France shuts Israeli weapons booths at Paris Air Show
Geopolitical tensions roiled the opening of the Paris Air Show on Monday as French authorities sealed off Israeli weapons industry booths amid the conflicts in Iran and Gaza, a move that Israel condemned as "outrageous".
The decision added drama to the major aerospace industry event, which was already under the shadow of last week's deadly crash of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Black walls were installed around the stands of five Israeli defence firms at the trade fair in Le Bourget, an airfield on the outskirts of Paris.
The booths displayed "offensive weapons" that could be used in Gaza -- in violation of agreements with Israeli authorities, a French government source told AFP.
The companies -- Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, Uvision, Elbit and Aeronautics -- make drones and guided bombs and missiles.
An Israeli exhibitor wrote a message in yellow chalk on one of the walls, saying the hidden defence systems "are protecting the state of Israel these days. The French government, in the name of discrimination is trying to hide them from you!"
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou defended the decision during a Monday press conference at the air show.
"The French government's position was very simple: no offensive weapons at the arms exposition," he said.
"Defensive weapons were perfectly acceptable," he added.
- Conflicts loom large -
Bayrou cited the ongoing conflict in Gaza as the rationale behind the ban.
"Given the situation in Gaza... which is extremely serious from a humanitarian and security point of view, France was keen to make it clear that offensive weapons should not be present at this exposition," Bayrou said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was shocked by the "outrageous" closure of the pavilions and said the situation should be "immediately corrected".
"Israeli companies have signed contracts with the organisers... it's like creating an Israeli ghetto," he said on French television channel LCI.
The Israeli defence ministry said in a statement that the "outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations".
"The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition -- weapons that compete with French industries," it said.
"This is particularly striking given Israeli technologies' impressive and precise performance in Iran."
Israel launched surprise strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites on Friday, killing top commanders and scientists, prompting Tehran to hit back with a barrage of missiles.
The presence of Israeli firms at Le Bourget, though smaller than in the past, was already a source of tension before the start of the Paris Air Show, because of the conflict in Gaza.
A French court last week rejected a bid by NGOs to ban Israeli companies from Le Bourget over concerns about "international crimes".
Local lawmakers from the Seine-Saint-Denis department hosting the event were absent during Bayrou's visit to the opening of the air show in protest over the Israeli presence.
"Never has the world been so disrupted and destabilised," Bayrou said earlier at a roundtable event, urging nations to tackle challenges "together, not against each other".
- Boeing 'focus on supporting customers' -
The row over Israel cast a shadow over a trade fair that is usually dominated by displays of the aerospace industry's latest flying wonders, and big orders for plane makers Airbus and Boeing.
Airbus announced an order of 30 single-aisle A320neo jets and 10 A350F freighters by Saudi aircraft leasing firm AviLease.
The European manufacturer also said Riyadh Air was buying 25 long-range, wide-body A350-1000 jets.
But Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg last week cancelled plans to attend the biennial event, to focus on the investigation of the Air India crash.
"Our focus is on supporting our customers, rather than announcing orders at this air show," a Boeing spokeswoman told AFP on Monday.
The London-bound Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, killing 241 passengers and crew and another 38 on the ground. One passenger survived.
neo-mra-are/lth-ekf/jh/kjm
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
30 minutes ago
- Axios
Scoop: U.S. tells allies it won't join war unless Iran targets Americans
The Trump administration has told several Middle Eastern allies it doesn't plan to get actively involved in the war between Israel and Iran unless Iran targets Americans, two sources from countries that received that U.S. message tell Axios. The big picture: The U.S. has helped Israel intercept missiles, but made clear Israel is acting alone in attacking Iran. The U.S. message is that if Iran attacks Americans in response, it will be crossing a red line. The intrigue: The U.S. sent a similar message to the same countries about an hour between Israel launched the war last Thursday, telling them the U.S. would not participate. In both cases, the U.S. seemed to expect the countries to pass that message to Iran to discourage any retaliation against U.S. forces or interests in the region. The White House didn't respond to a request for comment. Between the lines: While Iranian leaders have accused the U.S. of complicity in Israel's war effort, and threatened for weeks to respond to any Israeli attack by targeting U.S. bases in the region, no such attacks have taken place. "The Iranians are very careful so far not to do anything that can push the U.S. to get involved," an Arab diplomat with direct knowledge of the thinking in Tehran said. Friction point: Israel has asked the Trump administration to join the war in order to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. A U.S. official told Axios on Saturday that the Trump administration was not actively considering it. U.S. officials also claimed that over the weekend, Israel had an operational window to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but President Trump made clear to Israel that he opposed that step. A U.S. official said that was because the Iranians haven't killed Americans — a statement Israeli officials saw as a threat to Iran that if Americans are targeted, the Trump administration could support killing Khamenei. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News on Monday that killing Khamenei would "end the war," and was still a possibility. State of play: Trump demurred Monday when asked whether the U.S. could join the war. But while the U.S. is stating in public and in private that it's not getting involved, the U.S. military is taking steps to prepare for such a contingency. The Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group is moving to the Middle East, and 28 strategic refueling planes left the U.S. on Sunday for the region. Netanyahu said in a press conference on Monday that he speaks to Trump almost every day, including on Sunday. He said he appreciates U.S. assistance in defeating Iranian attacks but stressed that President Trump will do what he thinks is best for America. "We will welcome any U.S. contribution," he said. In the ABC interview, Netanyahu said that Trump and the American people understand the need to "take a stand against evil." He said: "Look, I understand 'America First.' I don't understand 'America Dead.' That's what these people want." What to watch: Trump said on Monday during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the G7 summit that the Iranians want to talk to the U.S. about the situation. "They should have done that before. They had 60 days and on the 61st day I said, 'We don't have a deal.' Iran is not winning this war they should talk immediately before it is too late," Trump said. An Arab diplomat said the Iranians have communicated to the U.S. that they will be willing to discuss a ceasefire and resume nuclear talks after they conclude their retaliation and after Israel stops its strikes.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How major US stock indexes fared Monday, 6/16/2025
Calm returned to Wall Street, and U.S. stocks rallied, while oil prices gave back some of their initial spurts following Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets at the end of last week. The S&P 500 climbed 0.9% Monday to recover most of its drop from Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.5%. They joined a worldwide rise for stock prices. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. oil fell by 1.7%, while the price of gold eased. Treasury yields rose ahead of a meeting by the Federal Reserve this week. On Monday: The S&P 500 rose 56.14 points, or 0.9%, to 6,033.11. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 317.30 points, or 0.8%, to 42,515.09. The Nasdaq composite rose 294.39 points, or 1.5%, to 19,701.21. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 23.62 points, or 1.1%, to 2,124.13. For the year: The S&P 500 is up 151.48 points, or 2.6%. The Dow is down 29.13 points, or 0.1%. The Nasdaq is up 390.42 points, or 2%. The Russell 2000 is down 106.03 points, or 4.8%.
Politico
34 minutes ago
- Politico
Khamenei in the crosshairs
With help from Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Robbie | Email Eric President DONALD TRUMP may have vetoed a reported Israeli proposal over the weekend to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah ALI KHAMENEI, but Israel and its boosters are still pushing for the U.S. to back regime change in Tehran. Israeli strikes against Iran are increasingly targeting political institutions along with high-ranking Iranian military officials. Israel targeted the offices of Iran's state broadcaster today; Israel also claimed it killed four top Iranian intelligence officials in a Sunday airstrike. Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU said today that killing Khamenei 'would end the conflict' and didn't rule out targeting the cleric who sits atop Iran's Islamist government. That followed comments from Defense Minister ISRAEL KATZ describing the strike against Iran's state broadcaster as part of Israel's efforts to punish the 'Iranian dictator.' If Israel were to oust the regime in Tehran, what would replace it? Some pro-Israel critics of the regime have looked to former Crown Prince REZA PAHLAVI as a potential vehicle for political transformation in Iran if Khamenei and clerical leaders are ousted. Pahlavi's backers point to poll numbers that show he enjoys some of the highest name recognition with the Iranian public. Pahlavi has long advocated for Iran to have a secular democracy, while not ruling out the possibility that some version of the monarchy might be restored. His office said in a statement that 'the Iranian people will decide on the nature of their democracy.' The statement went on to blame the current Iranian leadership for the ongoing fighting. Only once in modern history has an autocratic regime given way to a modernizing potential monarch — Spain following the death of dictator FRANCISCO FRANCO. That succession also only occurred because Franco named King JUAN CARLOS I as his successor and Juan Carlos was expected to continue the regime's policies. Pahlavi has built ties with the Israeli government, and he has hesitated to condemn Israel's strikes against Iran. But despite his name recognition, it's far from clear whether he'd command the loyalty of enough Iranians to lead a political transformation in the country. Many analysts have long predicted that Iranian military leaders are in the best position to succeed the clerics — but Israel has been killing many of those uniformed leaders. Per the Quincy Institute's TRITA PARSI, regime change might even backfire for those who wish to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon. Khamenei, Parsi argues, is seen by some as a hurdle to Iran crossing the nuclear threshold because of a fatwa, or religious edict, he is said to have issued in the past. (This is a point which is hotly debated in Iran watcher circles, we should note.) Iranian elites could deem that fatwa is null and void if Khamenei dies, rushing for the bomb, Parsi warns. For now, the White House isn't publicly embracing any effort to dislodge the Iranian government. A White House official told Reuters over the weekend that unless Iran attacks Americans as part of its response to Israel, assassinations are off the table. Trump is still keeping the door open for diplomacy. At the G7 today, Trump confirmed Iran has been reaching out to the U.S. via intermediaries and didn't rule out a negotiated end to the fighting. 'Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it's too late,' Trump said. The Inbox MEANWHILE AT THE G7: While Iran and Israel trade missile volleys, Trump is at the G7 for the first major confab of his second presidency. And European leaders are keen to prove themselves as the next Trump whisperer waiting in the wings. As our colleagues Stefan Boscia and Hannah Roberts report, French President EMMANUEL MACRON, British Prime Minister KEIR STARMER and Italian Prime Minister GIORGIA MELONI all fancy the label and their interactions with Trump will be highly scrutinized as they try to court the president. The leaders see cultivating further warm ties with Trump as key to securing trade concessions and pushing for continued U.S. engagement with Europe. The summit, which was expected to focus on Ukraine and the trade tensions between the U.S. and many of its allies, is also now discussing the tensions in the Middle East. G7 leaders are debating a proposal to call for hostilities between Israel and Iran. RUSSIA PLAYS PEACEMAKER? Russia is reupping its effort to position itself as a potential peacemaker in the fighting between Iran and Israel. Earlier this month, Russia offered to house Iranian uranium as a way to secure a nuclear deal between Trump and Tehran. 'This proposal remains on the table, it remains relevant,' Kremlin spokesperson DMITRY PESKOV said today. 'But, of course, with the outbreak of hostilities, the situation has become seriously complicated.' Moscow's insistence shows that great powers are antsy about the tensions between Iran and Israel. The proposal could also prove propitious to Russia as it tries to boost goodwill with Washington, potentially allowing Moscow to get a lighter touch from Washington when it returns its attention to ending Russia's three-year invasion of Ukraine. ZELENSKYY'S CANADIAN CAMPAIGN: Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY is en route to Alberta to meet with G7 leaders and Trump and push for more support in the wake of the collapse of U.S.-led peace talks. The visit from Zelenskyy, who joins the summit at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister MARK CARNEY, is expected to include the first meeting with Trump since the now-infamous Oval Office incident in February. And it comes as MAGA allies have signaled Trump is frustrated with Russian leader VLADIMIR PUTIN for derailing talks. IT'S MONDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at ebazail@ and follow Eric on X @ebazaileimil. While you're at it, follow the rest of POLITICO's global security team on X and Bluesky at: @dave_brown24, @HeidiVogt, @jessicameyers, @RosiePerper, @ @PhelimKine, @ak_mack, @felschwartz, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @reporterjoe, @JackDetsch, @samuelskove, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130 and @delizanickel Keystrokes IN THE ARMY NOW: A new Army effort to merge innovation in the military and tech sector that's seen several high-profile executives commissioned into the service originated with one of those leaders: Palantir Chief Technology Officer SHYAM SANKAR. 'Shyam, in his overwhelming patriotism, came to us, and said, 'I want to join the Army. I want to wear the cloth of the nation. Just doing what I can do to help from Palantir isn't enough,'' Col. DAVE BUTLER, a spokesperson for Army Chief Gen. RANDY GEORGE, told our colleagues at POLITICO Pro's California Decoded. 'Then he said, 'I've recruited three other guys to come with me.'' The move is a sign of deepening ties between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon. The service on Friday announced the formation of Detachment 201 with the goal of helping the U.S. military produce tech solutions quickly and at scale. The Complex U.S. BULKS UP IN MIDDLE EAST: The U.S. is poised to have two aircraft carriers in the water off the Middle East amid the Israel-Iran conflict. The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier rerouted from the South China Sea today, our colleague Paul McLeary reports. The beefed-up presence comes amid concerns of a wider war that could put U.S. military personnel in the region at risk. The Nimitz will join the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group, which has sailed in the Arabian Sea since the spring amid stepped up operations against the Houthis in Yemen. Air Force refueling aircraft also deployed to Europe from bases in the U.S. this weekend in a preventative measure to support any operations in the Middle East. On the Hill IRAN WAR POWERS PUSH: Sen. TIM KAINE (D-Va.) has filed a war powers resolution aimed at forcing a Senate vote on the use of military force against Iran. The resolution would forbid the U.S. from acting militarily against Tehran without congressional authorization, though it wouldn't prohibit Trump from acting to defend the U.S. from Iran. Kaine, who has long pushed to rein in broad presidential war powers, said he's concerned about the possibility that the U.S. could be drawn into hostilities between Iran and Israel. 'I'm not a pacifist. I believe in strong defense. And I'm also somebody who I've never voted against an Israel aid package in the whole time I've been here,' Kaine told NatSec Daily. 'I'm not an isolationist, but I also believe in learning the lessons of history. I think the U.S. engagement in the war in Iraq was a grievous mistake. And the U.S. decision to stay in Afghanistan after the death of [OSAMA BIN LADEN] also ended up being very counterproductive. So let's learn the lessons from recent history and not repeat.' The war powers resolution is privileged, meaning Kaine can force a vote on the Senate floor and get senators on the record, though it won't advance without GOP support. Kaine told NatSec Daily that he doesn't believe this is a 'predictable' issue for senators. 'The most serious thing we do is have discussions about war and peace. But those strong feelings don't line up neatly with partisan politics,' Kaine said. Broadsides NUCLEAR WORRIES: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute is decrying the risks of nuclear war in its yearbook released today, warning the era of disarmament is now over. 'The era of reductions in the number of nuclear weapons in the world, which had lasted since the end of the Cold War, is coming to an end,' said HANS KRISTENSEN, an analyst with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction program. All nuclear-armed countries, SIPRI says, are modernizing their nuclear weapons, a departure from recent policy consensus among nuclear powers. And the think tank is singling out China's rapid nuclear buildup as a major driver of nuclear anxiety. While the report acknowledges that the U.S. and Russia account for the lion's share of nuclear weapons around the world, the think tank highlighted that 'China's nuclear arsenal is growing faster than any other country's' and 'depending on how it decides to structure its forces, China could potentially have at least as many' intercontinental ballistic missiles as both the United States and Russia. Those claims prompted sharp pushback from Beijing. Foreign Ministry spokesperson GUO JIAKUN said at today's press briefing that China's nuclear program is solely defensive and insisted that China was not part of any arms race. Transitions — Britain named BLAISE METREWELI the new head of intelligence agency MI6. Metreweli, a career MI6 officer, was most recently director general of technology and innovation at the agency. She will be the first female chief of MI6. — JOHN BARSA is joining Continental Strategy as a partner. He previously was acting USAID administrator during Trump's first term. — GABE CAMARILLO has joined KBR as senior vice president of its Defense and Technology Solutions business. He is a former Army undersecretary. — Lockheed Martin named JALEN DRUMMOND as vice president of corporate affairs and international communications. Drummond was a White House spokesperson during Trump's first term and most recently oversaw both the public affairs and corporate communications divisions at GoFundMe. — The America First Policy Institute announced that JULIE KIRCHNER, TONY PHAM and EMILIO GONZÁLEZ will join its ranks. Kirchner was Executive Director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Pham was acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, principal legal adviser for the Department of Homeland Security and assistant Secretary for border security and immigration policy at the Department of Homeland Security. And González, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, served as director for western hemisphere affairs on the National Security Council. What to Read — Laura Kayali, POLITICO: Israel slams France's decision to hide Paris Air Show booths — Andrew Ryvkin, The Atlantic: Putin Isn't Actually Enjoying This — Elian Peltier, The New York Times: As U.S. Aid Dries Up, West Africa Fights Expanding Jihadist Threat — Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs: Imperial President at Home, Emperor Abroad Tomorrow Today — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 9 a.m.: 15th annual South China Sea Conference. — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 11 a.m.: Discussion on a new report, 'The Russian Wartime Economy: From Sugar High to Hangover.' — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 12 p.m.: The Future of Israeli-Palestinian Peace — Atlantic Council, 1 p.m.: "Drone, defense, and diplomacy: Negotiations and the battlefield in Ukraine.' Thanks to our editors, Heidi Vogt and Rachel Myers, who should not be considered as potential replacements for Khamenei.
