Middle East Crisis Reactions

Iranian President in Open Letter: “Holds No Malice Against Ordinary Americans”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has published an open letter to the American people.

“We hold no malice against ordinary Americans,” he writes according to Reuters.

He further writes that it is historically incorrect to describe Iran as a threat to the United States.

“Attacking Iran’s vital infrastructure affects the Iranian people and has consequences that extend far beyond the country’s borders,” he continues.

Sources: Pete Hegseth’s stockbroker wanted to make big purchases before the Iran war

Shortly before the US attacked Iran a month ago, a financial broker working for US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth tried to make large investments in the defense sector. This is stated by three sources with insight to the Financial Times.

The broker, who works at the American bank Morgan Stanley, contacted the venture capital firm Black Rock to make an investment in their defense fund. The fund is described as a way to find “growth opportunities” in countries’ increased defense spending and a more insecure world, and includes stocks such as Lockheed Martin and Palantir.

The purchase was reportedly flagged internally at Black Rock. The purchase never went through because the fund was not available to Morgan Stanley’s clients.

Sean Parnell, a spokesman for the Pentagon, writes on X that the allegations are “completely untrue and fabricated.”