Middle East Crisis Reactions

Macron: Has spoken with Iranian President Pezeshkian

French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian. Macron writes on X.

"I urged him to immediately put an end to the unacceptable attacks that Iran is targeting countries in the region," the president writes.

He further writes that the "unrestrained escalation" is creating chaos in the region, and that the consequences will continue to be seen for several years to come.

"Only a new political and security framework can ensure peace for all," he writes, adding that such a framework must guarantee that Iran can never acquire nuclear weapons.

Analysis: Trump is in danger when the war raises prices

The war against Iran could be a major setback for Trump when it comes time for the mid-term elections in November, not least because of the rising price at the pump. This is according to analyses by the AP and The Guardian.

The AP editorial team points out that the Democrats seem to expect a real landslide victory this fall. A strategist in the party emphasizes that Trump went to the polls on lowering prices for ordinary Americans, and he will not be able to keep that promise when the price of oil rises.

In The Guardian, Eduardo Porter writes that the deeply unpopular war will lead to Trump's defeat. Especially since Trump will not be able to get the war over with quickly, which means that the economic pain will linger for a long time.

"He will be defeated by the only force that has ever been able to stop the US military adventure: opposition from the American people," writes Porter.

Experts warn Hegseth – “no quarter” is a war crime

During a press conference this week, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the country’s enemies should be shown “no quarter” – an expression that means the equivalent of “no mercy” or “take no prisoners”, and means that enemies should be executed rather than taken prisoner.

Legal experts are now warning Hegseth that international humanitarian law expressly prohibits threatening or giving such an order, Axios reports.

– The best thing Hegseth can do for the country and for the US military is to say he was wrong and retract the statement, says Ryan Goodman, a law professor at New York University.