resilience are converging in India’s external engagement strategy. On February 20, Modi met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 17 welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to India for an official visit from February 17 to 19, 2026, saying the trip would take bilateral relations to “new heights”, as India and France announced they were upgrading ties to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership” and jointly launched the 2026 India–France Year of Innovation alongside a slate of outcomes spanning defence co-production, critical technologies, health, education, climate cooperation and connectivity. French President with Indian Prime Minister; Via the former. In posts on X, Modi said India looked forward to “advancing our bilateral ties to new heights” and expressed confidence that discussions would strengthen cooperation across sectors and contribute to global progress, adding that engagements in Mumbai and later in Delhi would provide fresh momentum to the strategic partnership.  The visit included participation in the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit 2026...

Around 300 people were evacuated after a fire broke out Tuesday evening at the five-star Hotel des Grandes Alpes in Courchevel, a high-end ski resort in the French Alps, officials from the Savoie region confirmed.  Image Source: ICI Officiel The blaze began in the attic of the property around 7:00 p.m. local time and was still burning as of Wednesday morning, sending thick smoke across the area. While no guests or staff were injured in the incident, four firefighters suffered smoke-related harm, according to Savoie Prefect Vanina Nicoli.  Speaking to reporters in broadcasted snippets, she noted that 131 firefighters were working in “very difficult conditions” to contain the fire, which prompted an initial evacuation of around 200 people from the affected hotel. A second evacuation was carried out on Wednesday morning at the nearby Hotel Le Lana due to ongoing fire risks. Local authorities said evacuees were relocated to other accommodations in Courchevel.  As of midday We...

France on Thursday confirmed that its navy intercepted and boarded a Russian-origin oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea, suspected of breaching international sanctions and sailing under a false flag.  The operation, carried out on the high seas with assistance from allied nations, was conducted in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on social media. Image Source: Emmanuel Macron The intercepted vessel, reportedly part of the so-called "shadow fleet" used to bypass sanctions on Russian oil, has been diverted, and a judicial investigation is underway.  French authorities have not disclosed the tanker’s name, intended destination, or the nature of its cargo, but officials said the move was part of a broader effort to enforce sanctions and disrupt illicit trade that helps finance Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. "We will not tolerate any violation," Macron said, calling the enforcement action a ...

European leaders have condemned US President Donald Trump’s threat to seize Greenland, warning that the continent stands at a critical juncture as Trump doubles down on his vow to bring the Arctic island under US control.  Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Trump of "useless aggressivity" and warned against "new imperialism or new colonialism," after the US president said there was "no going back" on the Greenland takeover. Image Source: Louis Duclos on X Trump has threatened 10% tariffs on key European economies—including France, Germany, the UK, and Scandinavia—unless they withdraw opposition to US control over Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory.  In a provocative social media post, he shared digitally altered images depicting the US flag planted in Greenland, declaring the island a “US territory est. 2026.” Macron criticised the use of trade threats as leverage against territorial sovereignt...

The fallout from the United States' dramatic military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has drawn sharp global reactions, with key Western allies such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and France expressing cautious support for what they see as a long-overdue shift in Venezuela’s leadership.  File Photo: FrontPageMagazine While all three governments stopped short of explicitly endorsing the U.S. military strike, their statements reflect a shared relief at the downfall of a regime they have long opposed. Mark Carney, who leads Canada’s newly elected administration, underscored Ottawa’s longstanding position that Maduro’s presidency was illegitimate, referencing the contested 2018 election which Canada did not recognize.  Carney called Maduro’s regime “brutally oppressive” and emphasized Canada’s early sanctions from 2025 targeting the Venezuelan leadership. Framing the capture as an opportunity, he stated that “freedom, democracy, peace, and...