The Vikings were slavers supplying slaves from Northern Europe to the Middle East. Such was Europe’s role in the world economy between the Fall of Rome and Genghis Khan.
The Bürgenstock Technical Framework: A New "Security" Architecture for the Middle East, and How the Resistance Imposed the "Ali al-Taher Equation" on the Negotiating Table — Talal Nahlé
Sovereignty Track: Day Five Report Following the Memorandum of Understanding
The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and its regional allies entered a highly significant tactical phase after 18 hours of intensive leadership-level negotiations at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland. Despite the media noise and the familiar rhetoric of Donald Trump, the technical and procedural outcomes crafted by the mediators (Qatar and Pakistan) indicate cautious but positive progress, placing the region before a new set of engagement rules managed with cool calculation while military readiness remains intact.
First: The "Ali al-Taher Equation". Battlefield Resilience Meets Negotiating Skill
The cautiously positive tone of the Swiss statement cannot be understood in isolation from the precise strategic coordination between the resistance's military position in southern Lebanon and the diplomatic efforts taking place behind closed doors.
Blocking the Breach (Protecting the First Clause)
The battle for Ali al-Taher Hill was not merely a conventional military engagement intended to raise the human cost of the conflict. Rather, it represented what was viewed as an Israeli attempt to undermine the first clause of the agreement and establish new realities on the ground before a ceasefire could be consolidated.
The resistance's ability to repel the operation, combined with Israeli acknowledgments of six fatalities among elite personnel, including a senior officer, and more than twenty wounded, prevented what supporters of the resistance describe as an effort to expand military control and altered the course of events on the battlefield.
The Timing Factor
The strategic significance lay in the management and timing of the battle's conclusion. Military activity was halted only after the battlefield situation had stabilized in a manner perceived by the resistance as an Israeli operational setback.
According to this interpretation, the resistance succeeded in imposing its military equation on the ground and prevented Israel from achieving a tactical success before negotiations resumed in Switzerland.
Political Leverage and Diplomatic Integration
Building on these battlefield developments, Iranian diplomacy moved assertively. Tehran demonstrated its ability to translate the resistance's endurance into political leverage during negotiations.
Issues related to developments in Lebanon were reportedly linked to maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, increasing pressure on Washington and limiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ability to convert military actions into political gains.
Second: The Outcome of 18 Hours in Bürgenstock. Less Rhetoric, More Technical Negotiation
Following the departure of the senior Iranian delegation, led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi, back to Tehran, the joint Qatari-Pakistani statement announced the conclusion of the first round of talks and confirmed several key points:
A 60-Day Roadmap
The parties agreed on a structured 60-day mechanism aimed at reaching a comprehensive final agreement, which would later be submitted to the United Nations Security Council under Article 14.
Technical Working Groups
A high-level supervisory committee will oversee specialized technical working groups operating throughout the week. Their focus areas include:
- The nuclear file.
- Sanctions relief.
- Oversight and dispute-resolution mechanisms.
The Hormuz Hotline
A direct communication channel will be established to prevent incidents and misunderstandings and to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
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Zionists are the only people on the planet who want to go back to war w/ Iran
They see more dead children and global economic catastrophe as an acceptable price to maintain the colonial Israeli state
They exist outside the reality of the 99%
-@MaxBlumenthal to Mario Nawfal
JD's answer to @SohrabAhmari's question about Lebanon is CRUCIAL:
1. Importantly, the US now says that a regional ceasefire is an AMERICAN goal and not just an Iranian demand.
2. The deconfliction mechanism in Lebanon is no longer just controlled by the US (which made it meaningless) but includes Iran. That is, reps of both fighting parties are included.
3. And perhaps most importantly, Vance says that ALL countries in the region have a right to self-defense - not just Israel. I can't recall when that was last stated by a senior US official. Certainly not a single time under Biden...
Of course, implementation of these rhetorical positions will be key...
@tparsi@SohrabAhmari US ME policy doesn’t change no matter who is President, it’s all just rhetoric for show. Iran saved humanity, otherwise the US would keep kidnapping leaders & changing gov. Trump wanted to take the modern world back to medieval times, but Iran forced that mad elephant to retreat
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ Holds Phone Call with Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, UAE National Security Adviser
Doha | June 22, 2026
HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani held a phone conversation with HH Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The call discussed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and strengthen them. It also discussed regional developments, particularly the diplomatic efforts to enhance security and stability in the region, following the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the State of Qatar's full support for the ongoing negotiations between the American and Iranian sides to reach sustainable solutions to outstanding issues through dialogue and peaceful means, in a way that enhances regional security, contributes to opening new horizons for cooperation, development and prosperity, and achieves the common interests of the peoples of the region and the world.
#MOFAQatar
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Qatar and Pakistan, mediators of the Iran–US talks, announced the conclusion of the first high-level round under the Islamabad Memorandum in Bürgenstock, Switzerland. The opening day was described as positive and constructive, with encouraging progress achieved.
📣 Just published: UANI Iran Shipping Update - June 22
General License X is the most significant U.S. easing of sanctions on Iranian oil since the maximum-pressure campaign took full effect in 2019 during the first Trump term...
Full update here ⬇️
https://t.co/DOiRvQjboR
In Switzerland, amid the alpine calm where empires go to perfume panic as diplomacy, Iran delivered another masterclass in the ancient art of refusing to kneel.
The Americans arrived with the usual imperial luggage: threats, ultimatums, sanctions theology, and that peculiar Washington habit of mistaking obedience for “peace.” Iran arrived with something far less fashionable and far more effective: leverage. Not the decorative leverage of think-tank seminars and cable-news generals, but the real kind — the kind that closes straits, terrifies markets, freezes war rooms, and forces the self-appointed masters of the universe to rediscover geography.
#Opinion by Junaid S. Ahmad
Read: https://t.co/n0MSCISxyr
STEVE JOBS GOT FIRED FROM APPLE.
Then he walked straight into MIT and dropped the most raw, unfiltered 60-minute business masterclass ever recorded.
Zero PR bullshit. Zero image to protect.
Just pure, brutal honesty from the man who built Apple once and was about to rebuild it even bigger. Stop scrolling.
Watch this tonight instead of Netflix.
Bookmark it. Come back to it.
TERRAS-RARAS: O BRASIL PRECISA BENEFICIAR EM CASA OU VIRARÁ REFÉM
O Brasil tem minerais críticos e terras-raras em posição estratégica. Mas existe uma armadilha: exportar matéria-prima barata e importar tecnologia cara. Esse é o velho roteiro colonial com embalagem verde.
Esses minerais entram em chips, defesa, IA, energia, carros elétricos e indústria de ponta. Ou seja: não são “pedras”. São poder industrial, tecnológico e militar.
A UE tenta se apresentar como parceira confiável para minerais críticos. Mas o acordo UE-Mercosul, as barreiras contra produtos brasileiros e a pressão sobre a carne mostram outra coisa: a Europa abre quando convém e fecha quando seus setores pressionam.
O risco é o Brasil virar fornecedor “verde” de uma nova dependência: manda minério, recebe regra ambiental, compra tecnologia cara e ainda aceita barreiras quando tenta vender produto com mais valor agregado.
O Brasil precisa beneficiar minerais em casa. Refino, tecnologia, patente, emprego qualificado e indústria nacional. Sem isso, vira refém da UE, dos EUA, da China ou de qualquer potência que controle a etapa mais lucrativa da cadeia.
Alan Greenspan bade us farewell today. A man who was celebrated as the central bankers' central banker based on the conviction that markets are divine and volatility is a virtue.
His epitaph? A singular, glorious confession: “I found a flaw in my model of the world.” A flaw, he said, as though it were a leaky pipe, not a total collapse of the intellectual architecture that anointed him Oracle. For decades, he preached that the self-interest of the predator was the invisible hand of the common good.
Then, in 2008, the beast devoured the table, and to his credit he blinked, admitting that his entire worldview—the one that central bankers canonized and the world swallowed—was a fairy tale for rentiers.
He did not, of course, admit to culpability. That would require a moral compass, a device notably absent from his Ayn Randian toolbelt. No, he merely noted the flaw, as a meteorologist might note a gust of wind, and returned to his well-earned silence.
So farewell, Maestro. You helped erect a broken global casino economy, but at least you had the decency to read the autopsy report aloud. Alas, countless millions are still paying for your asterisk. https://t.co/ftWXeIeAQr
I’ve been working with Tulsi Gabbard since 2015. She’s never once let me down!
In early 2020, Dr. Mikovits and I exposed Dr. Fauci and the true origins of COVID-19.
Now Tulsi brings the receipts!
New Evidence Fauci Manipulated Intelligence and Lied to Congress
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Anthony Fauci, as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), provided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)—work which is now widely viewed as the source of the unintentional lab leak that sparked the pandemic.
Today, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing how Fauci worked with politicized career leadership in the Intelligence Community (IC) to suppress the truth about his actions, the virus’ lab-leak origins, and his role in directing U.S. funding for this dangerous research that caused immeasurable harm and countless lost lives. These documents expose Fauci’s direct role in influencing and manipulating IC assessments on COVID-19, and how Fauci lied to Congress in 2024, when under oath he denied knowledge of or participation in discussions with intelligence officials about viral research.
From Tulsi:
“The COVID-19 pandemic caused tremendous hardship and pain for millions of our fellow Americans and for countless people around the world. After years of lies, censorship, and cover ups, the American people deserve transparency, truth, and accountability. The tactics used to hide the truth are straight from the deep state playbook: politicized self-serving leaders like Dr. Fauci covered up their own wrongdoing and abuses of power, manipulated intelligence, lied to Congress, and undermined a duly elected President by restricting his access to vital facts needed to keep the country safe. It’s time the American people learn the real story.”
The materials released today are a result of DNI Gabbard’s yearlong declassification review. During this process, ODNI officials gathered testimony from multiple IC whistleblowers who reported retaliation for challenging the IC’s manipulation of intelligence on the virus’ origins. This unveiled a clear pattern of suppressing dissent, silencing critics, and burying evidence that undermined IC integrity and disserved the American people.
Fauci’s close IC relationships enabled him to assume three key roles during the pandemic that shielded him from scrutiny as he wielded outsized influence.
* Fauci funded risky coronavirus research linked to big pharma and the pursuit of “universal vaccines” worth trillions of dollars.
* Fauci was the behind-the-scenes advisor who, with his hand-picked experts, pushed the IC to endorse a natural, animal origin to hide his dangerous research.
* Fauci became the nation’s pandemic “pundit” and publicly pushed lies, disinformation, and censorship.
Fauci’s Relationship With The Intelligence Community Drove Intelligence & Public Narratives
Throughout the pandemic, Fauci and politicized leaders within the IC created a self-serving circular reporting loop. He provided hand-picked NIAID-funded scientists to advise the IC. This input shaped official intelligence assessments, which were then publicly cited as scientific consensus to refute the lab-leak theory.
According to hundreds of reviewed emails, the IC almost always incorporated his recommendations. Fauci promoted a fraudulent paper, whose publication he helped prompt, as legitimate information for Intelligence Community consideration. Senior analysts praised Fauci not as a “policymaker,” but as an unbiased guide to “the real coronavirus experts”—while ignoring experts who might dissent from Fauci’s narratives.
Fauci Lied to Congress
The correspondence released today directly contradicts Fauci’s 2024 testimony to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. In that hearing, while under oath, Fauci was repeatedly asked whether he spoke to “FBI, CIA, DIA or any U.S. intelligence agency concerning viral research” before, during, or after the pandemic. Fauci repeatedly dodged the questions, before falsely stating, “not to my knowledge about COVID.”
Retaliation Against Truth-Seekers
Testimony from multiple whistleblowers reveals intelligence analysts who challenged Fauci’s COVID-origin conclusions faced threat of retaliation, were marginalized, and often suffered career setbacks. This silenced dissent and fostered a culture where truth was sacrificed to conformity and credible evidence was buried.
The U.S. fought Iran for three months and ended up with:
13 American military deaths,
42 aircraft lost or damaged,
$29 billion in direct military operations,
$132 billion in broader consumer and taxpayer costs,
and a deal that lifts the blockade, releases Iranian assets, restores oil and petrochemical exports, and launches reconstruction plans for Iran.
No wonder the hawks and Israel are screaming “surrender.”
They didn’t get victory.
They got a receipt.
Herkes birbirinden kopuyor. Sebebi savaştan bile tehlikeli.
Son aylarda dağınık gibi duran haberler geldi.
-Çin elindeki Amerikan tahvillerini satıyor, yerine altın topluyor.
-Amerika nadir toprak için yeni rotalar arıyor.
-Japonya tarihinin en hızlı silahlanmasını yaşıyor, hatta Grönland'a heyet gönderiyor.
-Çin kendi çipini üretip kendi yapay zekasını kuruyor.
Çoğu kişi bunları ayrı ayrı okudu.
Oysa hepsi tek bir şeyi anlatıyor.
Bütün büyük güçler, aynı anda birbirinden kopuyor.
Peki neden herkes aynı anda kendi kabuğuna çekiliyor?
Anlatıyorum.
Cevap tek bir kuralda gizli.
Bir gerilim çağında, karşı tarafa bağımlı olmak savaştan daha tehlikelidir.
Şöyle düşünün.
Düşmanına bağımlıysan, o sana tek kurşun atmadan seni dize getirebilir. Enerjini keser, paranı dondurur, fabrikanın hammaddesini durdurur. Sen daha savaşa başlamadan teslim olursun.
İşte bütün dünya bunu aynı anda fark etti. Bunun üzerine herkes, düşmanının elindeki ipi kesmeye başladı.
Peki bu gerilim neden şimdi tırmandı?
Çünkü tarihin en eski kuralı işliyor.
Yükselen bir güç, mevcut güce yaklaştığında çatışma kaçınılmaz olur. Almanya yükseldi, Birinci Dünya Savaşı çıktı. Japonya yükseldi, İkinci Dünya Savaşı çıktı.
Bugün Çin yükseliyor, Amerika'yı yakalıyor.
İki dev karşı karşıya. Bu gerilimin kıvılcımı da tek bir adada toplanıyor.
Tayvan.
Çünkü dünyanın en gelişmiş çiplerinin neredeyse tamamı orada üretiliyor.
Telefon, araba, silah, yapay zeka, hepsinin beyni o adadan çıkıyor.
Tayvan bu hafta beş günlük bir Çin işgali tatbikatı yapıyor. Boşuna değil.
Şimdi o dağınık haberlere geri dönün. Hepsi bu kopuşun bir parçası.
Çin yıllardır Amerikan tahvili satıyor, yerine altın alıyor. Çünkü bir kriz anında Amerika onun dolarını dondurabilir.
Çin dolardan kopuyor.
Çin kendi çipini üretiyor, kendi yapay zekasını kuruyor. Çünkü Batı çip musluğunu kesebilir.
Çin çipte Batı'dan kopuyor.
Amerika nadir toprak için yeni rotalar arıyor, Japonya Grönland'a heyet gönderiyor. Çünkü o madenlerin işlenmesinin yüzde 90'ı Çin'in elinde, üstelik Çin onu silah gibi kesmeye başladı.
Batı nadir toprakta Çin'den kopuyor.
Japonya tarihinin en hızlı silahlanmasını yaşıyor.
Çünkü bir savaşta artık tek başına Amerika'ya güvenemeyeceğini biliyor.
Japonya güvenlikte kopuyor, kendi ayakları üstünde durmaya çalışıyor.
Hepsi aynı hareket. Herkes, düşmanına uzanan ipi tek tek kesiyor.
Ama işin ürkütücü tarafı şu.
Bugün savaşı engelleyen şey de tam bu bağımlılık.
İki taraf da diğerine muhtaç olduğu için kimse tetiği çekemiyor.
Çin Batı'nın çipine muhtaç, Batı Çin'in madenine muhtaç.
Biri diğerini vurursa, kendi de çöker.
Yani bu karşılıklı bağımlılık, bugün ikisini de savaştan alıkoyan son fren.
Şimdi herkes o freni sökmeye çalışıyor.
Bağımlılık bittiği gün, iki devi birbirine bağlı tutan o son ip de kopar.
Geriye de onları durduracak hiçbir şey kalmaz.
İşte bu yüzden bütün bu haberler aslında tek bir geri sayım.
Çin'in altını, Japonya'nın silahı, Grönland heyeti, Tayvan tatbikatı. Hepsi aynı saatin tik takları.
Bu benim şahsi analizim.
Gelişmeleri takip ediyorum, sizi bilgilendireceğim.
🔴 Al Arabiya English has obtained a copy of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding. The document includes the following key points:
🔴 Iran and the US, together with their allies in the current war, declare upon the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding an immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and undertake that from now on they will not launch any hostile action against each other, and will refrain from the threat or use of force against each other
🔴 Iran and the US undertake to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs
🔴 Iran and the US undertake to negotiate and reach a final agreement within a maximum period of 60 days, extendable by mutual consent
🔴 Immediately upon the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, the United States will lift the naval blockade and prevent any interference or obstruction against Iran, and restore traffic within a maximum of 30 days to its full capacity; the traffic of ships shall be proportional to the pre-war volume of traffic on Iran’s part
🔴 The US also undertakes to withdraw its forces from the surrounding areas within 30 days after the final agreement
🔴 Upon signing this Memorandum of Understanding, Iran will immediately take steps to ensure that the movement of merchant ships from the Arabian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa is resumed within 30 days to the pre-war volume, taking into account the need for the removal of technical obstacles and the neutralization of mines by Iran
🔴 The US undertakes, together with its regional partners, to create a comprehensive plan agreed upon by both parties for the rehabilitation and economic development of Iran, while ensuring financing of at least $300 billion
🔴 The implementation mechanism of this plan, as part of the final agreement, will be formulated within 60 days
🔴 The United States commits to ending, on a schedule to be agreed upon as part of the final agreement, all types of sanctions currently facing Iran, including resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and all unilateral US sanctions, both primary and secondary
🔴 Iran reiterates that it will never produce nuclear weapons
🔴 Iran and the US have agreed that the fate of enriched material and the fate of all other mutually agreed nuclear-related issues, including Iran’s nuclear needs, will be adequately addressed in a final agreement
🔴 Iran and the US agree that, pending a final agreement, they will maintain the status quo: Iran will maintain the status quo on its nuclear program, and the US will not impose new sanctions on Iran or strengthen its forces in the region
🔴 The US undertakes that immediately after the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, and until the date of the lifting of sanctions, the US Treasury Department will issue waivers for exports of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products and their derivatives, and all related services, including banking, insurance, transportation, and the like
🔴 The US undertakes that, in light of the progress of negotiations towards a final agreement, frozen or restricted funds and assets of Iran will be released and made fully available
🔴 These funds, whether held in the master account or transferred, will be used for any final beneficiary payment determined by the Central Bank of Iran and will be fully available for use. The US undertakes to issue all necessary permits and licenses on this basis
🔴 Iran and the US agree that an implementation mechanism will be established to oversee the successful implementation of and future commitment to the Final Agreement
🔴 Following the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, and upon receipt of assurances regarding the commencement of implementation of Articles 4, 5, 10, and 11 of this Memorandum of Understanding, and the continued implementation of these steps, Iran and the US will enter into negotiations for a Final Agreement solely with respect to the remaining Articles
🔴 The final agreement will be approved through a binding resolution of the UN Security Council
Please take time to read this
The IMF just said the naira is still undervalued by 25.6%. Let me break this down with actual mathematics so nobody can tell you this is opinion.
The IMF says based on Nigeria’s economic fundamentals, the naira should be trading at N1,131 to the dollar. The official rate today is N1,356 to the dollar. The difference is N225 per dollar. That is not a small gap, it is a 19.9% overcharge on every single dollar transaction happening in Nigeria right now.
Let me show you what that costs real people.
A Nigerian parent paying university fees abroad of $10,000 per year is paying N13,560,000 at today’s rate. At the rate the IMF says the naira should be, that same $10,000 costs N11,310,000. That parent is losing N2,250,000 every year purely because the naira is still undervalued. That is capital that should be staying in a Nigerian household.
A business importing raw materials worth $50,000 per shipment is paying N67,800,000 at today’s rate. At the correct fundamental rate it should cost N56,550,000. The business is absorbing an extra N11,250,000 per shipment that it did not earn and cannot recover except by raising prices on you, the Nigerian consumer. That cost does not disappear. It transfers.
Now look at the bigger picture.
Nigeria’s total merchandise imports in 2024 were approximately $27 billion. At the current undervalued rate versus where the naira should be, that N225 gap per dollar means Nigerian importers collectively overpaid by roughly N6.075 trillion in a single year. That excess cost did not go to Nigerian workers or Nigerian businesses. It evaporated into exchange rate distortion while the CBN defended the rate with reserves instead of fixing the fundamentals.
Now this is the part that should make you angry.
The REER appreciated 32% in 2025. That sounds like progress. But the NEER, the actual exchange rate you see on your screen, depreciated by 5.2% in the same period. How do both happen at the same time? Because domestic inflation was running so hot that even a weakening naira looked stronger against equally weakening trading partner currencies. Nigeria did not get stronger. Everything got more expensive together and the statistics smoothed it over.
Tinubu floated the naira in 2023. Nigerians absorbed the devaluation shock. Petrol prices rose. Cost of living rose. Businesses collapsed. The promise was that the market would correct and the naira would find its true value. Three years later the IMF is saying the naira is still 25.6 percent below fair value. Nigerians paid the full price of the adjustment and received less than three quarters of the correction.
You were charged for a full surgery. The doctor only completed 74.4 percent of the operation. And he is asking for more time.