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Azerbaijan's President Says France to Blame if New Conflict Starts with Armenia

A handout photo made available by Azerbaijan President Press Service shows Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (L) and First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva attending a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial stone in Victory Park, which is under construction, during Remembrance Day celebrations, in Baku, Azerbaijan, 27 September 2023. EPA/AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT PRESS SERVICE
A handout photo made available by Azerbaijan President Press Service shows Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (L) and First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva attending a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial stone in Victory Park, which is under construction, during Remembrance Day celebrations, in Baku, Azerbaijan, 27 September 2023. EPA/AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT PRESS SERVICE
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Azerbaijan's President Says France to Blame if New Conflict Starts with Armenia

A handout photo made available by Azerbaijan President Press Service shows Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (L) and First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva attending a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial stone in Victory Park, which is under construction, during Remembrance Day celebrations, in Baku, Azerbaijan, 27 September 2023. EPA/AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT PRESS SERVICE
A handout photo made available by Azerbaijan President Press Service shows Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (L) and First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva attending a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial stone in Victory Park, which is under construction, during Remembrance Day celebrations, in Baku, Azerbaijan, 27 September 2023. EPA/AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT PRESS SERVICE

Azerbaijan's president scolded the European Union and warned that France's decision to send military aid to Armenia could trigger a new conflict in the South Caucasus after a lightening Azerbaijani military operation last month.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev last week pulled out of an EU-brokered meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at which Brussels said it was standing by Armenia.
But Aliyev criticized the EU's approach - and particularly France's position - when European Council President Charles Michel telephoned him, according to an Azerbaijani statement issued late on Saturday.
President Ilham Aliyev said "that due to the well-known position of France, Azerbaijan did not participate in the meeting in Granada," the Azerbaijani presidential office said, according to Reuters.
"The head of state emphasized that the provision of weapons by France to Armenia was an approach that was not serving peace, but one intended to inflate a new conflict, and if any new conflict occurs in the region, France would be responsible for causing it."
France has agreed on future contracts with Armenia to supply it with military equipment to help ensure its defenses, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said Oct. 3 during a visit to Yerevan.
She declined to elaborate on what sort of military aid was envisaged for Armenia under future supply contracts. French President Emmanuel Macron scolded Azerbaijan, saying that Baku appeared to have a problem with international law.
Aliyev restored control over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh last month with a 24-hour military operation which triggered the exodus of most of the territory's 120,000 ethnic Armenians to Armenia.

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World

Pentagon: US Navy Secretary Leaving Post 'Immediately'

FILE - Secretary of the Navy John Phelan listens as President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)
FILE - Secretary of the Navy John Phelan listens as President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)
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Pentagon: US Navy Secretary Leaving Post 'Immediately'

FILE - Secretary of the Navy John Phelan listens as President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)
FILE - Secretary of the Navy John Phelan listens as President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that the Secretary of the Navy John Phelan would leave "immediately.”

It gave no reason for his sudden departure, the latest removal of a senior officer under President Donald Trump's combative Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth.

Under orders from Trump, the US Navy is attempting to block vessels heading to or from Iranian ports, seeking to ramp up pressure on the Iranian economy even without all-out war.

Iran's vow not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz -- so long as a US naval blockade remained in place -- was held into Thursday despite a ceasefire extension.

World

Military Planners Discuss in London Reopening of Hormuz

FILED - 22 May 2025, United Kingdom, London: UK Defense Secretary John Healey listens to questions during a press conference at Strategic Command Headquarters, in Northwood, Greater London. Photo: Thomas Krych/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 22 May 2025, United Kingdom, London: UK Defense Secretary John Healey listens to questions during a press conference at Strategic Command Headquarters, in Northwood, Greater London. Photo: Thomas Krych/PA Wire/dpa
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Military Planners Discuss in London Reopening of Hormuz

FILED - 22 May 2025, United Kingdom, London: UK Defense Secretary John Healey listens to questions during a press conference at Strategic Command Headquarters, in Northwood, Greater London. Photo: Thomas Krych/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 22 May 2025, United Kingdom, London: UK Defense Secretary John Healey listens to questions during a press conference at Strategic Command Headquarters, in Northwood, Greater London. Photo: Thomas Krych/PA Wire/dpa

Military planners from more than 30 countries held two-day talks in London on Wednesday to advance a mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and draw up detailed plans, the British government said.

More than a dozen countries said last week they were willing to join an international mission, led by Britain and France, to protect shipping in the ⁠Strait of Hormuz ⁠when conditions permit.

The commitment came after some 50 countries from Europe, Asia and the Middle East joined a video conference aimed at sending a signal to Washington after US President ⁠Donald Trump said he did not need allies' help.

Britain's Ministry of Defense said in a statement the meeting that started Wednesday would build on progress made at last week's talks, Reuters reported.

"The task, today and tomorrow, is to translate the diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait and support ⁠a ⁠lasting ceasefire," said UK defense minister John Healey.

"I am confident that, over the next two days, real progress can be made."

Britain said the talks would advance military plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow, following a sustainable ceasefire.

Participants were expected to discuss military capabilities, command and control arrangements, and how forces could deploy to the region.

 

World

Iran War Means More Orders for US Defense Giants

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - APRIL 21: Under Secretary of War Jules Hurst III (C) and Director of Force Structures Lt. Gen. Steven Whitney (R) hold a press briefing to discuss the Department of War's FY27 budget request at the Pentagon on April 21, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - APRIL 21: Under Secretary of War Jules Hurst III (C) and Director of Force Structures Lt. Gen. Steven Whitney (R) hold a press briefing to discuss the Department of War's FY27 budget request at the Pentagon on April 21, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP
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Iran War Means More Orders for US Defense Giants

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - APRIL 21: Under Secretary of War Jules Hurst III (C) and Director of Force Structures Lt. Gen. Steven Whitney (R) hold a press briefing to discuss the Department of War's FY27 budget request at the Pentagon on April 21, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - APRIL 21: Under Secretary of War Jules Hurst III (C) and Director of Force Structures Lt. Gen. Steven Whitney (R) hold a press briefing to discuss the Department of War's FY27 budget request at the Pentagon on April 21, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

US defense companies are reporting a surge in demand for military equipment, as the war in the Middle East prompts fresh orders from governments around the world.

Earnings Tuesday signaled that 2026 will be another strong year after a robust 2025 in the wake of continuing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, Russian incursions into European airspace, Chinese maneuverings towards Taiwan and Red Sea tensions.

More governments are ordering military equipment amid rising geopolitical strife. For those who are already in conflict, there is a need to spend more to replenish stocks or maintain machinery.

US defense companies RTX, Northrop Grumman and GE Aerospace all reported increased orders in the first quarter, AFP said.

While hoping for a "sustained resolution" to the Middle East conflict, RTX CEO Chris Calio told a Wall Street analyst call the company was working with the Pentagon "to accelerate munitions production."

US officials have announced new agreements in recent months to increase production of the Tomahawk, Patriot and GEM-T missiles, among other weapons systems.

RTX unit Raytheon previously announced five "landmark" Pentagon agreements that Calio described as "vitally important for national security."

The company has already invested nearly $900 million to expand capacity.

"The current landscape clearly underscores the need for munitions, depth, integrated air and missile defense technology and more advanced capabilities to counter evolving threats," Calio said.

"We're seeing really, really strong demand, both domestically and internationally," he added as the company raised several full-year financial projections.

Similarly, GE Aerospace described its first quarter as "strong," with revenues jumping 25 percent in light of what Chief Executive Larry Culp described as a "dynamic geopolitical landscape."

Culp said on a conference call the company expects the Middle East war and its effects to persist through the summer.

In its defense programs, GE Aerospace continues "to execute with speed against high-priority military needs in support of US and allied warfighters," Culp added.

But the company, which builds engines for Boeing and Airbus, also suffered some ill-effects from the war. Cutbacks in travel in the Middle East hit the company's maintenance business.

At Northrop Grumman, the objective is also to deliver as quickly as possible on orders for weapons systems.

The company has added 20 new manufacturing facilities in the United States over the last two years, according to CEO Kathy Warden.

"Clearly the conflict with Iran has created a heightened sense of urgency," she said.

Calio of RTX said the recent contracts with the Pentagon "will give the kind of long-term visibility that the supply chain will need to invest, which is critically important."

US undersecretary of defense Jules Hurst said President Donald Trump's fiscal 2027 budget requested $1.5 trillion, describing the demand as a "generational investment in the United States military, the arsenal of freedom," he said at a Pentagon briefing.

"This 42 percent increase will supercharge our defense industrial base by expanding production of major weapon systems while strengthening supply chains and supporting tens of thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses," Hurst said.

Boeing, which also has a defense business, will report earnings Wednesday, while Lockheed Martin is set to release results on Thursday.