Mohammed Marandi | Iran Will Not Back Down!

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]And thank you again for joining me. By the way, I I'm sorry it's so late. Of course, >> always.

[00:00:07]>> You're a friend, Jamal. The reason why I'm up is because of you.

[00:00:11]>> Oh, don't tell me that. Don't tell me that. That sucks.

[00:00:16]>> Don't tell me that.

[00:00:19]>> All right.

[00:00:19]>> No, of course not.

[00:00:21]>> Okay. Okay.

[00:00:22]>> No, I'm telling you that so you know.

[00:00:24]I'm not saying it because for you to pay me or to be embarrassed or anything like that. Just you're a good guy, so I stay up for >> Well, I appreciate it. I do appreciate it. Um, and just just so the audience would know, I want to bring you on.

[00:00:38]We're joined with Professor Mohammed Mandi and he is professor of English literature at the University. In fact, let find I'm sorry. Give me one second.

[00:00:50]I want to make sure I get this right.

[00:00:53]Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?

[00:00:54]Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?

[00:00:57]Okay.

[00:00:59]Okay. I had this up. Please give me one second.

[00:01:05]But Professor Moran, everybody knows who you are. Um, so thank you for joining me. It is very late there. Um, but I do appreciate you joining me. I always appreciate you joining me, especially during the current times.

[00:01:22]Um, these are are inundated with a huge amount of news.

[00:01:29]Um, okay, I'll I'll I'll hit this at the end of the video. We've been inundated with huge amount of news in regards to the war and this standoff that seems to be taking place. And I guess the first question has to be considering all of the back and forth that took place over the weekend about negotiations are closing in. The deal is close. Oh my god, we're close to a deal. Trump is speaking with all of the Gulf States. Um Trump wants them to sign the Abraham Accords. Um Trump at one point even a report came out that the White House told the negotiators to pay no attention to Trump because Donald Trump is speaking performatively to his domestic audience. Like meaning there was a huge amount of chum that was floating around the ether talking about a deal and how close things were to a deal as if a deal was imminent.

[00:02:23]I'm going to ask the flat question that I think a lot of people will want to know at this point which is where are we on any notion of a deal because it seems like the president is retreating from any notion of a deal at this point.

[00:02:43]The Iranians are not going to be flexible and Trump wants to initiate violence if and if they want to retreat from the Trump regime, retreat from what they already agreed upon. on then obviously there's not going to be a deal.

[00:03:12]>> So it depends on the United States.

[00:03:14]Increasingly I think people are becoming skeptical and they see Trump as weak. Uh from my understanding Trump desperately wants a deal. He was pushing to have this deal agreed upon very quickly and the Iranians weren't in a rush and aren't in a rush because they want to make sure everything is uh written carefully there no loopholes because we know what the Americans do loopholes but um but Trump was in a rush but then when But then when it became, can you hear me?

[00:04:04]>> Yes, I can hear you.

[00:04:07]>> Okay. So then when it became clear that there was a possibility for deal, we saw the Zionists and the Israelis all outraged and angry and Trump began to say different things. So he looked weak and uh violence in Lebanon and Americans have apparently killed number of in the Persian Gulf of I think four three or four Iranians in the Persian Gulf. So I think that uh the chances for an agreement are declining rapidly. Now this leads to another dilemma because attacks seem un it seems like an attack would lead to a catastrophe because a I guess the thing that I've always pointed out is that Iran is shown itself to be capable of hitting not just targets in regards to Americans assets but also for the most part they're hitting the infrastructure and the Gulf States that are basically surrounding them at this point.

[00:05:28]It doesn't seem like an attack is viable, but give me Iran's take on this. Is the expectation from the standpoint of Iran that there will be more strikes if indeed a deal is not reached or how is Iran viewing the standoff?

[00:05:47]Iran is prepared for war right now. the armed forces are on full alert and uh it can go either way. Uh but I think now uh the there's a tendency to believe that we're moving away from a deal because of Trump and Netanyahu in particular and we're moving closer to renewed war and if there is war, Iran will pull no punch will pull no punches and Iran's regional allies will immediately get involved.

[00:06:21]This is going to be a very uh intense war quite possibly.

[00:06:26]and more intense than the last time around and Iran is fully prepared. Uh you know, we've discussed this together before uh back in the day just a few weeks ago that when the Americans were saying that they destroyed all of Iran's missiles and drones, I've been saying I've said that that's not true and Iran's uh capabilities are are very much intact.

[00:06:51]And now they're beginning to admit this in Western media in, you know, from information provided to them from US intelligence. And I would say with confidence that the the US intelligence is um is still uh not saying the full story. Iran today, militarily speaking, is more powerful than it was at the start of the war. Economically speaking, it's more difficult, but militarily speaking, Iran is more powerful now. And the United States is not as powerful as it was at the beginning of. So, it's not going to end well for anyone if there's a war, but Iran is prepared to fight.

[00:07:40]I I'm curious on the escalation that Iran is thinking in this case. Like meaning if the US does well, let me ask a different question. Why do you think they haven't already done strikes? I mean, it's not like Donald Trump is a moral, ethical, honest, good person. Like, meaning he's not looking at this think to himself, oh man, I don't want to do this militarily.

[00:08:09]Why do you think like meaning that's not who he is? He opened up murdering a bunch of kids at a school. Like so that's the person who we're talking about. So what do you think is the thing that's limiting him for the reason why he hasn't done strikes already? He's threatened to do this every other day.

[00:08:26]What's stopping him?

[00:08:29]>> He's afraid because he knows what will happen. It will destroy the global economy. it'll create a global economic depression worse than the 1930s. But uh he's under immense pressure from the Zionists, the Zionist lobby, the Israeli regime, Netanyahu, they have huge influence. Uh, I think it was Tucker Carlson a while back. He said that when I went to see Trump and I tried to talk him out of launching a war, he knew that's this is what I remember Tucker Carlson saying that he knew what I was saying was right, but he he and he looked sort of like again I I don't remember exactly what he said, but it looked like he knew, but he there wasn't anything he could do about it. So this is the sort of pressure that he's I mean I your viewers would know they could find the quote or whatever Tucker Carlson but uh so I think he knows and I think that that's why he doesn't want to launch another war. We don't want war either. I mean we didn't start this war.

[00:09:41]We didn't escalate. Uh we're not the ones who the side that keeps violating the ceasefire. The Americans just murdered three or four young Iranians uh yesterday. So, uh we're not the one doing the provocations, but if the war begins, Iran will Iran will fight to the finish. And this is not a war that Trump can win.

[00:10:04]Trump keeps putting out I don't know what to call. Part of me thought desperation, part of me thought he was losing his mind. Part of me thought it was for domestic consumption.

[00:10:18]But the moment that reports of a deal came out, he starts backtracking and not just backtracking, doubling down on things like Iran is going to hand me their uranium. Um, we are going to take it from them. They've decided that they're going to do so and so and so and so. Just to be clear, is the uranian thing what are the core demands that Iran is going with? Like meaning what what are the red lines from the standpoint of Iran on this any negotiations? Well, in this in this agreement for the first phase, the first 60 days, um uh the Iranians have only agreed to open the straight of hormones to the numbers that would pass through before the war started.

[00:11:10]And Iran would announce that um it is not developing a nuclear weapon, which of course it said many times before, >> right? But the United States will have have to do quite a few things. It has to end the war in Lebanon and the slaughter of women and children there which uh the Israeli regime is carrying out. They'll have to remove the they'll have to um remove the sanctions on the energy sector for this period of time. the Iranian energy sector. They'll have to give a large part of Iran's assets that have been stolen by the United States over the past few years, past few decades. And um and uh there's something else, but I don't remember where there. But in any case, the Iranians got a number of of key concessions from the Americans. I think and I'm glad you said that. The reason why ask that because I was making sure that what I thought was on that list was on that list. The Lebanon one is one of the most interesting aspects of this.

[00:12:22]>> Yeah.

[00:12:24]>> Go ahead.

[00:12:27]>> Well, remember the first time that we had a ceasefire after the war, the war in Lebanon was supposed to end.

[00:12:34]>> Yes. the the genocidal attacks were supposed to end and then Iran would allow the those extra ships to leave the straight of hormones, the ships belonging to those countries that helped the United States against Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and the Emirates. And since Netanyahu wrecked the ceasefire, those ships didn't go through. So Netanyahu has caused this global crisis to get worse. And then Trump began his siege on Iranian ports which also has to be lifted in this agreement. But the point is that as a result for the last month and a half uh more for over a month and a half now uh the the uh the the oil and gas coming through the straight of Hormuz has has become almost zero. Mhm.

[00:13:26]>> So Netanyahu and Trump have intensified uh the global e economic crisis because they wouldn't abide by the ceasefire. So now this uh new agreement that we have, a 60-day agreement, we don't know if it's going to work because if they violate the ceasefire, the Iranians will obviously feel that they will not uh should not carry out their side of the bargain again.

[00:13:57]>> Well, that's the thing >> already. We're seeing >> No, no, no.

[00:14:03]>> There's a slight lag. I'm sorry. There's a slight lag in the in the feet, but please continue. I apologize.

[00:14:12]>> No, no, I'm good. That's I That's all I was going to say. Well, the only thing I was going to point out is what's interesting to me is that Lebanon is tied to this that Iran is extending a shield over Lebanon and is a it's making it as if Hezbollah is a front in the war. Meaning he's basically saying, look, we acknowledge that Hezbollah is a friend and we acknowledge that Israel as an extension of US power because technically Iran is not negotiating with Israel. It's negotiating with the US, but it's telling the US, "Get your dog in order." I'm fascinated by that.

[00:14:57]Yes. In the agreement, it it is Iran and its allies and the US and its allies. So the United States is responsible for what the Israeli regime does.

[00:15:08]Of course, we may not get that agreement because the way in which thing the the Zionists are now pushing the situation.

[00:15:15]They're pushing Trump and uh the United States armed forces and of course the Israeli regime is uh intensifying attacks on Lebanon. I'm increasingly skeptical about the possibility for a deal.

[00:15:34]Well, but do you think at the end of this there will be a deal like meaning beyond whether this takes 6 months or whether this takes 3 months or two months or one month. Do you think that inevitably there's a deal? And I guess the question I'm asking or trying to get at is what does Iran want to be at the end of this?

[00:15:59]Well, Iran didn't, you know, again, you know this, but Iran didn't start the war. So, Iran doesn't want war. But everything depends on the United States.

[00:16:10]If they want to be obedient to the Zionists and the Zionist lobby and the Israeli regime, there's nothing we can do about it except for resist.

[00:16:19]And uh again, we didn't launch the war.

[00:16:22]>> Correct.

[00:16:23]>> So, what we've done is a response to their actions. And if the United States wants to violate what they have agreed upon, then we can't move forward. We'll have to go back to resistance and uh that could mean military resistance.

[00:16:43]You know, we're you're asking questions that really don't make sense when you're dealing with someone who's a a psychopath and who is not completely sane.

[00:16:57]because you're thinking logically, you're saying, "Okay, where do we go from here?" And you know, this is not this is going to harm the global economy. But we're talking about Trump and so all you know, your logic doesn't make sense.

[00:17:15]>> And uh and so and we're talking about Zionism and Israeli lobby, which doesn't care about the United States. They they're they're America. Many of them are Americans, but they don't care about the United States.

[00:17:30]They're willing to sacrifice the United States. They're willing to sacrifice the global economy for the sake of Netanyahu and for the sake of Zionism and for the sake of all the slaughter and genocide that they're carrying out. So, we're not dealing with normal people. We're not dealing with sane people. We're not dealing with moral people. So, the answer you to your question becomes very difficult.

[00:17:52]But I guess I'm asking it from Okay, fair enough. I guess I was I was more so getting at how does what does Iran want?

[00:18:02]And I guess the answer would be Iran wants to be left to its devices.

[00:18:08]Obviously, it doesn't want to be attacked. Um so fair enough.

[00:18:12]>> And it wants an end to the genocide.

[00:18:14]>> Yeah. And it wants an end to the genocide in Gaza and the genocidal attacks in Lebanon. And all of those things must be included in any kind of deal.

[00:18:26]>> Yeah, the ceasefire is the the entire region.

[00:18:29]>> Of course, Lebanon is named specifically because of the outrageous attacks that we see today, >> but uh yeah, it's a it's a regional ceasefire.

[00:18:37]>> I'm curious from your own point, do you see Isra do you see the US getting Israel in line in order to stop the conflict? Like meaning I I'm curious from your point of view and from Iran's point of view, do they see it as the tail wagging the dog or the dog wagging the tail?

[00:18:56]Meaning how does Iran view this? Do they view this?

[00:18:59]>> Well, I think since it's Zion, I I I I've always said Yeah. I've always said that I don't believe that here the the tail wag the wags the dog or the dog wags the tail is a is a correct uh comparison. It's it's a it's a a correct way to describe it because I believe Zionism the Zionists are in control of both Washington and Tel Aiv.

[00:19:25]>> I see.

[00:19:26]>> So they're on both sides. So you know it's the Zionists who are in charge. The American people are not in charge. They don't have any say in all of this. But the question is, and this is this is the question for me, and I don't have the answer, but the question is, how far does the pain have to go before American elites begin to say we should start thinking about our own interests first before the Israeli regime? Because the U United States has been going downhill for decades, especially the last two, three decades, we're seeing it pick up speed with all the dirty wars and all the, you know, the endless wars and and the tens of trillions of dollars that the US government has thrown away for the sake of Israel, right? At 20, 30 trillion dollars at least in all these wars that we see going on. Yeah.

[00:20:30]>> Directly and indirectly. And now this war is by far the worst. I mean, it's not without reason that Robert Kagan, uh, the godfather of the neocon says that this is the biggest defeat that the United States has ever experienced.

[00:20:46]So all of this is done being for being done for the sake of Israel, for the sake of the Zionists, not for the sake of the American people. So Americans are not in power. But for me and I guess for many other people too, the question is as this global econ economic crisis grows and it continues to grow by the minute.

[00:21:08]When do we reach a point where leaders in the United States start saying, "Oh, this is this is getting dangerous. We have to rethink and prioritize our own people because we're moving towards instability."

[00:21:22]That's the point where I think Zionists are in serious trouble.

[00:21:26]Do I feel that we've reached that stage?

[00:21:29]No. I don't think that the reason why Joe Kent, you know, resigned where he said that this war is about the Zionist lobby and the Israeli regime, it has nothing to do with US interests or anything like that. I think we're still at that phase. But the fact that Trump is so desperate to have an agreement even though he's weak and he's a terribly weak person and he's very feeble-minded and he's uh and he's been forced to to or he seems to be backtracking on all his promises.

[00:22:03]But it does indicate that he's recognizing that the United States is in trouble. So in future does the United States reach a point where the leadership says that no no here we have to we have to uh make decisions based on US interest first.

[00:22:25]That is the point where I think Israel is in deep deep trouble.

[00:22:31]I'm curious on something else. the Gulf States.

[00:22:34]Now, reporting has been that you Saudi Arabia, UAE were involved or let's say participating in the attacks that the US was running on Iran. But the Gulf States also took the brunt of the attacks that took place. Well, mind you, they're hosting US military bases that were attacking Iran, so take it with a grain of salt in this case. But I'm I'm curious on where do you think they stand currently in regards to this let's say readiness or this seemingly want of some of the lunatics in the US um and for that matter in Israel that wants to resume the war.

[00:23:16]Where do you think the Gulf States fall in this? I mean ultimately they're going to be the ones that take the hit.

[00:23:23]>> Well, they're not the only ones who are going to take the hit. the Israeli regime is going to be uh pounded day and night like it was during the 39 days.

[00:23:32]And of course all US bases in the region were wrecked. So it's when we speak about these regimes in the Persian Gulf, we're also talking about all those US bases that were destroyed, >> right?

[00:23:44]>> But when the Americans and Israelis target Iran's critical infrastructure and these countries facilitate that, then they're going to be punished.

[00:23:56]These countries initially thought that uh they'd be quiet. They'd let the Americans carry out the war. They'll help the Americans because they fund those bases. The Americans don't pay for those bases. The American everything that's done on those bases is paid for by these governments especially the Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. So all expenditures are paid for by these host regimes.

[00:24:22]So they are fully complicit in the war and I think that they thought that this war would just last a few days. the Americans would win, Iran would be wrecked and that they could you know carry on with their uh you know the the despotic rule over these small countries with western backing and they miscalculated and that's why I think except for the Emirates which is Muhammad bin Zed has lost his mind apparently except for him the others are more cautious now >> the others are more cautious and they're afraid.

[00:25:03]So it's, you know, they we're we're we hear that Muhammad bin Salmon was encouraging the war, the United States to begin the war, but now he's worried because he knows what Iran can do to the the his his regime.

[00:25:25]It's been said according to the reporting that Donald Trump had a conversation with all of the Arab basically the Gulf States. And in that conversation with the Gulf States, he was talking about whatever memorandum of understanding that was at. But then he made this point that apparently caused everybody to kind of get very quiet when he says, "Hey, at the end of this war when I actually get a deal, I want all of you guys to also make a deal with Israel." Um, apparently you can hear pin drop.

[00:25:57]>> Well, that's not what he said.

[00:25:59]>> What did he say?

[00:26:01]>> That's what now he or he basically orders him to do so. At least that's what we see in the social media uh posts. It's an order.

[00:26:11]At least that's what the social media post is is is written in the post. So what happened on the phone conversation?

[00:26:18]>> Uhhuh.

[00:26:20]>> Sorry.

[00:26:21]>> No, I was just going to say what do you make of that? But you were saying what happened on the phone conversation.

[00:26:25]Please continue.

[00:26:27]>> Yeah. It just shows that he has no respect for Turkey, for the Saudis, for the Amiratis, for Bahrain. He doesn't have any respect for any of them and they're just humiliating themselves by allowing him to treat them this way.

[00:26:44]I mean, it's clear as day after this war that the Americans don't care about. I mean, he's Trump, his family has been making billions of dollars from these families from Qatar and the Emirates and Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, his son-in-law, his sons and Kushner, his sons. They're making billions of dollars, but they don't respect them and they don't protect them. They sacrifice them all for the sake of the Israeli regime. And now he's ordering them. He's ordering Erdogan. He's ordering Muhammad bin Salman. He's ordering.

[00:27:21]And this is not this is not good for any of these governments because they're hum they're Trump is humiliating humiliating them in front of their people at a time when people hate the Israeli regime more than ever before. I mean across the world they hate the Israeli regime.

[00:27:39]neighboring countries that see what's going on in Gaza and Lebanon every day, they hate them even more.

[00:27:49]>> Do you think that there's a reorganization or let's say a rethinking of the model that the Gulf States have affected with up to this point after what they've seen? Meaning I'm asking this question because it's apparent that this idea that you can surround Iran with uh military bases and that this will provide protection for those Gulf states is nonsense. In fact, those bases were liabilities. Those things weren't necessarily benefits to those locations.

[00:28:24]Considering that this model has found been found weighed and lacking and weighed in the balance and found lacking, do you think that these states change going forward or are they so intrinsically linked to the US that there is no change possible without these states effectively dissolving or >> Yeah. In the case of the United Arab Emirates, it's becoming more extreme and uh open it openly sees itself as an ally of Netanyahu, which I'm sure the people of UAE, you know, they they look upon with disgust. But it's a police state. People cannot talk in any of these five countries. These are these are very very especially the Emirates. It is a police police state like no other because they control everything. They control your social media. They control your cell phones. So people in the Emirates don't talk politics unless they have, you know, connections and they're allowed to do so. I mean, my friends in the Emirates states, I never discuss politics at all and neither do they. You just I don't even speak with them anymore because I don't want to get them into trouble. So, um, the other four countries though, I'm sure I it seems as if that they they feel differently now. Not that because they're better people. I mean, they they facilitated the war. They facilitated facilitated the murder of thousands of Iranians.

[00:29:58]>> Yeah.

[00:29:59]>> And the destruction of infrastructure, but now they see that the United States is not the protector of their regimes that they had hoped. And Iran is much stronger than they imagined.

[00:30:12]So they are rethinking and the Iranians are the reason why the speaker of parliament went to was partially to to rebuild because they were part of this war. But still we know that at the end of the day if they start behaving reasonably it's in the interest of everyone for stability in the Persian Gulf region.

[00:30:48]>> Professor I'm going to end it here. It's I I don't want to keep you more than 30 minutes. Um and you answered the >> questions that I've wanted to ask answered. I thank you for this. And look, I you guys have behaved I I think I've said this once before. Iran has handled this admirably to put it mildly. Um it's unfortunate that this is the situation to which we find ourselves. Um and hopefully the US will see sense cut their losses and walk. Um that is my fervent hope. I suppose we will see how this turns out. But you have my thanks for this. I really do appreciate it. You be safe and have a good night. Okay.

[00:31:34]>> Thank you.

[00:31:38]>> All right. Um, we have >> Thank you very much. I mean, by the way, did you read that book that I once told you?

[00:31:46]>> It was about Iran. It was the Iranian book. I have not read that book yet. I have not read that book, but I will read that book.

[00:31:52]>> Going to I promise you I will get that book and I will read that book.

[00:32:00]Yeah, I think it's a good idea to read it and let me know what you think. Are we online, by the way? Are we caught?

[00:32:04]>> Yeah. Yeah, we're still online. We're still alive. Sorry.

[00:32:08]>> It's like, don't say anything insane.

[00:32:09]Don't say anything insane.

[00:32:10]>> Well, do I'll try not to. I mean, it is it is almost 2:00 a.m. So, there's a high chance that I may say something in >> Yeah, this is a crazy period.

[00:32:22]>> But do read that book.

[00:32:24]>> It's an eye open. Um, no. I would definitely check this book. I would read I was I would get this book and I would read this book and I will tell you exactly what I think about it. Um, in fact, we can come on and we can talk on air if you're open to it.

[00:32:36]>> So, sure.

[00:32:38]>> You have a good night and I thank you for this.

[00:32:41]>> You too.

[00:32:42]>> All righty. Byebye.

[00:32:43]>> Bye for now.

[00:32:44]>> Okay. Let's see this and this and bounce back to here and kill this and open this. Bam.

[00:32:55]got it down to a science. It took me a while to figure out how to make that work because you can't use Rumble Studio and you can't use Streamyard in Iran. And so then the catch becomes ah Jamaal then how do you do it? How do you do it? And it was some of the other channels that was like how do you do that? How do you pull that off? It's my secret trade secret.

[00:33:20]I tell no one. I tell no one. Um, no.

[00:33:24]Shout out to Professor Morandi. And just to put a head on it, Professor Morandi is a professor of English literature and Orientalism at the University of Ton.

[00:33:36]I got tongue tied before because I was about to say Tan University. And in my head, I was like, wait a minute, is that right? Yes, it was correct. Um, but shout out to Professor Morandi. It is like 1:30 2 in the morning where he is.

[00:33:51]He has my thanks. Yes, my thanks. Um, I will say like, I will say share, I will say subscribe. I want to thank all of you for joining me. Obviously, my show is usually in the morning, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., but I do shows all throughout the course of the day, depending upon when I can get the interviews. Um, tomorrow, Vanessa Bey is going to be on the show. She is a dear friend of mine.

[00:34:20]I will call her that. Usually I say professional prince, but I would say she's a dear friend of mine. So, she has my appreciation for joining me tomorrow.

[00:34:28]I'm trying to get at 8:00.

[00:34:31]I may see if Ted can do it.

[00:34:35]Um, but I've been trying to book out for the week. Today, I've had somewhat of a chill day just because it's Memorial Day. But all things being equal, we'll make it work. So, you all have a fantastic one uh rest of your day and I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning. Thanks all. Bye-bye.