The European Union’s response to US tariffs could include regulating the use of data by American big tech groups, France’s finance minister said in an interview with the JDD newspaper.

“We have several tools at our disposal at the European level: regulatory, fiscal, customs,” Eric Lombard said in the interview published late Saturday. “For example, we can strengthen certain environmental requirements or regulate the use of data by certain digital players,” he added.

President Donald Trump announced on April 2 broad tariffs on imports into the US, including 20% duties on EU goods, as part of his efforts to shake up the global trading system. The bloc — the US’s largest trading partner — has vowed to retaliate with countermeasures if needed, including with its own tariffs, taxing services and targeting American tech firms. 

Lombard said EU rules also allow for taxes on certain American activities, with all the options remaining open and under discussion. He didn’t detail how data usage by big tech groups could be strengthened. Data collection and processing is already regulated by EU rules like the far-reaching GDPR.

Read More: France Eyes US Big Tech in EU Retaliation to Trump’s Tariffs 

The European response to US tariffs should “inevitably” have “consequences” for both the continent’s and US companies, Lombard said. “It is not a question of taxing all American imports, that would be counterproductive, penalizing our economy as much as theirs,” he told the newspaper. “So we are going to target certain industrial segments, in a precise manner.”

Lombard stressed that he still sees a possibility for tariffs to be lifted through negotiations. “If we reach a balanced agreement within a reasonable time frame, it will be a confidence factor” for French companies and households, he said.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Ahead of the Jewish holiday of Passover, Iran’s navy chief boasted that his country’s naval and defense power is stronger than ever, seemingly comparing Iran to the ancient Israelites and warning that enemies would be drowned at sea like Pharaoh’s army.

In an ironic twist, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani drew a parallel between Iran and the ancient Israelites enslaved by Egypt in the Exodus story, positioning Tehran as the modern-day victim of persecution.

In that biblical account, Pharaoh, fearing the growing Israelite population, enslaved them and even ordered the death of newborn boys. However, under God’s power, the Israelites, led by Moses, escaped Egypt. When Pharaoh’s army pursued them, driven by greed and fear, they were ultimately destroyed by the sea.

On Thursday, the Iranian commander praised Tehran’s naval strength and defense capabilities during a meeting with the families of the country’s 86th naval fleet, as tensions grow in the lead-up to nuclear talks with the United States.

“Our maritime power and defensive capabilities are stronger than ever,” Irani was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.

“Today, our enemies see the Islamic Republic’s armed forces and strategic navy as a superpower,” Irani continued. “The devil seeks a direct confrontation at sea, but with God’s help, we will defeat and drown it like the people of Pharaoh.” Other translations quoted him as saying Iran’s “enemies” will be defeated “just as Pharaoh was drowned.”

The apparent comparison was striking since Iranian leaders routinely call for Israel’s destruction, often describing the Jewish state as a “cancer” that must be wiped off the map.

Earlier this week, Tehran and Washington announced that diplomats from both countries will meet in Oman on Saturday to begin negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

US and Iranian officials have put out contradictory statements about whether the talks will be direct or indirect, the latter of which would involve Omani mediators passing messages between the sides.

As talks approach, Iran has warned that the country may suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog if external military threats persist, following US President Donald Trump’s renewed warnings of military action should Tehran fail to reach a nuclear deal.

“Continued external threats and putting Iran under the conditions of a military attack could lead to deterrent measures like the expulsion of IAEA inspectors and ceasing cooperation with it,” Ali Shamkhani — an adviser to the country’s so-called “supreme leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — wrote in a post on X, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday that Trump wants Iran to know that there will be “all hell to pay” if it does not abandon its nuclear program, which Western countries believe is meant to produce nuclear weapons. Tehran claims its nuclear activities are purely for civilian energy purposes.

The negotiations will reportedly be led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, with Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr Albusaidi, serving as a mediator, as the country has long been a channel for communication between the two adversaries.

In response to the White House’s military threats, Iran issued notices to Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, and Bahrain, warning that any support for a US attack on Iran — including the use of their airspace or territory by American forces — would be considered an act of hostility.

During his first term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear deal — known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — between Iran and several world powers, which had imposed temporary limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Since then, even though Tehran has denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon, the IAEA has warned that Iran has “dramatically” accelerated uranium enrichment to up to 60 percent purity, close to the roughly 90 percent weapons-grade level and enough to build six nuclear bombs.

The post Iran’s Navy Chief Compares Tehran to Israelites Fleeing Pharaoh Ahead of Passover first appeared on Algemeiner.com.