Manuela Franco

Portuguese Ambassador, Lisbon

[Faraj Alexandre Rifai פרג’ אלכסנדר ריפאעי 🇫🇷 @AlexandreRifai]

À l’adresse de cette gauche abjecte qui va soi disant pleurer Marjane Satrapi

Écoutez ce qu’elle disait de la « féministe en carton » madame Sandrine Rousseau

J’espère qu’elle ne va pas la ramener

Paix à ton âme Marjane Satrapi 💙🙏

[Masih Alinejad 🏳️ @AlinejadMasih]

Big embarrassment; Look at the body language. This is the UN representative, appointed by @antonioguterres went to Iran after the massacre, bowing multiple times to the regime officials, obeying the hijab she was forced to wear, while Iranian women, ripped that same hijab off in the streets, got arrested and killed.

Western woman have all the power of the free world behind her and she bows. Iranian women nothing but courage and the stand tall without obeying a barbaric law.

they'll say, “well, it's the law of the land, you have to respect it."

Sure. Slavery was the law of the land. Apartheid was the law of the land.

Bad laws don't deserve respect. Apartheid deserves to be deleted.

@UAGApartheid

[Francesco Sassi @Frank_Stones]

African gas geopolitics just hit a critical turning point. Algeria, Niger, and Nigeria have officially broken ground on the 4,128km Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) to pump 30Bcm of gas to Europe.
But the project is a massive geopolitical gamble.
🧵 🇩🇿🇳🇪🇳🇬👇

[Nadim Koteich @NadimKoteich]

This @ForeignAffairs piece by @vali_nasr and Narges Bajoghli is mostly vibes with citations, dressed like analysis.
The centerpiece claim — a profound generational shift toward pragmatic, post-ideological technocrats — is theorized entirely from biography. No named third-generation officials saying anything. No documented policy shifts. No institutional evidence. Just: these men grew up inside the system, therefore they must feel differently about it. It’s pure hunch that doesn't survive contact with the first primary source.
In fact the one actual document we have from the new supreme leader demolishes the premise entirely. Mojtaba's Eid al-Adha message — 14 pages, released May 26 — is a carbon copy of his father and Khomeini’s ideological playbook. Israel is a “cancerous tumor” approaching its “cursed demise.” He invokes his father's old prophecy that Israel will cease to exist — and resets the countdown to 15 years. It ends with “Death to America.” This isn't a post-ideological technocrat speaking. It's a son performing his inheritance.
They claim “more institutional change in eight months than the previous ten years combined.” Bold sentence, followed by zero examples to support it. None. They just move on.
The nationalist mood shift — Iran's society rallying behind the regime — rests on a handful of anonymous Tehran quotes and one dissident philosopher who apparently had an epiphany. This is presented as a sociological transformation of 90 million people, based on a sample size smaller than a dinner party.
The China “strategic partnership” — one of the piece's big conclusions — is supported by a single line of diplomatic boilerplate from Araghchi after a Beijing photo-op.
The whole piece runs on one structural fallacy: outcomes mistaken for strategy. Iran achieved X, therefore it must have had Y intent and Z capacity. It's forensic reasoning applied backwards.
Nasr knows Iran. But FA published assertion as conclusion and inference as fact, and that's not a minor editorial lapse. That’s the whole problem.
The analytical establishment has a structural bias toward complexity. Saying “Iran lost” is simple. Saying “Iran was transformed and emerged with new strategic architecture” is sophisticated and publishable. FA rewards the counterintuitive argument. There's an institutional incentive to complicate consensus, even when the consensus is roughly right
One should never underestimate, as well, how much does the Trump factor distort Western liberal analysis. When he declares total victory, the reflex in FA's readership is to assume the opposite, and this piece provides intellectual cover for that sentiment. And FA has been running the “American power premised on military supremacy is declining, and multipolarity is rising” thesis for years; this piece confirmed the house view rather than challenged it, and confirmation gets less scrutiny. The result: real observations dressed up as conclusions the evidence doesn't support.

[Manuela Franco @TrianguloFranco]

@KobeissiLetter unroll @threadreaderapp

[Ambassador Tom Barrack @USAMBTurkiye]

Proud of our outstanding team at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for their work processing visas for Iran’s national football team on their road to the @FIFAWorldCup in the United States.

Sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world. ⚽🇺🇸

[The Telegraph @Telegraph]

"Even by Zack Polanski’s standards, his demand that any dual British-Israeli citizen who has fought for Israel has their name listed on a database – a list, in other words, of bad Jews – is breathtakingly blatant," writes @stephenpollard.

🔗: https://t.co/oKL81kDlch

[Iran International English @IranIntl_En]

Students held protests in about 15 provinces across Iran on Saturday, according to videos received by Iran International. In Isfahan, students protested against in-person exams and chanted slogans including “Shout it out, shout it out — shout your rights.”

[Manuela Franco @TrianguloFranco]

@khodorkovsky_en unroll @threadreaderapp

[Joyce Karam @Joyce_Karam]

NEWS: In first, an Israeli journalist appears on Lebanon media. What @BarakRavid interview on @LBCI_NEWS means and why it's significant: https://t.co/0S9NgniyT0

[Randa Slim @rmslim]

@araghchi Start by recalling your ambassador to #Lebanon who is now a persona non grata in the country. Along with him, pull out the 100s of #IRGC officers you sent as diplomats to fight with a non state actor in Lebanon. Act like a state that respects #Lebanon’s sovereignty.

[Seyed Abbas Araghchi @araghchi]

Based on Mr. Aoun's comments, one would think it's Iran that has occupied 1/5 of Lebanon, displaced 1/4 of Lebanese and bombing his country on daily basis.

Had Lebanon been bargaining chip for Iran, we'd have a deal long ago.

Save Lebanon from your real foe, Mr. President.

[Bassam Barabandi بسام بربندي @BASSAMVA]

جو ويلسون يقدم تعديلات بميزانية وزارة الدفاع بخصوص سورية:

هذه التعديلات تم الموافقة عليها من لجنة القوات المسلحة بكامل أعضاء اللجنة
و ستكون ملحقة في قانون ميزانية وزارة الدفاع وهي نظريا غير ملزمة و لكن عرفيا هي ملزمة ووزارة الدفاع مفروض تقديم اول تقرير حولها في شهر ١٢ من هذا العام

هذه التعديلات تعكس طريقة تفكير المهتمين بسورية من أعضاء مجلس النواب

وهنا دور الحكومة السورية باطلاع أعضاء مجلسي النواب و الشيوخ على أولوياتها الأساسية لاخذها بعين الاعتبار عند تقديم اقتراحات خاصة ب سورية

التعديل الأول: القواعد الروسية في سوريا

تطلب لجنة القوات المسلحة من وزارة الدفاع الأمريكية إعداد تقرير عن:

* خطط الولايات المتحدة للعمل مع الحكومة السورية الجديدة لتقليص النفوذ الروسي أو إخراج القوات الروسية من قاعدتي حميميم وطرطوس.
* تقييم التهديد الذي تشكله القوات الروسية في سوريا على القوات الأمريكية في تركيا.
* مدى استخدام القواعد الروسية لدعم أو تسليح وكلاء إيران في المنطقة مثل الحوثيين وحماس وحزب الله.
* دور هذه القواعد في تجنيد ونقل مقاتلين أجانب للمشاركة في الحرب الروسية ضد أوكرانيا.
* حجم مساهمة القوات الروسية في قمع الشعب السوري خلال عهد بشار الأسد.

⸻

التعديل الثاني: احترافية قوات الدفاع السورية

يدعم الكونغرس هدف إقامة سوريا مستقرة وخالية من الإرهاب ومتعايشة مع جيرانها وتحمي الأقليات.

كما يدعم:

* دمج قوات من قسد ضمن الجيش السوري.
* منح قيادات من قسد مناصب مؤثرة في وزارة الدفاع.
* بناء قوات أمن سورية مهنية ومتعددة المكونات العرقية والطائفية.

ثانيا
ويطلب تقريراً يدرس:

* إمكانية قيام وزارة الدفاع الأمريكية ببرامج تدريب للقوات السورية تشمل:
* الاحتراف العسكري.
* قوانين الحرب وحقوق الإنسان.
* الرقابة المدنية على الجيش.
* الصلاحيات القانونية المتاحة لوزارة الدفاع لتنفيذ هذه البرامج.
* مدى توافق هذه الجهود مع المصالح والسياسات الدفاعية الأمريكية.

[𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢 @ColdBrief]

Something significant is taking shape in the diplomatic corridors connecting Damascus, Washington, and Paris - and it speaks to just how dramatically Syria's standing in the world has shifted since December 8, 2024.
Contacts are now underway to arrange a second visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Washington in the coming days, following his landmark meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House last November.
The two leaders also held a phone call just days ago - a quiet but telling signal that this relationship is being actively managed at the highest level. For a country that spent over a decade as a pariah state, these are not small gestures!
The diplomatic momentum doesn't stop there. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Damascus early next month, in what would mark the first visit by a European head of state to the new Syria. The symbolism is enormous! Europe - cautious, deliberative, slow to extend legitimacy - is moving toward Damascus. And the possibility that al-Sharaa could participate in the G7 Summit in France later this month, while not yet formally on the agenda, is itself a measure of how quickly Syria is being repositioned in the Western strategic imagination.
At the heart of these exchanges is a dense and consequential agenda. Damascus is pressing for removal from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism - a designation that has strangled Syria's economic recovery and deterred international investment. It is a legitimate ask, and frankly an overdue one, given how thoroughly the political reality on the ground has changed. The Assad era's use of terrorism as an instrument of statecraft is over! Syria under al-Sharaa has sought engagement, not confrontation.
Washington, for its part, is asking Syria to take on a larger role in Lebanon - specifically in pushing back against Hezbollah's weapons infrastructure. Trump is also seeking what would be a historic formal agreement between Syria and Israel. These are not easy requests, but al-Sharaa has consistently demonstrated a pragmatic willingness to engage on difficult questions, and Syria's interest in regional stability is genuine and structural, not performative.
On the Israeli file, Syria's position is clear and legally grounded: it wants Israel to withdraw to the lines held on December 8, 2024, and to reactivate - or renegotiate - the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. Benjamin Netanyahu currently opposes that move, but Trump is actively exploring solutions. The framework for a deal exists. The political will, on all sides, is being tested.
What is emerging is a picture of a Syria that is no longer waiting at the margins of history. Ahmed al-Sharaa is doing what his predecessors never could - or never tried to do - conducting genuine, multi-directional diplomacy with the world's most powerful actors, while maintaining Syria's core national interests. That is leadership. And it is exactly what Syria, after so many lost decades, deserves.
The road ahead is still complex, and no one should underestimate the obstacles. But the trajectory is unmistakable. Syria is stepping into the light — and the world is beginning to meet it there!

[Elizabeth Tsurkov @LizHurra]

The Lebanese Army was deployed to al-Baysariyah, southern Lebanon, after clashes erupted between locals (likely linked to Amal) and Hezbollah members. According to several media outlets including al-Arabiya, the clashes stemmed from Hezbollah placing rocket launchers between civilian homes. According to a largely credible local Lebanese outlet, a-Dawla, the tensions stemmed from Amal members dismantling part of Hezbollah's communications network in the village, fearing its presence will lead to Israel striking the town. Since Hezbollah launched the 6 rockets at Israel, it has faced unprecedented criticism from within the Shia community about this ill-fated decision that brought destruction and death upon the community https://t.co/O56qh9sIUo

[Fouad Makhzoumi @fmakhzoumi]

President Joseph Aoun spoke today with clarity and candor, exercising his constitutional authority as President of the Republic and Head of the Lebanese State.
His message to Tehran was unequivocal: Lebanon is not subordinate to Iran, nor is it a bargaining chip to be used in its negotiations with the United States. Lebanon is a sovereign nation, and its decisions must be made in Beirut, not in any other capital.
The President also delivered a clear message to Hezbollah: the only remaining path forward is to engage in the negotiation process led by the Lebanese state. Lebanon’s future cannot continue to be held hostage by illegal weapons or regional calculations.
I fully support this position. Lebanon has an elected President, legitimate constitutional institutions, and a national army. It is through these institutions alone that national decisions must be made. The decision of war and peace cannot remain in the hands of any armed group linked to foreign powers.

Stability, sovereignty, and peace can only be achieved through the Lebanese state and through the negotiations it conducts on behalf of Lebanon and the interests of the Lebanese people, not on behalf of any regional agenda.

[Nidaa Al Watan نداء الوطن @NidaaWatan]

جملة #جوزاف_عون قطعت السلك. افصلونا. قال لـ #واشنطن و #تل_أبيب وللعالم إن #لبنان ليس بنداً في ملف #إيران، ولا يجوز التعامل معه كسلعة قابلة للمقايضة.
@BecharaGerges
https://t.co/UppA8yDqZd

[Bechara Gerges @BecharaGerges]

🚩I argued it early: Ambassador Michel Issa is no routine appointment but a strategic interlocutor, and Lebanon is only now seeing why.

MP Fouad Makhzoumi put it precisely in today’s Asharq Al-Awsat: “On one hand, Washington wanted to send a figure who knows Lebanon from within and understands its complex makeup; on the other, to rely on a man who holds the American president’s personal trust and can convey the White House’s directions directly to one of the most complex arenas in the Middle East.”

That is the rare envoy who carries both access and understanding. Washington’s reading of Lebanon is now closer than ever to the diagnosis of Lebanon’s sovereigntist majority. And for those of us who said this appointment mattered from day one, the point is no longer theoretical. It is now visible.

Ambassador Issa formally represents the administration in DC, but politically, his appointment speaks to me, and to the majority of the Lebanese.

[Rod D. Martin @RodDMartin]

🧵Is Scott Bessent working to crash the yuan?

He helped break the Bank of England in 1992. Now Trump’s Treasury Secretary is using that experience against China — and Beijing should be terrified.

THREAD🧵

[Hiba Nasr @HibaNasr]

‼️@SecRubio : There are elements within the Lebanese Armed forces that are not who they want to , because they have facilitated in some cases and cooperated with Hezbollah .