🕌 TEHRAN — A 15-million crowd is the IRGC's best argument against any concession. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Mass turnout — real or mobilized — gives hardliners a legitimacy mandate entering post-July 9 Doha. Mojtaba's handlers now claim a popular investiture without him appearing. For Washington, negotiating against a "martyred" Khamenei's funeral record compresses Iran's room to soften publicly on Hormuz or nuclear terms.
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⚓ HORMUZ — Europe won't patrol the strait until Washington proves the truce holds. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: European navies joining before Thursday would commit them politically to a co-belligerent posture ahead of any deal. Withholding signals Brussels won't absorb that cost while Iran FM is already calling Kallas.
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🇪🇺 BRUSSELS — Tehran is calling Europe while Washington holds the clock. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Iran FM reaching Brussels before Thursday's Trump address signals Tehran wants European diplomatic cover, not just Oman's. The EU controls the sanctions architecture that predates US secondary measures — Iran knows Brussels can complicate or
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🏭 TEHRAN — Tehran's damage narrative just contradicted itself at ministerial level. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Iranian media published 80% destruction figures hours ago — now the acting defense minister claims manufacturing is "more active than ever." One message is for Oman; the other is for the IRGC. The contradiction is
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🇰🇼 KUWAIT — Gulf neighbor breaks cover before Thursday's address. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Kuwait hosts US forces and has stayed publicly quiet for 150+ days. Breaking cover now signals Gulf consensus hardening against Tehran — or Riyadh pressing to isolate Iran before any deal lands. For Oman's mediation, a Gulf