Sami Hamdi | Geopolitical Analyst | The International Interest:
  

The EU recognizes Türkiye's value - but wants it as a security guard, not an equal member. A gatekeeper against Russia & the East.
 
That's why customs union negotiations stall. That's why, when Syrian refugees arrived, Europe said: keep them in Türkiye, here's money.
 
The Islamophobia dimension is real. When Syria was liberated from Assad, the German FM requested assurances there would be no Islamic identity in politics.
 
The same bogeyman was used against Bosnia - Izetbegovic was repeatedly accused of building an Islamic jihadist state. It wasn't true, but it kept Europe from supporting the Bosnians.
 
The same bogeyman works in Paris & Berlin today: let Türkiye in and 90 million Muslims overnight become free to move across Europe.

FULL INTERVIEW

Sami Hamdi | Geopolitical Analyst | The International Interest:
 

Palestine has a long history of Muslims, Jews, and Christians living side by side. Zionism ruined it by expelling Muslims & Christians.

Today, Israel operates as an apartheid state, mirroring America's Jim Crow laws with segregated infrastructure.

Israel's greatest fear is not a military conquest of Tel Aviv. Its greatest fear is equality of all Palestinians.

If forced into a one-state solution with equal voting rights, the apartheid system would collapse. Israel lacks the demographic numbers to maintain control.

A one-state solution means coexistence. And going back to a time where everybody lives together side by side is exactly what Israel fears.

FULL INTERVIEW

WATCH: Iran’s Ghalibaf cries during the farewell ceremony of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Sami Hamdi | Geopolitical Analyst | The International Interest:
 

Iran has emerged stronger by exposing the limitations of US power that are now driving a schism between the US and Israel.

Its regional proxies, like Hezbollah and the Houthis, have been preserved.
Gulf states that once hoped the US and Israel would defeat Iran are now quietly going to Tehran to negotiate their own safety.

Iran has proved it can squeeze the global economy through the Strait of Hormuz, even without weaponizing the Houthis in Bab-el-Mandeb.

The next challenge is turning this geopolitical power into lifted sanctions, unfrozen funds, and economic reconstruction.

It remains unclear if Iran can actually secure these economic victories in negotiations with the US.

FULL INTERVIEW

NEW: Houthis say they forced Saudi warplanes out of Yemeni airspace after they tried to stop an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing in Sana'a.

They warn that future Saudi actions will be met with attacks on Saudi airports and other vital targets.

Sami Hamdi | Geopolitical Analyst | The International Interest:
 

Iran demanded Lebanon be included in the ceasefire to protect Hezbollah. Israel, conversely, wants Hezbollah destroyed.

The Gulf states share Israel's goal. They fear that if Iran successfully protects Hezbollah, it will embolden pro-Iran militias in Iraq and Yemen to attack the Gulf.

This dynamic explains why the Lebanese government signed an agreement without a guaranteed Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

If Israel withdraws & Hezbollah retakes control, it proves Iran successfully defends its allies against imperialism while other Arab states facilitate it. This optic is disastrous for the Gulf.

Ultimately, both Israel and the Gulf states oppose the current MOU because it grants concessions to Iran and risks further Iranian expansion.

Even a proposal for Turkish peacekeepers in southern Lebanon was firmly rejected by Israel and the Gulf, out of fear that Turkish forces would never leave.

FULL INTERVIEW

UK Archives Unearth Lost US Declaration of Independence After 250 Years

Seized by the Royal Navy from an American privateer off the coast of Spain, the 1776 copy of the document lay hidden in naval intelligence files until this May.

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Egypt is set to inaugurate the Octagon, its new centralized defense ministry headquarters.

▪️Spans 22,000 acres in the New Administrative Capital
▪️Features 8 octagonal military structures
▪️Hosts a closed cyber network

READ MORE

NATO Ankara Draft Affirms Defense Pact

A draft NATO summit declaration approved by all 32 members affirms an ironclad commitment to collective defense and outlines an $80 billion military aid package for Ukraine in 2026 and 2027.

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Netanyahu spoke with Trump and they agreed to meet soon in the United States.

Source: Axios

Iran Pursues Oil Sales to Japan Under US Sanctions Waiver

Tehran launched initial negotiations with Japanese firms to revive crude oil exports under a temporary 60-day U.S. sanctions waiver, though buyers are demanding extended legal guarantees.

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France weighs a strategic reset with Türkiye amid a changing European security landscape.

▪️Paris sees Ankara as a vital security pillar.
▪️Defense ties grow after French-German project collapse.
▪️Geopolitical interests converge on Russia and Levant.

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Tusk Warns Ukraine Must Reconcile with History to Secure EU Membership

Polish PM revealed that Kyiv is actively attempting to defuse a severe diplomatic crisis and warned that Ukraine must reconcile with its World War II history before entering EU.

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Trump is privately weighing whether to pardon Sean "Diddy" Combs, but no decision has been made.

Source: CBS News

Turkish Player Finds a Way After Wimbledon Bans Palestine Symbol

Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sonmez attached a watermelon-shaped vibration dampener to her racket at Wimbledon, after organizers barred her from wearing a Palestine-support pin.

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Türkiye Blocks American LGBTQ+ Cruise from Docking

Turkish authorities canceled port stops in Kuşadası and Istanbul for the Scarlet Lady, an LGBTQ+ cruise with about 1,900 passengers, citing moral standards.

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India's Muslim Women Face AI-Generated Abuse: Report

AI-generated sexualised imagery targeting Muslim women in India is surging, with a study finding 6.7 million interactions across 297 public accounts as India's laws struggle to keep pace.

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Japan celebrated America's 250th anniversary with a drone show in Tokyo featuring Trump and Sanae Takaichi.

Russia's Medvedev in Iran:

We mourn together with the people of Iran in connection with the tragic, martyred death of the Supreme Leader and the great Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, and share your grief.

But this grief has united the people of Iran, who did not yield to the pressure organized by the United States of America and other joined countries, stood firm in this struggle, and, I am sure, will ultimately win.

Japan celebrated America's 250th Independence Day with fireworks in Tokyo tonight.

Iran's Ghalibaf:

Imagine having forty-something million of your own citizens on food stamps and calling another nation hungry.

This is not a proclamation. This is a projection. Keep your SNAP advice.

Our assets, our choices. Mind your malnutrition rates.