00:00Mr. Mayor, do you think Iran is better off without the ISA world?
00:05You know, I've said before that the Iranian government has engaged in systematic repression
00:14of its own people, even killing thousands of Iranians who were seeking to express the most
00:19basic forms of dissent earlier this year. It is a brutal government. And I've also said that while
00:26I may be a young mayor, I am old enough to remember the devastating consequences of our
00:32country pursuing a war with the intent of regime change in that very same region not that many
00:39years ago.
00:41Yes, sir. You probably understand there's been some backlash, some pushback against your remarks
00:47about the war, calling it legal war of aggression. Is there anything you want to say to the Jewish
00:52community in New York in particular, and then also the Iranian dissidents who also live in
00:58the five roads? With respect to those remarks and to acknowledge the backlash.
01:04What I would say to Jewish New Yorkers, to Iranian American New Yorkers, to any New Yorker,
01:11frankly, is that my primary responsibility is to keep you safe. And in as much as I have shared
01:17my thoughts when I've been asked about the federal government's actions, as well as the actions of
01:23the Israeli military, I've also focused my time and efforts in being in constant communication
01:29with our police commissioner, as well as emergency management officials. And so what we have done
01:35is taken the decision to increase agency coordination, as well as increasing patrols of sensitive
01:41locations across the city out of an abundance of caution. And what that means is we also know that
01:47many Jewish New Yorkers are celebrating Purim in this moment. Many Muslim New Yorkers are
01:51celebrating Ramadan in this moment. And this is also a time when there is a sense of anxiety
01:55about whether New Yorkers can celebrate themselves, their faiths, in a moment of such anxiety and
02:02tumult across the world. And we are taking the steps to ensure that our police officers are present,
02:08they are visible, and reassuring New Yorkers that they do not need to sacrifice an ounce of
02:13themselves to be safe in this city. They can be the fullest versions of themselves. And I'm thankful
02:17of the work of the men and women of the NYPD in making that the case.
02:21First is, have you spoken with the president since he launched the war in Iran? And second,
02:26you talked about how NYPD is on high alert. Are you aware of any threats since the war rendered New
02:31Yorkers less safe?
02:33So at this time, there are no threats to share with the public. Everything that we are doing is out
02:39of
02:39an abundance of caution. And I'm appreciative of what the NYPD is doing, because it is both reassuring
02:46New Yorkers who are understandably concerned at this time, and also ensuring that we are taking every
02:52single step we can to be prepared in light of anything resulting from the actions of the federal
02:59government and the Israeli government. And I have not spoken to the president since our meeting in
03:03the Oval Office.
03:05Last question. Adam, go ahead.
03:06I wanted to ask about your security clearance. I know there was reports today that you're still
03:10waiting. You mentioned you haven't talked to the president, but in your previous communications,
03:14has that come up at all? And maybe you could talk a little bit about, I guess, with the threat
03:19from
03:20Iran, whether that's how you're kind of handling that.
03:23So we are going through the regular security clearance process. It takes months, and everything is going
03:29according to that routine. I'm also thankful of the fact that there are a number of members of my
03:34senior staff that do have that clearance. This has in no way impeded our abilities to respond both to
03:39the day-to-day needs of New Yorkers as well as to respond to the current crisis at hand. And
03:44what we
03:45are doing is taking every step that we can to ensure that we are keeping New Yorkers safe. And I
03:50am
03:50thankful once again to the hardworking members of the NYPD for doing exactly that across the five boroughs,
03:56both in times of celebration for New Yorkers and in times of anxiety.
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