JUST IN: State Department Holds Press Briefing After US Warning Of Imminent Iranian Strike On Israel
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller held a press briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Said, sit down.
00:01Sorry about that.
00:02It's okay.
00:03Good afternoon, everyone.
00:04Good to be back after a little bit of time on the road.
00:09Start with some opening comments before I turn to questions.
00:12Earlier today, Secretary Blinken spoke to Qatari Prime Minister al-Thani and Egyptian
00:16Foreign Minister Abdel-Lahdi about tensions in the Middle East, the latest in a series
00:21of diplomatic engagements he has held over the past few days with counterparts in the
00:25region and around the world, including calls yesterday with G7 foreign ministers and Iraqi
00:30Prime Minister Soudani.
00:32The Secretary has delivered a consistent message in all of these engagements.
00:36We are at a critical moment for the region, and it is important that all parties take
00:40steps over the coming days to refrain from escalation and calm tensions.
00:46Escalation is in no one's interest.
00:48It's not in the interest of any one country.
00:51It's not in the interest of the region.
00:53And it's certainly not in the interest of the millions of civilians who just want to
00:56live their lives free from violence and conflict.
00:59The Secretary is also making clear through these engagements that the United States continues
01:04to see a ceasefire in Gaza as the crucial step to helping calm broader tensions, in
01:09addition to, of course, securing the release of hostages and addressing the ongoing suffering
01:13of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
01:16And he is reiterating that all parties need to look for reasons to say yes to an agreement,
01:21not look for reasons to delay or say no.
01:24As the Secretary has emphasized, this is an important moment for the region, and it is
01:28critical that parties make the right decisions over the coming days.
01:32Turning to Bangladesh, we have seen the announcement that Prime Minister Hassina resigned from
01:37her position and departed Bangladesh.
01:40We are monitoring the situation carefully.
01:42The United States stands with the people of Bangladesh.
01:45We urge all parties to refrain from further violence.
01:49Too many lives have been lost over the course of the past several weeks, and we urge calm
01:53and restraint in the days ahead.
01:56We welcome the announcement of an interim government and urge any transition be conducted
02:00in accordance with Bangladesh's laws.
02:02Finally, we are deeply saddened about the reports of human rights abuses, casualties,
02:07and injuries over the weekend and past weeks.
02:10We share our deepest condolences with those who lost loved ones and those who are suffering.
02:15With that.
02:16Yeah.
02:17Thanks, Matt.
02:18And welcome back.
02:20Same to you.
02:24On the Middle East.
02:25Yeah.
02:26Your comments in the opening suggest that you are quite concerned about the risk or
02:36the potential for a much wider war.
02:41What exactly is the State Department doing in terms of preparation for that possibility?
02:47So we are concerned about the risk of the conflict escalating, the conflict spreading.
02:53It's something, as you know, we've been concerned about since October 7th, and there have been
02:56various times over the course of this conflict that the risk has been especially acute.
03:02Now, of course, is one of those times.
03:04And so what we are doing, the Secretary and others in the State Department are communicating
03:12with all the relevant parties in the region to make clear, as I said in my opening remarks,
03:15that escalation is in no one's interest, and asking that people use their diplomatic relationships
03:23to make that clear to others in the region.
03:26Okay.
03:27For this – my specific question, and I'm sure there's tons to say about your outreach
03:32to other countries, I'm talking about internally within the U.S.
03:36Government what is being done to prepare for the possibility that there is a wider war
03:43and that there will be American citizens in need.
03:46So there are a few different things.
03:48So let me take a broad answer to that before getting to the specific last one.
03:52Obviously, you've seen the Defense Department make certain announcements with regard to
03:55force posture.
03:56Deterrence is an important part of encouraging de-escalation, and so we will continue to
04:02take steps along that regard.
04:03Of course, we prepare for the possibility of further conflict.
04:07That being said, I want to just make it clear in answering the question that we don't
04:11think conflict is inevitable or should be inevitable, or that increased conflict is
04:15inevitable.
04:16We're going to continue to work to try to prevent it from happening, but of course we
04:19prepare for all possibilities.
04:21That has been the case since October 7th.
04:25Obviously, you saw that over the weekend we sent out a message to American citizens in
04:29Lebanon making clear that Lebanon is a do-not-travel country, it's a level four country.
04:37We issued a security alert encouraging U.S. citizens who wish to depart Lebanon to book
04:42any ticket available for them, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does
04:47not follow their first-choice route.
04:50And we'll continue to monitor the situation and make assessments and take actions based
04:56on response to real-time events.
04:59All right.
05:00So last one.
05:01You keep saying – or you're saying that a wider war is not inevitable and you don't
05:06think it should be inevitable, but do you think that an Iranian response or an Iranian
05:14attack on Israel is inevitable, whether or not that leads to a broader war?
05:19So I can't speak to what may or may not happen.
05:23That is a decision for Iran to make.
05:25We have been sending consistent messages through our diplomatic engagements encouraging
05:30people to communicate to the Government of Iran that escalation is not in their interest
05:35and that we will defend Israel from attacks, and that escalation does not serve Iran's
05:40interests.
05:41It doesn't serve the interests of anyone in the region.
05:43So I don't want to say it's inevitable.
05:45Certainly the risk is there, and that's why we are pursuing these diplomatic engagements.
05:49And from your perspective, is any kind of Iranian response an escalation?
05:54I don't want to prejudge from here what our view of a response might be, other than
05:59to say we don't want to see Iran take further action, and that's the message we are consistently
06:06delivering to our partners in the region.
06:09Yeah.
06:10Hi.
06:11Thank you, Matt.
06:12Welcome back.
06:13Given some of the tough rhetoric that we've seen reported between the U.S. and Israel
06:15specifically about whether the U.S. would bail out Israel should it escalate another
06:19time after this one, are there any limitations being placed on U.S. involvement in what's
06:24expected to develop in the coming days?
06:26So I don't know what you mean by limitations.
06:28We have made clear that we will defend Israel against attacks from Iran, against attacks
06:33from terrorist groups.
06:34That is part of our longstanding ironclad security to – or our ironclad commitment
06:39to Israel's security.
06:41At the same time, as I made clear in my opening comments, as the Secretary made clear in comments
06:47he made on the road last week, we don't want to see any party take steps to escalate
06:52this conflict.
06:53By limitations, I mean there's a difference between intercepting and defensive actions
06:57versus engaging in counterstrikes or even preemptive strikes, which have been floated
07:02by the Israelis as a possibility.
07:04Is there anything that the U.S. is drawing lines in front of in terms of those actions?
07:07So I'm not going to get into the conversations that we have with any of our allies or partners
07:11in the region, other than to say that as a general rule, we don't want to see escalation.
07:16And that is a statement that applies to all parties to this conflict.
07:20Given the Secretary's call as the President's personal outreach to King Abdullah in Jordan,
07:26can you say whether the Jordanians are as willing as they were in April to engage again
07:32in the coming day's development?
07:33I'm not going to speak to that in detail.
07:35Obviously, in April we were able to put together a coalition of countries that were willing
07:40to defend Israel against attacks from Iran.
07:44We do believe it's important to continue to defend Israel against attacks, whether
07:47they come from Iran or whether they come from Iran's proxies.
07:50We of course have conversations with our allies and partners about that, but I'm not going
07:54to detail those publicly.
07:57Again, I do want to say that we don't think these attacks should be inevitable.
08:02We don't think that they should happen.
08:03We don't think that they're in Iran's interests.
08:06But of course, it is prudent for us to take steps to deter and eventually, if necessary,
08:11defend against those attacks should they occur.
08:13Without specifying countries individually, are you confident that you have at least the
08:19same level of coalition that you had assembled in April?
08:22I just don't want to speak to it publicly.
08:24We are committed to the defense of Israel against attacks from Iran and its proxies,
08:29and I think I'll leave it at that.
08:30Okay.
08:31Two more questions.
08:32One, are there any preparations being made to evacuate U.S. citizens from Lebanon at
08:36this stage?
08:37So we always plan for all contingencies, and that's not just a statement I would make today.
08:41That's something that we have – has been clear since October 7th.
08:44We have planned for all of the possible contingencies, including the broadening of this conflict,
08:48including the escalation of this conflict.
08:51Our posture as it relates to American citizens in Lebanon today is that we recommend that
08:55U.S. citizens who can depart Lebanon find a way to do so.
09:01Okay.
09:02But nothing specific on the potential of an evacuation?
09:04I don't have anything to announce here, but as I said, we always prepare for all contingencies.
09:08Okay.
09:09And on prospects for a ceasefire deal, which this department and others – other agencies
09:13in the U.S.
09:14Government have been stressing is a crucial, key step – I mean, it appears notable that
09:17the talks over the weekend in Cairo were hours long, the CIA director was not there.
09:22Not to say that in the absence of U.S. – an altogether absence of the U.S. presence, but
09:26isn't that an indication that there's nowhere to go on ceasefire talks right now?
09:31I mean, how would you characterize them?
09:32Are they not stalled?
09:34So I wouldn't characterize them as stalled.
09:35I would characterize them the way we have said before, which is we have reached an agreement
09:39on the framework.
09:40That agreement still stands.
09:41Nothing that's happened over the course of the past week has done anything to erode
09:44the fundamental agreement on the framework to this ceasefire.
09:49That stands, but where we – also what's true is that we continue to have other areas
09:53where we need to bridge the differences between the two parties.
09:56And so, look, ultimately, it's not a decision the United States can make.
10:01It requires the parties to take these choices, and it requires the parties to get to yes
10:07and not look for reasons to delay and not look for reasons to say no.
10:10And so the message that we have consistently communicated to everyone in the region is
10:15we want to see a ceasefire, we think a ceasefire is in the interest of Israel, it's in the
10:19interest of the Israeli people, it's in the interest of the Palestinian people, it
10:22is in the interest of the broader region.
10:24So we are going to continue to use all of the diplomatic muscle, all of the influence
10:29that we can bring to bear to push to get this ceasefire over the line.
10:32And since this is the first time we're hearing from you specifically, I mean, would you say
10:35that the assassination of Henea, who was, of course, a lead negotiator in these talks,
10:40was at least not conducive to seeing them get over the finish line?
10:45The President spoke to this over the weekend, and I think I'll let his word stand.
10:49We said it certainly didn't help.
10:50Okay.
10:51I have another one for Russia at that later.
10:53Okay.
10:54Thanks.
10:55Jordan has, of course, been heavily engaged with the Iranians as well.
10:58President Biden had a call today with his counterpart in Jordan.
11:02Can you say if any messages to Iran have been disseminated through the Jordanians or
11:06any other channel urging de-escalation?
11:08So I will let all the countries in the region speak to what diplomatic engagements they
11:13might have had with Iran.
11:15But obviously, one of the points of the engagements that we have had is to urge countries to pass
11:21messages to Iran and urge countries to make clear to Iran that it is very much not in
11:26their interest to escalate this conflict, that it is very much not in their interest
11:31to launch another attack on Israel.
11:34And so I'll let countries speak to the degree to which they've had those conversations.
11:38But I can tell you in the engagements that we have had, every engagement that the Secretary
11:43has had, not just over the weekend, not just today, but going through to last weekend,
11:48he has heard a consensus position from all of our allies and partners both in the region
11:53and around the world that they don't want to see the conflict escalated.
11:56So certainly, I would expect that some of them would pass that message along and impress
11:59that point upon the Government of Iran, but I'll let each individual country speak to
12:04their particular conversations.
12:06So there's a consensus position against escalation, but is there a consensus on whether Iran does
12:12have the right to launch any kind of retaliatory act?
12:15So the consensus position is that Iran should not take further action.
12:21That's what we hear over and over, is that further action just raises the tensions, raises
12:29the risk of the conflict spreading and getting out of hand.
12:32Look, the last time we found ourselves in this position when Iran launched attacks against
12:39Israel in mid-April, you saw a series of attacks, and then ultimately the conflict didn't widen
12:45further.
12:46It's not to say that those attacks were in any way acceptable.
12:48Of course they weren't.
12:49That's why we'd help defend Israel against them.
12:51But that was a moment of real peril for the region, and we were able to chart a path that
12:55ultimately got us through that time without it tipping into a wider war.
13:03But every time you have one of these cycles of escalation, you have a risk of parties
13:07miscalculating, you have the risk of them taking actions that get out of hand or that
13:13have unintended consequences, and that can affect the ceasefire negotiations, it can
13:19affect the risk of broader conflict, and so the message that we are consistently sending
13:23is don't take this step.
13:24You don't need to.
13:25It doesn't serve anything, and it only puts the entire region at risk.
13:29Alex, go ahead.
13:31There does seem to be consensus that something is coming and that something is coming soon.
13:37I was wondering if you could speak to reports that the Secretary told his counterparts at
13:40the G7 that this could happen today or tomorrow, and why you think that the timeframe essentially
13:46has shrunk compared to last time when Iran took a bit more time to prepare for their
13:50response.
13:51So I'm not going to speak to those reports.
13:52And again, as I've said, we don't think this attack should happen, and we are working to
13:58try to prevent it from happening.
14:01So I'm not going to give you any kind of window – any kind of delineation of when we might
14:05be in a window or a potential window of attacks that we're trying to prevent in the first
14:09place.
14:10So that's the focus that we have, is trying to impress upon everyone in the region that
14:16escalation is in no one's interest and they shouldn't take further escalatory steps.
14:20Have you seen any indication that Iran is preparing or Hezbollah is getting ready?
14:25I mean, obviously, Hezbollah might be the more dangerous party because they're closer
14:28and their stuff might be pre-positioned.
14:30So I'm not going to speak to any type of intelligence assessments or other things that
14:34we might see, other than to note that Hezbollah consistently launches attacks across the border
14:38at Israel.
14:39It's not something that they would necessarily have to prepare for.
14:41You look at – just about every day over the past few weeks, there have been attacks
14:45that Hezbollah has launched on Iran – or I'm sorry, on Israel.
14:47So it is an ongoing conflict across the blue line that we are attempting to manage and
14:55attempting to ultimately reach a diplomatic resolution to.
14:57And then just lastly, have you heard indications from Hamas after Haniyeh's funeral now
15:02that they are going to come back to the table?
15:04Have they told the Qataris, the Egyptians, that they do plan to continue engaging?
15:08I don't want to speak to the substance of negotiations, other than to say that we continue
15:14to engage with our Qatari counterparts, our Egyptian counterparts.
15:18As I said, the Secretary had a call with the prime minister of Qatar earlier today, who
15:23of course is one of the lead interlocutors, and I think I'll leave it at that, other
15:27than to say the interlocutors, our interlocutors, Qatar and Egypt, are making clear to Hamas
15:34the same thing that we believe, which is that they need to continue to work to get to yes
15:38in an agreement.
15:39Thanks.
15:40Yeah.
15:42Just on those, so the Secretary had calls with the Egyptians and the Qataris.
15:48What are they saying about, you know, as it's kind of come up, you've got one side, they've
15:55been the interlocutors in these negotiations, one side has just assassinated the lead negotiator.
16:01Are they willing to continue hosting these talks when, you know, it seems like one side
16:09is sort of – has just taken an action that seems to threaten their position as mediator?
16:17They are.
16:19And we continue to express our gratitude for the role that both Qatar and Egypt have played
16:24in trying to reach a resolution to this conflict, in trying to reach a ceasefire that we eventually
16:29want to turn into an end to the war, and of course beyond that into broader peace and
16:34stability.
16:35Both of those two governments have put an extraordinary amount of work into reaching
16:39a ceasefire, as we have put an extraordinary amount of work, and they remain committed
16:42to trying to push forward in negotiations and reach an ultimate deal.
16:47And just on the question of an Iranian response, so in April there was an attack on a – an
16:55Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic facility or consulate facility.
17:01I think at the time there was never a conclusion from the U.S. whether it was – whether it
17:06did count as a consulate facility or not.
17:09Now we've got an attack on Iranian territory.
17:14Do they have – do the Iranians have the right to self-defense in this case?
17:18So I'm going to answer that question this way.
17:23The right is one question, what's productive is another, and ultimately we don't think
17:28it's productive or conducive to anyone's interests, including Iran's, to conduct
17:33further actions, be they retaliatory or not.
17:37Any further action by Iran just raises the risk of increased tensions, it raises the
17:43risk of further response from Israel or from other parties, and ultimately gets us into
17:49this position that we have worried about from the beginning, that you get a conflict that
17:52can spiral out of control.
17:54Now, we are working to prevent that from happening, and I think the point that we are trying to
17:57make to all the parties involved is that they all have agency as well in trying to prevent
18:02that from becoming an eventuality.
18:04And so that requires all parties, including Iran, making the appropriate decisions in
18:09the days to come, and that means not taking steps that could lead to a wider conflict.
18:14We think it's incumbent upon them to make those types of decisions.
18:18In the interest of consistency, though, wouldn't – your message to the Israelis is this is
18:24not helpful, or that's the President's words.
18:27I guess people would expect you to maybe go a bit further than to say this is not helpful
18:31when you're making these kind of requests of the Iranians not to respond.
18:36I mean, the President said that he didn't believe it was helpful, and the Secretary
18:41said on Thursday that all parties should stop taking escalatory actions, and I don't think
18:47we could be any more clear than that.
18:48Go ahead.
18:49Just to follow up on Alex's line of questioning, at least one airline has said that they're
18:56going to avoid airspace over Iran and Iraq in the coming days.
19:01Is that advice that's come from the United States?
19:03Is there a security assessment for U.S. airlines in particular that there should be – I don't
19:06think it'd fly over Iran if it did.
19:08I would defer to the FAA to speak to that.
19:11It's not something that I'm aware of from here.
19:12So, yeah.
19:13Thank you, Matt.
19:14Welcome back.
19:15Thanks.
19:16Good to see you.
19:17Matt, in your response to Libya and to Simon, as a matter of fact, you urged the Iranians
19:22– it's not in their interest to respond and so on.
19:25At least, do they have the right to respond?
19:26I mean, is that part of self-defense?
19:28So as I – I just answered that question.
19:30I just – on the issue of self-defense.
19:33I just answered that question in response to what I got from Simon.
19:36A right is one thing.
19:38Taking steps that are productive and are conducive to the interests of their people, that are
19:43conducive to the interests of the broader region, are another question.
19:46And in no way would a retaliatory action by Iran in any way serve the interests of the
19:51Iranian people or the broader region.
19:53And that's precisely why I'm asking, because you mentioned the word right.
19:56So you are acknowledging that they do have the right to respond?
20:00No, I did not acknowledge that.
20:01Okay.
20:02I acknowledged the question.
20:03Okay.
20:04Let me ask you, if this would, let's say, happen in any of the Western capitals, would
20:08they be sort of obligated to respond?
20:10I'm not going to deal with a hypothetical.
20:12Okay.
20:13All right.
20:14We'll deal with something real.
20:15A week ago, yesterday, Sunday, an Iran rocket hit, or maybe intentional hit a small town
20:23of Medj-el Shams, a Syrian town, Syrian citizens, and so on.
20:27And you said that Israel has a right to defend itself.
20:30I'm not you personally, but I'm saying, yeah.
20:32So what's different?
20:33I mean, you know, everybody was, everyone was saying Israel has a right to defend itself.
20:39Why doesn't Iran have a right to defend itself when the guest house, you know, I don't want
20:43to make comparisons, but it's like the guest house in London, or maybe Blair House, or
20:47anything.
20:48I mean, something that really touched the sovereignty of Iran.
20:51So I take the point of your question, Saeed.
20:56It is not in any way, however, useful at all for anyone in the region for Iran to consider
21:02taking such steps because of the risk, as I said, that this could potentially get out
21:10of control.
21:11And that's the message we will continue to impress on them.
21:12All right.
21:13Let me ask you on the negotiations.
21:15Why do you continue to have the notion that Israel is negotiating in good faith, when
21:21in fact it killed the chief negotiator of the other party?
21:24I mean, if you go and shoot the chief negotiator, you kill him, you know.
21:29People must think that you are not very serious about negotiations.
21:32So I will speak to what we've seen in the negotiations.
21:37And that is, first of all, an agreement to the framework, and then some other issues
21:42that we are trying to resolve going forward.
21:45And I'm not going to assess the motives of any of the parties involved.
21:51What I'm going to make clear is the position of the United States, that we have impressed
21:55upon the government of Israel quite directly, that they need to work to get to yes on this
22:00agreement.
22:01Okay.
22:02But, you know, Israel is not even allowing the food to go in.
22:05I mean, things are – aid is rotting, and they're not allowing anything to go in.
22:10And the situation is very, very dire in Gaza.
22:14So if they're not even showing that kind of gesture, why should they be taking it now?
22:19So, Said, I'm going to – not quibble, but I think the – it's not a premise.
22:25What you stated in the lead-up to your question is not – is incorrect.
22:28It's not that they are blocking aid from coming in.
22:30They are letting aid come to the various crossings, and then we continue to struggle with the
22:35security situation inside Gaza of getting out of the crossings, and that's something
22:39that we're working through with the government of Israel and the various UN agencies.
22:43But ultimately, it is always going to be difficult.
22:46We've seen – we're now nine months – more than nine months into this conflict,
22:49and what we've seen is it is always going to be difficult because of the unique nature
22:52of Gaza and the unique nature of this conflict to move humanitarian assistance around when
22:56you're in the middle of a conflict between the IDF and a terrorist organization that
23:02continues to kind of pop in and out of civilian infrastructure.
23:05And so that's why we continue to work for a ceasefire, because ultimately, that is the
23:09way to solve this humanitarian crisis that currently plagues the people of Gaza.
23:13And finally, I have one last question.
23:15An Israeli American soldier with a U.S. citizen posted videos showing a detonation of Gaza
23:21homes and mosques and so on.
23:23Is that – in fact, it's something that Amnesty called a war crime.
23:29If this U.S. citizen comes to the United States, should he be arrested?
23:33That's a question for the Justice Department, the State Department.
23:35Justice Department.
23:36But – okay, but is that a war crime if you show that you have done that?
23:38I cannot.
23:39So I can't – there's no way I can take any video devoid of context and pronounce
23:44judgment on whether it's a war crime or not from here.
23:46All right.
23:48Can I just check on one thing?
23:49Yeah.
23:50I think it was the third-to-last question that Said asked.
23:51The premise of it is that Israel had killed, had assassinated the top Hamas negotiator.
23:57Is that something that you're willing to accept and put on – say on the record that
24:01it was, in fact, Israel that did it?
24:03Or have I missed something over the course of the last couple days?
24:06So I will let every country speak to their actions.
24:09The United States, for our part, was not involved in any way in –
24:12No, I'm not asking if you were involved.
24:13I'm asking if you accept the premise of the question that Israel did, in fact, do
24:17it, if, in fact, the Israelis have told you that they were responsible.
24:20So I am not going to speak to what any other government may or may not have done.
24:25I will make clear that the United States not only was not involved, but we were not
24:28aware of this incident before it occurred.
24:31Yeah, QT.
24:33Sorry if this was asked before I walked in, but –
24:37Not the first time.
24:38I don't meet with you in general.
24:40It happens.
24:41Right.
24:42It's been reported that Iran has sent a message to Israel through a third party, obviously,
24:48that it will be attacking Israel.
24:50Do you think – this is a good sign that at least it's – if it's giving a warning
24:57that it will definitely be attacking, that it could be a little – maybe more limited
25:01and things stop there?
25:04So I'm not going to speak to that report.
25:07It's reportedly about conversations between two governments that are not the United States.
25:11I will let the countries involved speak to it.
25:14I wouldn't want to speculate or comment on it.
25:16Sorry.
25:17Sorry.
25:18Alex.
25:19Thank you, Matt.
25:20You said you expect each individual country in the region to speak up their mind, but
25:23Russia happens to be one of them, and Shoigu is in Tehran, I'm sure you have seen –
25:26Russia is a Middle Eastern country?
25:27Well, I mean, regional country.
25:28Well, he said that he – he said that they are –
25:31It's a broad definition of the Middle East, Alex.
25:33Yeah.
25:34They share a border as well.
25:35Overly broad, I would say.
25:36They are willing to cooperate, I'm quoting him, in dealing with current regional issues.
25:41You're quoting who?
25:42I'm sorry.
25:43Shoigu.
25:44Shoigu, yeah.
25:45He's in Tehran.
25:46What is Russia's responsibility at this point?
25:47Russia's responsibility?
25:49I don't think we have any – so I'll leave aside the question of responsibility.
25:53We don't have any expectations that Russia is going to play a productive role in de-escalating
25:57tensions.
25:58We haven't seen them play a productive role in this conflict since October 7th.
26:01They have, for the most part, been absent, and certainly we've seen them do nothing
26:05to urge any party to take de-escalatory steps.
26:08Okay.
26:09They give you the timing of this trip.
26:10Do you see this as an effort to undermine your efforts?
26:13I don't know what the timing of this trip relates to.
26:17But you can look at this two ways.
26:20One is any involvement Russia might play in the conflict in the Middle East, and so far
26:24we have seen them play really no role at all, certainly not any productive role.
26:27The other way to look at the possibility of this trip is it is furthering the relationship
26:32between the Government of Iran and the Government of Russia, and Russia going around tin-cupping
26:37looking for support for its illegal invasion of Ukraine.
26:43I don't know what that's – that's the purpose of this trip, but certainly we have
26:46seen that security relationship between Iran and Russia before.
26:49We can move to Ukraine when you're ready, if you want to come back to me.
26:52Go ahead.
26:53Can I ask one more question?
26:54Oh yeah, yeah.
26:55I got it.
26:56Go ahead.
26:57Just a slightly different question.
26:58Do you see the UN statement today on Iran?
27:01I saw it right before I came out.
27:04We haven't had a chance to – my understanding is there's an underlying report that we
27:09have not yet had a chance to review.
27:11Right.
27:12Okay.
27:13Are you willing to comment on that now?
27:14No.
27:15We haven't had a chance to look at the situation, and maybe tomorrow we can have something to
27:17say.
27:18Okay.
27:19My question is Russia-adjacent about detainees last week.
27:21Sure.
27:22So if you want to – okay.
27:23Sure.
27:24One is there were conflicting characterizations of whether Asukur Mesheva was in fact officially
27:28designated as wrongfully detained.
27:30Can you clarify whether she was or not before the release?
27:32She was.
27:33She was designated as wrongfully detained.
27:35When did that happen?
27:36It happened last week, shortly in the days before she was returned home.
27:39Okay.
27:40And the family of Mark Fogle in legal proceedings against this department has argued that
27:45had he been designated as wrongfully detained, it would have also led to his release.
27:49Do you have any comment on that?
27:51So I'm not going to speak to questions that involve ongoing litigation for reasons I think
27:57you can understand, but I will speak to this issue in general.
28:01First of all, with respect to Mark Fogle, we are working to try to secure his release.
28:05We work to try to secure his release as part of this deal, and we're unable to.
28:09But we continue to call for his release and we continue to work to secure his release.
28:14And I think, let me just point to the events of last week to talk about our record, because
28:20I have a number of times stood up here and been pressed why we haven't designated certain
28:26individuals as wrongfully detained.
28:28I think Alex asked me two weeks ago about the wrongful designation of Alsu Kermesheva,
28:32and I think asked me, you know, are we not designating her as wrongfully detained because
28:36she's a woman or because she's a Muslim?
28:37It's obviously not true, as I said at the time.
28:40And the point I made is when we say that we are working to get someone's release, we
28:46mean it.
28:47And our record backs it up.
28:49And sometimes we are working to obtain their release when they have officially received
28:54a wrongful detention determination.
28:58Sometimes there are other individuals who we say we're working to secure their release,
29:02and they never receive that determination.
29:03A great example is Vladimir Karamurza, who was not determined by this department to be
29:07wrongfully detained, but yet we were still able to secure his release last week.
29:12So let me just point to something the Secretary said in the statement he released on Thursday
29:17when this news became public, and that's that he knows – he had a lot of difficult conversations,
29:23as you would imagine, right, with the families of those who have been wrongfully detained
29:26and others who have been detained overseas over the past couple years.
29:29And he can certainly understand that there were times that they worried that our efforts
29:34would not bear fruit.
29:36But we know they never gave up hope, and we didn't give up hope, and we continued to
29:40work to secure all of their release, and that is true with Mark Fogle and that is true for
29:44every American who is wrongfully detained overseas.
29:47I certainly understand, and I'm not a lawyer for the family, that it's not maybe a prerequisite
29:52or a requirement for an American to be released, but it is a fact that three out of the four
29:57Americans in this case were designated as wrongfully detained, and that led to their
30:02release, as was Brittany Greiner.
30:03So just if there's anything else you want to say to the Fogle family at this particular
30:07–
30:08So I would say to the family, as you've heard from others in the Administration, that
30:11we continue to be committed to securing his release, and we continue to work on it.
30:15It's something that we think about every day.
30:17And the same thing that we said to the family of Paul Whelan when Brittany Greiner was returned,
30:22and we had tried to get Paul Whelan out as part of that deal, and it just simply wasn't
30:26– it wasn't on the table.
30:27It wasn't on the table as part of that deal, and we made clear to Paul and we made clear
30:31to his family that we had not forgotten him and that we would continue to work on his
30:35release, and that was true, and ultimately, we were able to get him home.
30:38The same thing is true with Mark Fogle.
30:40We continue to work on his release.
30:41We really wanted to get him out as part of this deal.
30:43We're not the only party to the deal, right, and we weren't able to do it, but we continue
30:49to work on it.
30:50And just with this question of wrongfully detained, not wrongfully detained, which we
30:55get asked about a lot for very understandable reasons, I would just note that there is a
30:59statutory review that we have to go through that lists certain factors that we have to
31:04apply when making the determination about whether someone is wrongfully detained or
31:09not, and we go through that and we have to apply the law rigorously, and that's what
31:11we do.
31:13But there are others who, for whatever reason, we have not made the determination at any
31:18one time.
31:19They have not met the statutory criteria, but if there's someone that we say that
31:23we are working to bring home, like Vladimir Karamazov, we're working to bring him home,
31:26and hopefully someday we will.
31:28Why was Karamazov not wrongfully detained?
31:31So as always, I'm not going to speak to the determination with any one individual,
31:36but it's – we have to go – we go through the statutory criteria with all of them and
31:41add all that up and make a determination based on the facts of their case, based on the law
31:45that applies to their case, and based on the requirements of the Levinson Act, does that
31:49all add up to a wrongful determination.
31:51And in the case of Alsu Karmasheva, the statutory review led us to conclude it did.
31:56In the case of Vladimir Karamazov, it led us to conclude that it did not.
32:00That said, we still thought he ought to be released.
32:04We still pressed for his release.
32:05We were still able to get his release.
32:07When did she – she was designated, day before or day after?
32:12It was sometime last week.
32:13I don't – I don't remember – I don't remember the exact day.
32:15It was sometime last week.
32:16But it did not happen before the decision was announced, right?
32:19I mean, she was released.
32:20Because I asked this question last week and Medant did not have the answer that she was
32:24designated.
32:26It happened last week, shortly before her release.
32:28I'm not going to get into any further time than that.
32:30Let me move to Ukraine, please.
32:31Yeah.
32:32Now the F-16s are in Ukrainian hands, is the United States Government willing to untie
32:36Ukraine's hands to strike back at military targets to prevent future attacks?
32:44To strike back –
32:45In Russia.
32:46In Russia.
32:47We have allowed the Ukrainian Government to strike military targets in Russia.
32:51They are still able to strike from over 100 kilometers.
32:55So Alex, you and I have been through this before.
32:56My answer has not changed today, which is we constantly look at the needs of the Ukrainian
33:01military.
33:02We assess the security situation and we try to be responsive to their needs.
33:06And that is a process that we have undergone from the beginning, and we make that process
33:09both – or we make those determinations both when it comes to the specific weapons that
33:14we provide Ukraine and the restrictions, if any, that we put on the use of those weapons.
33:18President Zelensky was quoted as saying that he wants NATO to discuss Ukraine, the possibility
33:22of destroying missiles in Ukrainian territory.
33:26Why is it not plausible, in your eyes?
33:28Why is it not plausible for –
33:29For NATO to –
33:31So that is a discussion that, as with all NATO discussions, is a discussion to be had
33:38among NATO members and a decision that NATO would reach collectively.
33:42It's not something I can speak to from here.
33:44My final one on Ukraine.
33:46Have you seen the video of dismemberment of Ukrainian prisoners, PAOs, in Russia?
33:51I have not.
33:52I have not.
33:53Go ahead.
33:55Matt, on Bangladesh.
33:56Bangladesh is free at the cost of hundreds of lives under the chute on site ordered by
34:04Autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
34:07But the situation is still unclear – students, leaders, opposition parties, and the army
34:12are trying to form a civilian government.
34:14Could you please provide more insight into the U.S. position?
34:19So as I said a few things.
34:20Number one, our condolences, of course, go out to those who have been hurt in the violence
34:26over the past few weeks.
34:28We are focused now on supporting an end to the violence and for accountability.
34:34All decisions regarding the interim government should be made with respect to democratic
34:39principles, rule of law, and the will of the Bangladeshi people.
34:42Yeah.
34:43As you said, accountability.
34:44If Sheikh Hasina flee to India and she is trying to get any of the Western country,
34:50will you allow her to come into the U.S. as she commit crime against humanity largely?
34:56I'm not aware of any request of that nature.
34:58Matt.
34:59Yeah, go ahead.
35:00Thank you so much.
35:01Guys, guys.
35:02One at a time.
35:03Thank you, Matt.
35:04The recent fall, we already know, Bangladeshi Government led widespread violence and chaos.
35:11What measure is the U.S. State Department or U.S. taking to address the reported atrocities
35:17against minorities and general populace in Bangladesh?
35:21So a few things.
35:22Number one, I have made – as I made clear, what we are calling for today is an end to
35:27the violence and for accountability.
35:28Now, as to what accountability looks like, that's something that should take place
35:32under Bangladeshi law.
35:34Obviously, anyone responsible for acts of violence, acts that break the law, should
35:38be held accountable for them.
35:40Thank you so much.
35:41Matt.
35:42Matt.
35:43Yeah, go ahead.
35:44Matt, thanks.
35:45During the time that Bangladeshi people struggle against that fascist ruler and thousands of
35:51people got killed, you already informed us that she fled the country this morning.
35:56I didn't inform you that.
35:57I think –
35:58Okay.
35:59You said it.
36:00Okay.
36:01Said she – I said we've seen the announcement she resigned.
36:02Announcement, yeah.
36:03Okay.
36:04She resigned.
36:05Okay.
36:06After she left, there is a – dozens of dead bodies are pulling out from the Gonov Oban,
36:09the official residence of prime minister.
36:12There is a – dozens of dead bodies are pulling out next to the parliament.
36:15There is a lot of atrocities that are taking place by the government official, those who
36:20are still in power, especially a couple of people.
36:24Army Chief of Staff General Wakaru Zaman, he was involved with genocide.
36:31Navy Chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan, he was involved with the genocide.
36:35Senior Chief Marshal Hassan Mahmood Khan, they were involved with the genocide.
36:39And they're the same people are saying, we are going to the president and form a caretaker
36:44government.
36:45So as a matter of fact, when was the last time we heard a killer is going to do the
36:49justice for another killer?
36:51So let me say a few things.
36:52Number one, with respect to the violence over the past few weeks and the deaths that have
36:58occurred, it is vital that we have full and transparent investigations to ensure accountability
37:03for these deaths.
37:04Does –
37:05Second, as it relates to the interim government, as I made clear in my opening remarks, we
37:09think that it's important that we focus on the Bangladeshi people's democratic aspirations
37:15and see a path to democratic governance.
37:20Does America support Bangladesh military to install a caretaker government?
37:24We want to see the Bangladeshi people decide the future of the Bangladeshi Government.
37:28Janneke.
37:29Oh, yeah.
37:30Yeah, go ahead.
37:31Go ahead.
37:32Just have there been any – has there been any contact, as far as you know, with Bangladeshi
37:36officials, be it in the military or in the former government, or –
37:41I don't have any to report today.
37:43There may have been contacts from our embassy, but I'm not aware of any.
37:45I don't have any to announce.
37:47And just also in terms of some U.S. issues with Bangladesh, the issue of the Rohingya,
37:50of course, has been something that's been quite important between the U.S. and Bangladesh.
37:53Do you – is there any concern that this would impact the housing of the Rohingya refugees?
37:58So I think, as you know, the United States has provided – I'm going to try to do
38:03the number here – I think it's around $2 billion to assist with refugees in Bangladesh.
38:10And I don't have any immediate comment on how this change of government might affect
38:16those programs.
38:17I would certainly hope that it wouldn't.
38:19We think it's important that Bangladesh continue to provide hospitality to those refugees
38:26and we'll continue to work with them to do so.
38:28Hold on.
38:29Hold on.
38:30Guys, hold on.
38:31Simon, did you have a –
38:32Yeah.
38:33Well, Sean asked most of my questions, but I did want to ask on is there ongoing assistance
38:40to Bangladesh, both in terms of humanitarian aid that will continue and also military – will
38:48military assistance continue given, I guess, there's – this is not a coup, but there's
38:52questions over the transfer of power?
38:54Yeah.
38:55So certainly with respect to the kind of illusion in the last part of your question, so we've
39:03seen – all that we know right now is we've seen the announcement from the government
39:06that she resigned.
39:07We don't have any further information about how that resignation may have taken place.
39:11With respect to – and that goes to the question, obviously, of financial support.
39:16So with respect to financial support, in fiscal year 2023, the United States provided over
39:21$212 million in bilateral economic, development, and health assistance to Bangladesh.
39:27Obviously, this – I don't have any announcements with respect to those programs, other than
39:30that we would like to see them continue because they're important to our relationship with
39:35the people of Bangladesh.
39:36And just to confirm the question Sean answered, it was we provided nearly 2 billion in humanitarian
39:43assistance to support Rohingya refugees since August of 2017.
39:46Sure.
39:47Can I just take just another question on that?
39:51Just taking a step back a little bit, I mean, how do you actually feel about the army's
39:54role?
39:55How does the United States feel?
39:56Do you think that they were productive in this?
39:57Is there any concern that an interim role could become more than an interim role?
40:01So let me answer that two ways.
40:03One, with respect to their role over the past several days, we have seen the reports that
40:09the army resisted calls to crack down on the protesters.
40:14And if those reports are true, certainly that is something that we would encourage.
40:17We don't – we made clear, I think, for several weeks now that people have a legitimate
40:22right to protest and to peacefully assemble, and we opposed any kind of violent crackdown.
40:27So if it is true, in fact, that the army resisted calls to crack down on lawful protesters,
40:36that would be a positive development.
40:37With respect to where we go from here, what we want to see is democratic order.
40:44We want to see the Bangladeshi people choose their own government, and that's what we
40:47will be looking for in the days and weeks ahead.
40:49Let me go to Janne.
40:51Thank you, Matt.
40:52Two questions.
40:53North Korea announced that it will deploy a large-scale tactical nuclear ballistic missile
41:02launcher to the front lines.
41:05What do you think of North Korea's certain actions?
41:10We would encourage North Korea to discontinue taking provocative and unproductive steps
41:16and return to the negotiating table.
41:17Do you think North Korea is – seventh nuclear test is imminent?
41:23I don't have any assessment to offer on that.
41:25Well, quick question.
41:26North Korea is currently experiencing many casualties due to flood.
41:33South Korea said it would provide humanitarian aid.
41:39But North Korea chose only support from Russia.
41:45What do you think of North Korea, which selectively chooses humanitarian aid?
41:52So obviously, our thoughts are always with the people of North Korea, as they are with
41:56the people of any country around the world when they suffer a humanitarian disaster.
42:01And whatever differences we have with any government, those are not differences with
42:07the people of that country.
42:09And so we would hope to see the humanitarian needs of the North Korean people addressed,
42:14and I'll let South Korea speak to decisions or offers that they might have made.
42:20Yeah.
42:21Yes, Matt.
42:22I know you didn't want to answer a question about the limitations – on whether there
42:25are limitations on U.S. support to Israel.
42:28But my question, when you say that no one – and your message is no one should say
42:34no to de-escalation, is it applicable to everyone?
42:38Is it applicable to all parties?
42:40Is this your message to Israel?
42:42I mean –
42:43Yes.
42:44On my statement, when I said all parties, I very much meant all parties, as did the
42:47Secretary when he spoke to this last week.
42:49Yeah, go ahead, and then I'll go.
42:54Thank you, Matt.
42:55The Iranian Security Council members spoke to Al-Qaida's Al-Jarida newspaper, and they
42:59said that a delegation – a U.S. delegation has visited Iran through Turkey with the mediation
43:05of Oman.
43:06What's your comment on that?
43:07And has anyone from the State Department or the U.S.
43:11Government spoke directly with the Iranians on this issue?
43:14So with respect to Iran, we've always said we have the ability to send messages to them
43:20or to get messages to them when it's in our interest to do so, and I will leave it at
43:24that.
43:25And last time when Iran attacked Israel on April 13th, they said – they claimed that
43:29they sent wide notes to everyone, including the U.S.
43:33They said the U.S. that they are going to attack Israel.
43:37Have you received any notification from Iran on this?
43:39So let me just say a number of things, that there were reports about what Iran said to
43:44us last time that proved to be completely untrue.
43:48There were – you may remember this, that there were a number of things the Iranian
43:50Government put out that just – about messages they sent to us that just weren't – flatly
43:54were false.
43:56And with respect to any communications, I'm not going to speak to them now other than
43:59to say you should be highly skeptical, as always, about reports of what the Iranian
44:04Government may or may not have sent to us in the message through an intermediary, a
44:08third party, or otherwise.
44:09And last thing, how did Iran receive your messages through your diplomatic engagements?
44:16I will let the countries who are party to those diplomatic engagements speak to that.
44:21As I said, and I think in response to one of the questions earlier, we are making clear
44:25to all of our allies and partners in the region and beyond who have diplomatic engagements
44:28with Iran that they should press Iran to take de-escalatory steps and refrain from further
44:33escalation.
44:34But I'll let those countries involved speak to any specific conversations.
44:37Ryan.
44:38Thanks, Matt.
44:39I'm not sure if you saw there was a report in Semaphore that the Wall Street Journal
44:42tried valiantly to try to confirm its reporting on the UNRWA allegations made by Israel.
44:48Yeah.
44:49Talked to American intelligence sources, Israeli intelligence sources, were completely unable
44:52to substantiate them.
44:54Does the State Department have anything new about those UNRWA allegations?
44:57And in the future, will the State Department consider allegations coming from Israel differently
45:03given that these have not yet been backed up by such drastic measures?
45:06So I did see that report.
45:07And I think it is a good time to remind everyone that the action that we took was not in response
45:14to information that the Government of Israel brought to us.
45:17It was in response to UNRWA coming to us and UNRWA saying that they had received these
45:21allegations from the Government of Israel and they found them credible.
45:25And so that was what made us – that was what led us to make the decision that we made.
45:30It wasn't getting anything from the Government of Israel.
45:32It was when UNRWA itself said they found the allegations credible that we thought it was
45:35the appropriate step to take to pause the funding.
45:38Now, with respect to the underlying investigation, so if Sean asked me about it, I believe the
45:43UN has issued a statement about it earlier today.
45:46We have not yet had a chance to review either the statement or what I understand to be an
45:49underlying report, but we'll certainly do so over the coming days and we'll leave it
45:52until we've had a chance to do so to pass judgment.
45:55The IDF also announced that they assassinated the Gaza minister of the economy.
46:00I'm curious if – does the State Department consider somebody like that to be a combatant?
46:05So I do – I didn't see that announcement.
46:08I don't know who the person was.
46:09I don't know if he had an active role in the Hamas military wing or not.
46:13So I would – to be able to answer that question, I'd have to know more about this specific
46:16person.
46:17They said his – they said he counts because he had a role over the economy and the economy
46:21is – has a role over manufacturing, and within manufacturing there are weapons that
46:25are manufactured.
46:26Again, I would – I'd have to look at it in more detail before I could give you any
46:30kind of detailed assessment.
46:33Go ahead in the back.
46:34Good afternoon.
46:35Yeah.
46:36I'll answer that.
46:37I have just a follow-up.
46:38Is there is a transition period of from a caretaker government in Bangladesh.
46:45Does America have any plan to assist Bangladesh in rebuild its economy?
46:52Does it have plans to what?
46:53Does the U.S. have plans to what?
46:54I didn't catch the last part.
46:55Rebuilding its economy.
46:59So we greatly value our relationship with the people of Bangladesh, and we want to see
47:04that continue.
47:05But I would just urge everyone with requests or questions about what the future may entail.
47:10We are not even 12 hours out from the reported resignation of the prime minister, so I would
47:15encourage everyone to just respectfully take a beat before making any kind of long-term
47:18assessments.
47:19Go ahead.
47:21Just a follow-up on the ceasefire negotiations.
47:23You said they're not stalled.
47:25What are you basing this answer on?
47:27Are you getting any signs from any government in the region that they're pressing either
47:31the Palestinians or the Israelis to actually agree to the ceasefire?
47:35So it is based on our conversations with the other interlocutors.
47:40It's based on our conversations with the government of Qatar, with the government of Egypt.
47:44Now, that's not to say we've come to agreement on all of the underlying issues.
47:47We clearly haven't.
47:49We need to bridge those differences, but we continue to work through it productively with
47:54the interlocutors.
47:55We know they are pressing Hamas to accept a deal, just as we are pressing Israel to
47:59reach a deal, because we think it's important to do so, and that's what we're going to continue
48:03to do in the days ahead.
48:04And do you think it's possible to oppress Israel, given that there – it doesn't seem
48:09to be in Netanyahu's interest at this point to reach a ceasefire.
48:12At least that's what the Israeli media is saying.
48:15That's what a lot of Israeli officials are saying.
48:17So the media says a lot of things.
48:19Officials say a lot of things.
48:20We believe it is very clearly in the interests of the Israeli people, and that's why – among
48:25the reasons why we'll continue to push for it.
48:27Let me go ahead, and then we'll wrap today.
48:28I just want to drill down a little bit, because, I mean, what's new about the media reports
48:31out of Israel is that now you have the head of the IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad being quoted
48:36as confronting the prime minister and basically saying either give us something to go on or
48:42there's going to be no deal.
48:43That's a paraphrase.
48:44Yeah.
48:45But does the U.S. not view those reports as credible?
48:48So I am never going to speak to reports about machinations inside any other government,
48:56or I don't know whether – the veracity of those underlying reports.
48:59And ultimately, it doesn't change what we're trying to do and it doesn't change our approach,
49:03which is what we're trying to do is reach a ceasefire, and what – the way we're
49:06approaching it is continue to work with the parties to try to get one over the line.
49:10Nothing about those reports changes our goal.
49:13So is that not an exercise in futility if the de facto leader of the country is reluctant
49:18to stand up?
49:19We do not believe it is.
49:20Look, the President had a very direct, candid conversation with the prime minister about
49:24this last week, and we will continue to engage with them to make clear that we believe a
49:29ceasefire is in their interest, just as we believe it's in the interest of the Palestinian
49:33people and work to get one over the line.
49:34And with that, we'll wrap for today.
49:35Thanks, everyone.
49:36Oh, did you have one more?
49:37Sorry.
49:38Go ahead, guys.
49:39I'll go ahead and answer that.
49:40Yeah.
49:41For a moment.
49:42It's important.
49:43The –
49:44Yeah.
49:45How did it go through without – I'll give you a question.
49:46Well, I'm here to –
49:47I'm going on today, yeah.
49:48But can I just ask, the Secretary had the call and the statement last week with the
49:54opposition there.
49:55Is the U.S. ready to recognize another interim president, similar to what happened earlier
50:00with Guaido, or is it more just a matter of not recognizing Maduro as the –
50:03That's not a step that we are taking today.
50:07What we – where we are today is we are in close contact with our partners in the region,
50:13especially with Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, about a path forward.
50:18We continue to urge the Venezuelan parties to begin discussions on a peaceful transition
50:23back to democratic norms.
50:25We continue to call for transparency and the release of detailed tally votes while recognizing
50:30it's been over a week since the election, and any release of those votes would require
50:34close scrutiny given the potential for tampering or manipulation in that timeframe.
50:39So no, that's not a step that we have taken as of yet, but we continue to make clear that
50:45the will of the Venezuelan people needs to be respected, and that's what we're engaging
50:48with our partners in the region about.
50:50Sure.
50:51And just do you have any reaction to the EU today, so it won't recognize the result?
50:56Is there a press for – what's the U.S. call for other countries in terms of how to
51:00approach Venezuela?
51:01Is there also an idea that perhaps other countries should take steps of not recognizing Maduro
51:05as the victor?
51:07We would hope to see all parties take the steps that we have done, which is to call
51:12for full transparency, to ask for the full results to be released, and then ultimately
51:20to begin discussions about a transition back to democratic norms.
51:26That's what we're encouraging.
51:27It's what we're discussing with our partners in the region and our partners around the
51:30world, and we hope all countries would adopt that.
51:34Obviously, this is a question about respecting the will of the Venezuelan people.
51:39And as we concluded – and you saw in the statement that we released last week, when
51:42you look at the tallies that the opposition made public, it's clear that even if every
51:47outstanding vote came back for Maduro, it wouldn't be enough to overcome the advantage
51:51that Edmundo González had, and obviously saw the report in The Washington Post concluding
51:58the same thing over the weekend, and so we're going to continue to push for respect for
52:03the will – or the will and the votes, actually, of the Venezuelan people.
52:07Alex.
52:08While we've been in here, I was just sent videos from Russian state media of the apprehensions
52:13of both Whelan and Gershkovich.
52:15I'm wondering if you've seen them and have any reaction to them.
52:17The Whelan one shows him appearing to accept a thumb drive before his arrest by masked
52:24men.
52:25Have you seen these videos?
52:26So I'm going to rely on a rule I established in my very first briefing, which is anything
52:32that breaks while I'm up at the podium, I'm going to take a moment and step off
52:35the podium and comment on, so I'll be – next time I'm back up here, I'll be happy to
52:38comment on that.
52:39But no, if it's something that broke while I was here, I have not seen them, and so wouldn't
52:42– wouldn't like to comment.
52:43I don't know if it broke beforehand.
52:44I was just –
52:45Yeah, I have not seen them, so –
52:46Okay.
52:47I assume it broke while I was up here.
52:49So with that, thanks, everyone.