EconoTicker

At the Munich Security Conference, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said Europe is facing a regime that represses its own people and destabilizes the region, calling it a red line the EU should not retreat from. She warned Europe must not allow Hezbollah or Hamas to regain strength, arguing that outcome would also be “very dangerous” for the EU.

Metsola added that if Europe is serious about standing for freedom in Iran, it should start by placing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the EU’s terrorist list—and said achieving unanimity among all 27 member states was essential and has been secured. Recent reporting indicates the EU’s 27 members have backed the designation.

U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told the Munich Security Conference that Iran’s leadership and inner circle—not the Iranian people—are “religious fundamentalists,” arguing their worldview is about religious supremacy. He said negotiating with such a regime is futile.

Graham also claimed the Islamic Republic has “American blood on its hands,” acts as a driver of regional instability, and warned that if it ever obtained a nuclear weapon, it would use it to advance religious-ideological goals—specifically citing threats against Israel and confrontation with the United States.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said at the Munich Security Conference that designing a verification and inspection framework for Iran’s nuclear program is technically possible and politically achievable, but warned the 12-day war has radically altered the overall nuclear situation—reshaping the baseline for any future deal.

His comments come as the agency continues pressing for meaningful access and accounting related to Iran’s nuclear activities, with Grossi repeatedly warning that prolonged standoffs over inspections cannot persist indefinitely.

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters Friday that a second U.S. aircraft carrier will be sent to the Middle East, saying the deployment would be necessary “if we don’t make a deal with Tehran.”

Trump added that if a deal is reached, the carrier “will be leaving very soon,” while noting the U.S. already has one carrier in the region that has just arrived and can scale up to “a very big force” if needed.

Media reports, including early reporting cited by multiple outlets, identify the additional deployment as the USS Gerald R. Ford—often described as the world’s largest aircraft carrier—signaling a sharp increase in military pressure alongside ongoing diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear program.

U.S. media and wire reports say the United States is deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford—the world’s largest aircraft carrier—from the Caribbean toward the Middle East, adding a second carrier to the region alongside the USS Abraham Lincoln. The move comes amid heightened U.S.–Iran tensions and renewed talk of a possible deal, while the White House and Pentagon have not provided immediate official comment.

Some tracking and OSINT commentary suggests the Ford’s transit could take around ~10 days depending on routing and operational tempo, but official arrival timing has not been publicly confirmed in the main statements carried by Reuters/AP.

Israel’s Yediot/ynet reports an Israeli strike on a motorized/electric bike in central Gaza killed a man it identified as a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander. Other reporting on the incident says the strike hit a bike traveling on Salah al-Din Road near al-Musaddar, east of Deir al-Balah, with additional casualties reported locally.

The IDF has acknowledged carrying out strikes across Gaza in recent days, describing them as targeting militants in response to attacks on Israeli forces, though initial Israeli statements referenced Hamas targets rather than PIJ.

A Bloomberg report says President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is increasingly positioning his 44-year-old son, Bilal Erdoğan, as a more prominent political figure—joining international trips, reportedly taking part in senior personnel decisions, and building a loyal network inside the ruling AKP. The report frames this as part of growing behind-the-scenes discussion about who comes after Erdoğan, even as succession remains a sensitive topic in Turkish politics.

Speaking just before boarding his flight back to Israel from the U.S., PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the conditions set by Trump could create circumstances for achieving a “good deal” with Iran. But he stressed that he remains generally skeptical about the chances of reaching any agreement with Tehran.

In a sharp exchange with reporters, Donald Trump rejected the idea that PM Benjamin Netanyahu is pressuring him to halt Iran talks. Asked why Netanyahu wants him to stop negotiating, Trump said he never agreed to stop and that it wasn’t discussed—adding he’ll keep talking to Iran “as long as I like.”

Reporter: ‘Why does PM Netanyahu want you to stop negotiating with Iran?’

Trump: ‘You’re saying stop entertaining? Stop talking to them? Didn’t say that. We didn’t discuss that. I’ll talk to them AS LONG AS I LIKE.’

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, speaking at a Jewish community event in Melbourne as he wrapped up his Australia trip, told pro-Palestinian demonstrators to “go protest in front of the Iranian embassy” instead.

Herzog framed the message around Iran’s internal crackdown, claiming Iran has “killed and butchered around 50,000” of its own people and describing it as an “empire of evil” operating against Israel—without citing a source for the figure, according to the report.

The comments came amid large Gaza-war protests that followed him across the visit and heavy security at public events in Melbourne.

Israeli authorities have indicted a military reservist and a civilian on suspicion they used classified operational information to place bets on the U.S.-based prediction market Polymarket—including wagers tied to Israeli military action against Iran, according to Israeli and international reporting.

The case was investigated by the Shin Bet, Israel Police, and defense-security bodies, and prosecutors said the alleged conduct amounts to serious security offenses; reported charges include bribery and obstruction of justice.

Israel’s public broadcaster Kan and other outlets previously reported the bets involved tens of thousands of dollars and produced sizable winnings; authorities warned the behavior created a real security risk even if no operational damage was ultimately found.

Russia’s RIA Novosti reports that flight-tracking data showed a U.S. Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon operating near Iran’s perimeter after departing Bahrain and flying holding patterns over the Strait of Hormuz, while a U.S. MQ-4C Triton drone took off from Abu Dhabi and patrolled over the Gulf of Oman. The activity comes as regional military postures remain elevated amid U.S.–Iran tensions.