European Union leaders called on Thursday for a moratorium on military strikes on energy and ‌water facilities in the Middle East.

The move comes amid concerns about the impact of the Iran war on the global economy.

“The European Council calls for de-escalation and maximum restraint, the protection of civilians and civilian ⁠infrastructure and full respect of international law by all parties,” the leaders of the EU’s 27 countries said in written conclusions of a summit in Brussels.

“In this regard, it calls for a moratorium on strikes against energy and water facilities,” they said.

The leaders called for reinforcing the bloc’s existing Red Sea naval mission Aspides and ‌counter-piracy ⁠naval mission Atalanta in the Horn of Africa “with more assets, in line with their respective mandates”.

Reuters reported that U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at allies who have responded cautiously to ⁠his demands that they help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

In ⁠their statement, the European leaders welcomed “the increased efforts announced by Member States, including through strengthened coordination with ⁠partners in the region, to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, once the conditions are met”.

Removing oil sanctions on stranded Iranian oil would ‌get supplies to Asia within three or four days, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on ⁠Friday in an ⁠interview with Fox Business Network.

According to Reuters, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday the U.S. may soon remove sanctions on Iranian oil stranded on tankers at sea, as Washington seeks ‌to ⁠curb prices soaring over Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the war.

“Within days, within ⁠three or four days, that oil will start to ⁠arrive at ports,” Wright said in an ⁠interview with Fox Business Network.

US President Donald Trump criticized NATO member states over their lack of support for the United States’ war with Iran.

“They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran,” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform, referring to Washington’s NATO allies.

“Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices,” he said.

“So easy for them to do, with so little risk,” he said.

Armenian Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan has met with a delegation led by EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.

The Minister of Internal Affairs highly praised the developing relations between Armenia and the European Union, emphasizing that this is already the second visit by an EU Commissioner to Armenia this month, reflecting active and effective cooperation, the ministry said in a press release.

Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, visited Armenia last week.

Referring to the EU visa liberalization process, Minister Sargsyan noted that Armenia will receive the final progress assessment report in May and expressed confidence that satisfactory results will be achieved on both sides. As the chief negotiator for the Armenian side, she presented the tangible results achieved since the start of the dialogue and reaffirmed that Armenia is fully committed to implementing the action plan in full and to a high standard.

The Minister placed special importance on ongoing efforts in migration and integrated border management, as well as on ensuring document security.

The importance of appointing a liaison officer to Europol was highlighted in the context of law enforcement cooperation.

Commissioner Kos highly praised the work of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Minister Sargsyan personally in the EU–Armenia visa liberalization process.

She noted that Armenia is a reliable partner for the European Union, emphasizing that it is currently the only country with which the EU is conducting active dialogue in this area.

Reference was also made to a survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI), according to which public trust in the Armenian police force under the Ministry of Internal Affairs has significantly increased.

The meeting also addressed issues related to security, countering hybrid threats, and combating cyberattacks.

Crime statistics have recently been frequently exploited for political purposes, distorting public perceptions of internal security, Armenian Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan warned on Friday.

She made the remarks at a parliamentary defense and security committee hearing on her ministry’s 2025 performance report under the government’s 2021-2026 program.

The minister emphasized that security has always been and remains a key agenda topic.

“Security is a matter of concern for all of us, and it is no coincidence that both internal and external security are constantly addressed and discussed. I would like to particularly warn that crime statistics in recent periods have especially often been exploited as a tool for political manipulation, even becoming a topic in pre-election debates and undermining internal security stability,” Sargsyan said.

She noted that the public is often presented with an exaggerated picture of crime, while law enforcement agencies act based on real data, guided by the goal of ensuring citizen safety.

The minister also addressed criticisms of law enforcement work, noting that such critiques often intensify during election periods and correspond both to the logic of hybrid threats and to international experience.

Sargsyan recalled that the Government Program includes institutional reforms in the police system, including the formation of the Police Guard and the introduction of new preventive tools.

“With care and diligence, we both record new developments and pursue solutions to other issues that we ourselves have identified, being closer to the sector,” the minister said.

A small French town has won instant internet fame because its mayor – running for re-election in Sunday’s municipal elections – goes by the name of Hittler, the BBC reported.

Furthermore, one of his two opponents is called Zielinski.

“It has gone completely crazy,” lamented Charles Hittler, mayor of Arcis-sur-Aube (population 2,785), when contacted by the BBC.

“All my life I’ve had the occasional joke made about my name. Sometimes people drew moustaches on my election posters. It was never a big deal.

“But now it’s out of control. I’ve seen online articles saying ‘37% of the people of Arcis are Hitlerites!’. My wife is in tears.”

French social media has been inundated with “humorous” posts about the battle between two individuals whose names resemble those of the late Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Hittler says the attention is getting too much.

“If people were talking about the town and our policies, that would be one thing. But all they’re interested in is our names,” he said, according to the BBC. 

So how did this retired French laboratory head come to be called Hittler? And why hasn’t he changed his name?

“My family comes from northern Alsace [along the German border], and my father was a shepherd. In the war he was taken to Germany in their forced labour programme,” Hittler said.

“After he came back he met my mother. Everyone said, ‘You’ve got to change your name.’ This was 1949. The war was a recent memory But it was a huge administrative headache and it would have cost a lot of money, so they didn’t.”

There are only a few of his tribe left in France, he says. His Hittler cousins in Alsace all had girls, so the name is disappearing there. One of his sons pronounces the name “Hit-lay”, in order to escape embarrassment, and his grandchildren have taken their mothers’ names.

But he says he has a Hittler daughter and a Hittler daughter-in-law who are also running to be councillors in the municipal elections, in other towns in France.

While Charles Hittler leads a centre-right list in Arcis-sur-Aube, his Zielinski opponent is in the far-right Patriot movement. In national elections, the far-right National Rally performs strongly in this area, about 160km (100 miles) southeast of Paris.

Antoine Renault-Zielinski, 28, is a customs officer recently arrived in Arcis. The second part of his name comes from his Polish mother.

“People are often asking me if I am related to Zelensky – to which I have to answer no, pointing out that the Polish name ends in an ‘i’ and the Ukrainian in a ‘y’,” he told BFMTV.

Sunday’s run-off in Arcis-sur-Aube pits Hittler against Renault-Zielinski and a third candidate, Annie Soucat. In the first round Hittler led by a small margin over the other two.

Hitler was a relatively rare name in Germany even before the dictator came to fame. Since World War Two it has all but disappeared, according to the BBC.