Mohammad Marandi : US–Iran tensions explode again as the world fears a new Middle East war

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:05]Hi everybody. Today's Saturday, May 16, 2026 and our dear friend, our brother, Professor Mandi, is here with us.

[00:00:12]Welcome back, Professor Mandi.

[00:00:15]>> Hi, Nema. One of the very good things about you, Nema, is that you are very patient and tolerant, and I really apologize for for being so late. Uh it's uh it's my fault >> anyway. So uh but uh here I am.

[00:00:33]>> Yeah, I do apologize to our audience because we didn't know but it happens because it's live and some >> I apologize to everyone. Yes, I apologize to you and everyone. I'm very sorry.

[00:00:46]>> It's it's all my fault and I I've wasted 15 20 minutes of everyone's time. I really apologize.

[00:00:53]Let me start with the meeting between Donald Trump and Xiinping and we had the Iranian foreign minister going to China talking with China. I'm sure that he said about Iranian position and and with the case of the trade of Hormuz and the ongoing war between Iran and the United States. It was coordinated before between the two foreign ministers, Iranian foreign minister and Wangi, the Chinese foreign minister. And then we have Donald Trump going to China. From what we've heard so far, the announcement they were talking about basically two points of what in in that statement of white house was about the straight of foremost. One of them was that we have to open up the straight of for the second one demilitarization of the straight of foremost. I don't know if you because they were talking about the toll system that Iran is trying to define in this model or has defined in the straight of >> has defined.

[00:01:52]>> Yeah. And what is your understanding of the achievements of Donald Trump in China considering the ongoing conflict and war between Iran and the United States?

[00:02:06]Well, if your guess was Pepe, he Pepe, he would be uh he would be more uh emphatic about the the failure, but it was a complete failure. And uh I think it was clear from the Iranian foreign minister's trip, anyone who followed that trip closely and the body language and the the the the social media accounts of the meeting in China um and how he was the Iranian presence was viewed in the Iranians were presented as heroic in their resistance against the United States and how The Chinese officials said that Iran's global status has been enhanced significantly and it will have implications for future economic progress in Iran and so on. It was clear that the two countries when the foreign ministers met and compared notes they were coordinating and also the 30 ships that left the straight of hormones on the same day of the negotiations. That was something that these two countries had negotiated over days and it was it was not by coincidence that it happened u on the day of the negotiations and if crumbs and of course there was no joint statement uh by the two sides uh nothing really came out of it even the Boeing planes it's not clear if that's really a real deal or just u some general comments made at the negotiating table.

[00:03:41]Uh, and we saw later on that in his um in in one of his interviews, Trump basically admitted that the Chinese said nothing about uh the Iranian nuclear program. Trump said that Iranians are crazy and that uh they shouldn't have a nuclear weapon. And President Xi didn't respond. He just, you know, went quiet until and the conversation continued.

[00:04:08]So, I think that it's fair to say that the American spin on the entire trip is detached from reality and the part on Iran uh is even more detached from reality. But then that does mean that we reach a new phase of the uh the crisis because now it's more than two and a half months since the war began.

[00:04:39]We are at war. Uh this is this is siege warfare. The United States has blocked the straight of hormone and the the global economy is heading towards crisis. Iran is heading towards uh greater difficulty at home too. But I I personally think the world is going to be more damaged than Iran in the long run because Iran has been under siege for decades and it will cope and uh it will be difficult especially since damage has been done but but I think the United States knows that this siege warfare is not going to succeed and that's why we had that military but pretty pathetic military attack on the straight naval attack on the straight of hormones a couple weeks weeks ago which failed and they couldn't get a single ship out of the strait.

[00:05:31]And uh so I think that there's a very good chance that we will have a military assault, a major military assault. Uh because at the end of the day, if the Israeli regime wants it, if the Zionist lobby wants it, then they'll probably get it. I don't see any dramatic shift in the United States away from Zionism, at least not yet. And so I think there will be a military offensive. I think that's that's the assessment here that there will probably be another assault against Iran. It could be somewhat different than before. Uh the Israeli and US regime may begin targeting targeting Iranian critical infrastructure.

[00:06:14]Uh that would mean that Iran will target critical infrastructure and whether in Palestine or in the Persian Gulf region.

[00:06:22]But in the Persian Gulf region, because of the extreme heat of summer, it will bring an end to those regimes. I mean, imagine the United Arab Emirates without electricity in the summer with the humidity and the heat. I mean, no one will be able to stay or in Kuwait or in even the Saudi the former um head of Saudi intelligence to Fesal when he wrote that article in a in an outlet close to the Saudi regime. um where he was saying that the Saudis you know that that um the you know he was trying to distance Saudi Arabia was distancing itself from the war but he in that article he basically said that uh Saudi Arabia could be destroyed if it's um if its vital infrastructure which is all alongside the Persian Gulf were destroyed.

[00:07:15]So if they go after Iran's critical infrastructure, it will be a it will be a defeat for the United States because its proxies will be crushed. And uh and it's not a war that we want. We we didn't start this war. We don't want war. But and remember even though Iran was able to destroy so much in the Persian Gulf region, less than 20 people died in all these five countries.

[00:07:41]Iran was careful not to kill innocent people. Yet 3,400 3,450 I don't know the exact number Iranians were massacred, slaughtered.

[00:07:54]So we are in a dangerous place right now.

[00:07:57]And I think that uh every day that goes by, you've heard this from others, you know this better than I, and I've been saying it, that we're heading towards a global major global recession. If this continues, it'll be a global depression.

[00:08:11]But if there is war and that war does become vicious uh and they start striking Iranian critical infrastructure then I think a great economic depression a global economic depression is inevitable and that will change everyone's lives that will be that is something that the world should really fear right >> what is your understanding of this new concept that they're talking about it in GCC countries non-aggression packact and how is that related is that was that communicated with Iranians about what is that what is the basis the foundation of that sort of concept is that related to that security architecture of the region how do you how does Iran find that >> well it's it's vague it's very vague and it's uh these these countries if they had said no to the Americans from the beginning we wouldn't have had this war logistically speaking the Americans cannot wage a war without the support of Jordan the full full support of Jordan Saudi Arabia the Emirates Qatar Bahrain Kuwait and uh there would have been no wars But uh and and now to say this is is a good is a positive step, but it's by no means enough. Uh the Americans have to leave. Iran will no longer accept US the US threat on the Arabian Peninsula.

[00:09:58]And um we've we've suffered enough as it is.

[00:10:03]We've suffered far too much. So it it is a it is a good I I would assume a good step in the right direction but I think there's a a long way to go. I mean non-aggression Iran didn't launch this war just like you know when they supported Saddam Hussein when the United States pushed Saddam Hussein to invade Iran uh these countries also funded that war too.

[00:10:30]They killed they helped kill I think if you include the the Kurdish areas where Saddam funded the terrorists and the West funded the terrorists up to almost 200,000 people died in that war on the Iranian side. So then they began funding ISIS and al al-Qaeda and they um in you know in the last couple of decades in Syria and Iraq and elsewhere and of course they've been a destructive force elsewhere in the Arab Spring they destroyed Libya and Syria they destroyed so much of Yemen they carried out a genocidal war there of course all under the US and Israeli uh umbrella under the umbrella of the you know within the framework of the US and Israeli interest. They helped destroy Iraq. You know it's interesting.

[00:11:26]They supported Saddam Hussein gave him hundreds of billions of dollars. Then when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait after that they turned against Saddam and when the United States invaded I mean Iran never allowed US troops into Iran even to to uh when they wanted to take back away. And then later on after 9/11 when the United States lied about chemical weapons, the same chemical weapons that they and the Germans and the Europeans gave to him when they lied about chemical weapons which they Saddam no longer possessed.

[00:11:59]Uh these countries assisted the United States in invading in Iran invading Iraq and Iran was opposed to the war. Iran did not assist the United States. It was utterly opposed to the war. So these regimes have no principles. They have they have nothing. They are just they are proxies of the United States and they've destroyed country after country after country. Their destructive policies have um have have have helped create misery in Palestine, in Lebanon, in Syria, in Iraq, in Iran, in Yemen, in in in Sudan, in Somalia, in Libya. Uh I mean it's just unbelievable how uh how how destructive these five regimes are and uh yet the arrogance of their leaders knows no bounds. So in future they're going to have to behave differently. The Iranians are you know the Iranians are not going to allow them to be proxies for the United States against Iran or Iran's allies anymore.

[00:13:06]But still this is a a a good step in the right direction. But I think there's a long way to go before uh we can get to where we need to get.

[00:13:17]Iran has no imperial ambitions. And anyone who says so is is talking nonsense.

[00:13:24]Iran does not have a military base anywhere in the region.

[00:13:29]There's no Iranian flag and never has been in Iraq except for at the embassy in Syria except for before in the embassy in Lebanon, in Yemen, in Afghanistan. Nowhere nowhere did Iran have bases. Look at Turkey. Look at uh the Americans. Look at, you know, all of these regimes have have bases across the board. Iran has none. Iran has allies that it supports and they have popular support because without popular support, how would uh Yemen survive? How would Hezbollah survive? How would uh Iran's friends in Palestine and allies in Palestine survive? They're they're supporting liberation movements against the empire, but Iran doesn't have it.

[00:14:19]When Iraq collapsed, did Iran uh take control over any Iraqi territory as compensation for the war? Did Iran uh you know when in in the chaos Iran could have taken parts of Iraq and said this is the new Iran? The same is true with Afghanistan, what could, let's say, the Taliban do about it? Nothing. But Iran has no imperial ambitions. Um, you know, right now people don't know this, but Iraq owes Iran many billions of dollars because Iran provides it with electricity with um natural gas and electricity and the Iraqis don't pay for it because the United States will not allow them to. But Iran won't cut off the gas right now. Even though Iran because of the the war and the strikes on Iranian gas and uh gas facilities, Iran has a shortage of sorts. But Iran continues to provide them with energy so that they can keep have electricity for their cities. So Iran is spending money in Iraq and giving providing Iraq energy resources and not being paid for it because they don't want the Iraqi people to go without electricity. and Iran is sanctioned under war. So um you know Iran doesn't have imperial ambitions but these countries have done infinite harm to our country when it comes to war new round of war.

[00:15:50]I two days ago I was listening to one of the commanders in Iran. He said that they expected the United States they they're going to attack but the way they're going to attack is of question for them. It's going to be assassination. It's going to be invasion. It's going to be the attacks on, you know, p power grids or oil facilities. This is the question on their part. They're the assessing or reassessing the the new attacks. But how prepared is Iran when it comes to the Iranian arsenal, when it comes to the ballistic missiles and drones. We have two assessments in the west. One of them was CBS News if I'm not mistaken and together with New York Times predicting that 70% of Iranian arsenal is still in is there and they have it compared to what they have 70% of what they had before the war started and the new assessment in CNN says that it's 90%.

[00:16:46]What is that number and what do we know about the how prepared is Iran for the new round of war?

[00:16:56]Iran is militarily speaking, not economically speaking. Economically speaking, Iran is in a tough place, but militarily speaking, Iran is stronger today than before the war. Significantly stronger. Iran's missile arsenal is stronger than it was be before the war.

[00:17:14]Iran's drone capabilities are stronger and Iran is prepared for a ground war.

[00:17:20]The belief is that the maximum the Iran's preparing for maximum assault and that is using thousands of Kurdish terrorists and from Kurdish Iraq. But if that happens by the way that will be the end of Kurdish Iraq. Iran will make sure that it is after the war dismantled and fully controlled by the central government in Iran. So, you know, Arab had be better had better be very careful about its future because uh if it cooperates, if it allows these terrorists to enter Iran, when the war is over, Iran will make sure that there is no uh local there's no uh autonomous government in the north of Iraq. It will be controlled by backlo. So, it's for them to decide their future. Then there are the terrorists, the Wahhabi Salafi terrorists that have always been tools of the west um throughout the region and throughout the world uh alongside the Pakistani border inside Pakistan that they are also going to carry out an assault. They're being prepared for an assault inside Iran.

[00:18:24]Uh also the uh remnants of those uh the militias that carried out the uh armed uprising a few months ago on January the 8th and 9th if I'm not mistaken. You know our calendar is different so I'm I know the Persian dates better than the English dates. But um the so-called peaceful protesters remember the that you know and all that nonsense that we hear from the Western media. uh they too are being prepared from what we're hearing here in Iran for an assault and terrorist attacks and uh in in in major cities like Tehran and then uh a joint Zionist Israeli American assault on Iranian critical infrastructure and perhaps US assaults uh on islands the mainland and uh inside Iran deep inside like the failed operation near Esvan.

[00:19:23]where they tried to locate and extract Iran's uh enriched uranium. So this is the maximum and this is what the Iranians are preparing for uh an allout assault to see if they can turn the tide and win the war. They will fail, but the Iranian response Nema will will be devastating to the Israeli regime.

[00:19:49]Devastating. far worse than uh the 39-day war. And for the regimes in the Persian Gulf, I think it will be an end to their to their regimes. It will bring it them to an end most probably because in this weather in the summer with the humidity humidity and heat that we see in the Persian Gulf, uh if Iran if Iran's critical infrastructure is targeted, Iran will target their critical infrastructure in retaliation.

[00:20:20]And uh that will mean the end of these regimes. No one can live in the Emirates without electricity and water. They'll all have to get in their cars and cross the desert and go to Oman to um Iraq uh for and stay there. Uh that will be the end of these regimes. It's just you can't live there. And the American troops will also have to leave these regimes too. The heat is just will be unbearable. So the Americans are really in in their obedience to the Zionist lobby and the Zionist regime, they're going to wreck these countries, but also they're going to wreck the global economy. Because if this happens, then rest, we should all rest assured a a great global economic depression is 100%.

[00:21:12]uh it's it will happen 100% and it will change the lives of everyone and the world will be a very different place and uh we're already heading for dark times because of what's already happened. But if that happens then I think uh what we're going to what what we can see ahead will be far worse than what the trajectory that we're we're now uh taking.

[00:21:40]In the statement of white house they basically talking about opening up the straight of foremost and demilitarization. I see no problem with the Iranian position with these two points. They don't they they want to open up the straight of foremost and they have actually the main problem that Iran has today is militarization of the straight of formos and what the United States is doing with the case of blockade.

[00:22:05]Is there any sort of disagreement with those two points in the statement of White House, you know, somehow summing up the the meeting between Donald Trump and she well again there's no joint statement.

[00:22:23]So I think de opening the trade of hormones is what Iran and China want and uh that's how we make money. That's how business is done. demilitarization.

[00:22:36]Iran didn't start the war and those destroying those US bases are a step towards demilitarization of the Persian Gulf. And the reason why Iran is going to control the trade of hormones is not just for compensation for what these Arab regimes help do to Iran, but also to make sure that the the United States does not u uh make the Persian Gulf once again a military uh foothold for assaulting Iran. So I think the way in which the United States sees demilitarization, what they mean is that Iran must raise its hand, his hands, raise the white flag and submit to the United States and the Israeli regime.

[00:23:21]And opening the straight hormones for the United States means uh preserving a siege on Iranian ports and allowing US proxies to export oil. That's not going to happen. And an assault on Iran is not going to change that. An assault on Iran is going to lead to the destruction of the remaining oil and gas infrastructure and critical infrastructure in the Arab regimes and probably bring an end to those regimes.

[00:23:49]And it will lead to the destruction of many of the ships, if not all of the ships in the Persian Gulf. It will lead to an economic crisis far worse than what we're experiencing. uh uh as I said what we're experiencing now and what we will probably be experiencing there's this is not a situation where the Americans can win but this is a war that the Israeli regime wants a war that the Israeli regime demands it is the war it is a war that Zionists demand and so Zionists want to destroy the global economy that destroy the American economy uh for the sake of the Israeli regime in my opinion this is suicidal for Zionism because the because Zionism has already discredited itself and exposed itself to the world for being genocidal.

[00:24:38]But now it is telling the world that we will destroy your lifestyle, the lifestyle of everyone across the world too.

[00:24:47]And that is something that I think will have uh an even greater impact uh on perceptions of Zionism uh across the world and in the United States.

[00:25:04]Donald Trump yesterday said in his interview that he's doing this war because he wants to help Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, all these GCC countries together with Israel.

[00:25:17]But as time goes by, we have to accept that they may have been deceived in the initial days of war that this were going to be a short sort of peri per period of time in four days, five days, a week, they're going to put an end to this, you know, to the so-called regime in Iran and you know everything going to be so big and beautiful as the way the way Donald Trump wants to see everything.

[00:25:40]But today the assessment in my opinion on the part of GCC countries is basically Saudi Arabia and Qatar is totally different from what it was before this war started. They see the reality of Iran today and how Iran is powerful. They're not selling oil.

[00:25:56]They're not selling gas. They're not selling anything. That's a huge burden on the on their economy. This is the reality, the new reality of the Middle East. And how do you see these countries, GCC countries with this policy of the continuation of the war?

[00:26:14]Because the Donald Trump is selling his oil and gas, but these countries in the Persian Gulf, not only the GCC, on the Iran, they're putting a lot of pressure on the region. The whole region is under pressure. The United States, the blockade of the United States. How do you see the situation with GCC countries and the way they see the conflict?

[00:26:36]Well, I think that Trump when he said he did this, he he said Israel and then he added, you know, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates and uh which I think was sort of like, oh, I have to add them too. It wasn't for them. And then as a afterthought, he said Kuwait and Bahrain. And those are the two countries that I think he he and his family make no money from. It's the money the the countries that he makes money from his kids uh and his you know his partners and you know wit the wit coffs and his son-in-law uh they are the Emirates Saudi Arabia and Qatar uh you know Katad and these these two others they they are very close to to these so um and provide them with lots of money so but it was for Israel I mean it for all for the Israeli regime of But uh I think he when as soon as he said Israel then he said oh this doesn't look good. So he said you know for all these you know these others but I think you're right. I think these regimes they miscalculated in a in a very you know big way. They thought that u the war would be over in a few days as you rightly pointed out.

[00:27:54]They would be able to uh have the best of both worlds. they could pretend that they had nothing to do with it as they still do. And uh you know, you know, I once had this I once had a student um who uh who plagiarized extensively and um and when I showed the student, I won't say if it's a male or female, I just want to make sure no one has any idea who I'm talking to. I've had many students of course over the last 23 years MA and PhD students who have thesis but um um who've done their thesis with me um and and students who've done papers with me too so I it'll be difficult to guess but that student male or female when I told the person that look this is where you took this from and this and I worked hard to find them out back then they didn't have these uh these new apps apps which you know find them you're an academic you know what I'm talking about so I had to search and take out uh search sentences and so on because I was suspicious and then I found all these from different sources and I put it to that person and I said what is this and that person said I don't know I said well how about this where did this go I don't understand and it it made me more upset because if the person had just said I'm terri terribly sorry my father was ill or my mother was this or my sister was that or my wife was this or my husband was that.

[00:29:33]It would have been more acceptable to me than for the person to express uh shock that you know as if the person had no idea what had happened.

[00:29:43]Uh so the person kept saying to me that I don't know and I kept showing bits and pieces and paragraphs and so these countries are sort of like that student.

[00:29:54]We didn't have anything to do with it. I mean the bases on are on your territory.

[00:29:59]You're paying for those bases. They're not even paying for the bases. You're paying for all the activities on the bases. You are giving them logistical support. when they when they flee the bases, you're allowing them to target Iran from uh from outside of the bases. You're allowing them to use your airspace and they say, "No, no, we're just, you know, we're we're neutral." It's it's like that student who's saying, you know, don't ask me. I don't know where the plagiarism came from. So, uh student does that. It's an insult to our intelligence when these dictatorships in the Persian Gulf, these proxies of the United States and allies of the Israeli regime, all of them are allies and uh all of them are allies. I mean, the Emirates has taken it above and beyond everyone else, but they're all they all have their secret dealings with uh the Israeli regime and intelligence officers go back and forth. Iran is not stupid.

[00:31:00]Iran knows that every single country in this region is, you know, whether it's a it's a it's it's the Republic of Azarbaijan or increasingly now Armenia or Turkey or Jordan or Egypt or Saudi Arabia. All of them are in bed or the Kurdish autonomous autonomous region in northern Iraq or the Syrian regime. All of them are in bed with the Israeli regime. All of them in one form or another.

[00:31:29]But in any case, for them to sort of, you know, say that no, we're neutral is isn't is an insult to one's intelligence. It's it's if they just said we were forced to do this, we had no, you know, that would have been a more sane thing to say sane thing to say and do. But in any case, they miscalculated big time and now they have to pay the price and Iran is not going to let them go.

[00:31:58]Iran is not going to destroy them. Iran wants compensation. But if this war continues, there is no doubt that Iran will retaliate because if you do not retaliate, you're inviting the destruction of your country.

[00:32:15]Iran never Iran did not start the war.

[00:32:19]It never never initiated um escalation.

[00:32:28]Never. But remember when they began striking Iran in critical infrastructure, Iran hit Qatar very hard and the Emirates hard. And then Trump put that truth social out that you know uh I had no idea Netanyahu will not do it again. That's that's what uh uh that's what Iran does in order to prevent uh further destruction.

[00:32:54]And Nema, I've been speaking to people.

[00:32:59]My understanding is that if this this time round escalation will go up very fast. Iran will hit back very hard, but so will Yemen and so will Iraq. Iraq has not shown the resistance in Iraq has been very controlled and the resistance in Yemen has more or less been quiet so far because this side did not want to make this a a regional war of complete destruction.

[00:33:30]Iran allowed Saudi Arabia and allows Saudi Arabia to do its exports through the Red Sea.

[00:33:37]It doesn't allow the Emirates, right? It it hurts. It's hurting the Emirates more because Emirates is is a totally sinister regime. But Iran wants to give them a way out.

[00:33:48]But if war reignites, the Red Sea is gone. That oil is finished and all exports from that area is finished too.

[00:33:57]That will be another three, three and a half, four million barrels a day plus whatever else they export from from uh from the Red Sea. That will be finished.

[00:34:08]and uh the uh the destruction of the assets in the Persian Gulf will be permanent.

[00:34:15]So won't you know if there's a deal ultimately to open the trade of hormones then there will be nothing to to trade nothing there'll be nothing to to leave for the for the markets there'll be nothing nothing to sell so if the choice is theirs they have to say no I mean talking about some non-aggression pact is not enough they have to tell the Americans to get out and to end the war and uh that that way they'll be able to cut their losses but if they don't do that then I think uh we're going to see a different map of the region will be I mean six months from now I think you and I will be talking about a very different region and we'll be talking about a very different world too and it's not going to look pretty and I don't want this no one wants this but and we did not start this and even now Nemo the Iranians could launch a preemptive strike right now and they could devast devastate the Americans. Right now, Iran can launch uh tens of missiles at Israeli air bases and destroy tens of PL. You saw the report about the the US planes that have been destroyed and and damaged. Now, things are gradually coming out. It's becoming clear that things are much worse for the United States than they that they claim. And all those underground bases, all the things that we were saying before and they were saying it's propaganda and nonsense. It turns out to be right. Iran's underground bases are untouched.

[00:35:48]They are well protected. They did a fantastic job in building and designing them. And remember when we discussed we discussed this before the 12-day war, the reason why Iran accepted the ceasefire was so that it could learn from its experience and be more prepared. and that bore fruit. I assure you now Iran is much more prepared than during the 39-day war.

[00:36:14]And this is our home turf. And Yemen will Yemen is fully prepared. Iraq is prepared. Yemen is full of energy. They haven't had any, you know, they've been on the bench as they say. Uh so um this is not going to be pretty. But Iran does not want to escalate. Iran does not want war. Iran does not initiate war. It is not in our religious culture.

[00:36:40]Uh I mean Iran has the right to do so.

[00:36:42]I'm not saying it it won't, but it usually doesn't because the we are at war. Iran can carry out a legit legitimately carry out a preemptive strike right now and destroy American assets across the board. But that's usually not what Iran does. uh we are far more humane than all of those others. The axis of resistance is immensely humane.

[00:37:08]They are unique and uh and uh as I said the numbers of people killed in the Persian Gulf region don't they're they're like 20 or less than 20. That shows that Iran has always been careful not to have people killed.

[00:37:23]But in any case, and I've gone on too long, uh the point that what I'm saying is that Iran is fully prepared. This time escalation will be very swift and destruction will be immense and uh I hope it doesn't happen.

[00:37:41]Bloomberg reported that during the wars, UAE, Muhammad bin Zed, MB, MBZ personally called Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries to make a coalition against Iran to, you know, to join the war and fight and go against Iran.

[00:38:02]And considering that and what right now is going on between Israel and UAE, we know Israel is somehow thrown throwing them under the bus with the new sort of thoughts that Benjamin Neta was visiting UAE during the war. It was a secret meeting.

[00:38:23]Then UAE denied that and then Israel doubled down. He said, "Not only Benjamin Net, the head of MSAD, the head of Shimbet, you know, the chief joint chief of staff with IDF all together went to what are you doing to UAE?"

[00:38:40]Because it's supposed to be their best friend in in in the region.

[00:38:47]>> You know, Nemo, there's a very bad word for this person.

[00:38:54]you know, they they say they did so and so to that person, you know, um it's like it's just amazing how Israel is so, as we say, najis, it is so dirty, it is so filthy that being associated with it, just having your name alongside it, gives you a bad reputation.

[00:39:22]It's like uh it's like a a man or a woman who has a you know, excuse me, has a relationship with some very, you know, bad person and then that's exposed. Your relationship, that person's relationship is in ruins.

[00:39:40]And so that is what the Israeli regime is. It is a source of shame to be associated with it. And so, and the thing about the Israeli regime is they don't care about their friend, their so-called friends. They'll throw them under the bus anytime. Why would Netanyahu do this to the Emirates?

[00:40:00]Probably because Netanyahu wants to tell the Israeli public that look, I've infiltrated this far, this deep into the Arab world, and I'm, you know, because he has he has no success story. Gaza is not a success. Lebanon is definitely not a a success. Look at what Hezbollah is doing. I mean these are I mean you across the world people contact from across the world people contact me and speak about the you know the greatness of Iran and the axis and and the Islamic Republic and I mean so many people have spoken in praise of the Islamic Republic but the true true true heroes are Hezbollah and Lebanon the the sacrifices that the people of Lebanon and the resistance are making but you know But and but but at the same time humiliating this this racist regime is extraordinary. So Netanyahu except for in Syria he has no success story and I think the reason why he's humiliating the Emirates is for his own personal gain just like everything else he does is for his own personal gain. He doesn't care about I don't think he cares about Israel as much as he cares about himself at all. So and what he's saying and all this is harming Israel no doubt uh you know because it's it no no other country everyone is going from now on no one is going to go and see that corrupt woman or man you know in in private anymore so I'm trying to say it in a way which is not impolite but um the Emirates we knew their relationship with the Israeli regime and throughout the war That's one that's the main reason why Iran hit the Emirates so hard and that's why it punished it so badly. It knew that the Emirates was deep deep in you know deeply committed to its alliance with its overlord and its overlords in in um in Tel Aviv.

[00:42:06]But you know the Saudis and the others were complicit in the war too. It's not as if they weren't. But the fact is that they they they are not a fighting force.

[00:42:15]The Saudis and the Emirates and the Kuwaitis and the Bahinis and the Kataris, they buy all of these weapons from the United States, but they can't use them. The Saudis with the help of the entire West and the region, especially at the beginning, Turkey and Gatar were helping them in their genocidal war in Yemen. And then later when they split with Qatar and and and imposed a siege, then Katar and Tokya walked away. But the entire world was helping them starve Yemen and uh and carry out this genocidal war just like what they later happened in Gaza began in Yemen. And they failed with all that weaponry and all the you know money that they've spent on their armed forces.

[00:43:03]They're complete they're incompetent.

[00:43:05]They're incapable of fighting. uh most of these weapons are bought for the kickbacks and the commissions that the princes get and there you know the elites get both on both sides in the United States and uh in these countries I mean what has a population of 350,000 like what is its armed forces going to do who how is it going to fight who is where are the pilots to man the you know to fly the planes or the whatever navy they Uh, so no one, you know, this is not serious talk.

[00:43:41]Um, I think that the Saudis though are more sane and that's why the Iranians allowed the Saudis to preserve their exports through the Red Sea because Iran wants to give them an offramp.

[00:43:55]But where we are now is not nearly enough. If a war is launched against Iran today, then it will be very bad news for these regimes in the Persian Gulf. And of course, I don't name Jordan that much, but Jordan is uh is, you know, proxy of the Israeli regime.

[00:44:19]And uh it has been deeply involved in this war and it has done whatever it could to help the Israeli regime during the 12-day war and to help the Israeli regime during the 39-day war and in any future assault. It will do whatever it can to assist uh its overlords in Tel Aviv.

[00:44:39]>> Israelis are talking about sending settlers to the southern part of Lebanon. Not southern not also in Lebanon in Syria.

[00:44:48]And they're talking about the whole West Bank being annexed to Israel and do you see any sort of because we have this war and many people understand the reality of what's going on and on the other hand we have the reality of the genocide in Gaza, the genocide in Lebanon as time goes by. Hezbollah is fighting back, but they cannot control the devastation and the way that Israelis fighter jets are killing civilians in Lebanon, for example. They were hitting in Dah in Beirut. They were killing people. This is not, you know, they don't have air defense system. They don't know how to deal with that. They can fight back. We know that they can fight back. Good. And we've seen the footages coming out. But the reality is how is that going to help the whole region?

[00:45:43]Because there has to be some sort of understanding in the region about what Israel is doing. Is not just about the talks between the Lebanese government and Israeli government. The Lebanese government is not part of the war.

[00:45:56]Nobody cares about the Lebanese government and what they're talking about with Israelis. It's about Hezbollah and Israel is about because Hezbollah is fighting back. Hezbollah is defending Lebanon. and Hezbollah if they try to send their settlers to the southern part of Lebanon is going to be Hezbollah to force them out of Lebanon.

[00:46:17]What is the understanding in the region?

[00:46:19]Is there any sort of talks ongoing talks between the governments in the region?

[00:46:26]Well, first of all, I'd like to address Syria.

[00:46:31]Those people who for years joined the United States dirty war in Syria, supported the overthrow of the Syrian government and the destruction of the country with the help of Turkey and Qatar and these other regimes in the Persian Gulf in Jordan and the Israeli regime as a broad coalition. many of these so-called Syrians who are living in the West and um and in in in the United States in Europe and non-Syrians but who are deeply sectarian. Let's be very blunt. They're like Salafi Wahhabi just deeply sectarian.

[00:47:09]Where are they now?

[00:47:11]Why aren't they calling for jihad and the overthrow and the liberation of southern Syria? Where are they?

[00:47:18]All gone.

[00:47:20]This was not about freedom for Syria.

[00:47:24]This was a proxy war that was carried out and led by the Americans, paid for by these Arab dictatorships.

[00:47:34]And uh there is no more money there.

[00:47:37]There's not going to be money funded.

[00:47:39]There's not going to there will be money. There was money from Qatar and others to help overthrow the Syrian government, but there's not going to be money to liberate Syria from Israel.

[00:47:53]And since there's no money, these people who were on the payroll all these years, they're not going to say anything about it because they were never sincere.

[00:48:05]They were never sincere. They helped Israel. They were wittingly or otherwise assisting the empire and they can pretend all they want how Iran was evil, Hezbollah was evil. They know what they did. They helped Israel in their blind sectarianism, in their blind hatred, in their foolishness and in their ignorance and in their utter stupidity.

[00:48:35]They destroyed a defensive line against Zionism.

[00:48:43]That's all they did. And if they were sincere, you would see them mobilizing people in Syria as we speak. Israel, the Israeli regime is fighting alongside the Lebanese border. And Hezbollah is doing so much damage. Syria is much bigger than Lebanon. It has a much larger population. They can't do what Hezbollah is doing. If they did it on their own, on their own territory, if they started fighting back against the Israelis regime right now on the Syrian on the Syrian side of the border, uh would this Israelis be able to manage all these fronts simultaneously? Of course not.

[00:49:18]But they won't do it because they're proxies. Because the regime is a proxy regime. Al-Qaeda and ISIS were always proxies of the West. And these people who who supported them now they look away and they walk away and they and all they can do is attack the resistance because they know that the resistance is the true force of good and for liberation and that they are the ones who were the forces of empire. And so in order to cloud that reality today, they they you know they either look away, they walk away, and they attack the resistance. They're sincere. When when they were remember when there was infighting with the Drews and they had all those people mobilized across across where is where is the mobilization now?

[00:50:12]If Syria decided to defend its territory against the Israeli regime, obviously Erdogan will do nothing. But Iran will support them. Iraq, the resistance in Iraq will support them. Hezbollah will support them. But we knew from 2011 that these forces will do nothing of the sort.

[00:50:34]We knew from 2011 what this was all about and so did the others. Tian knew, Erdogan knew what he was doing. He was following his own personal ambitions. He wasn't doing it for the sake of Palestine. He's never done anything for the sake of Palestine. He's he's transporting oil from Baku to Israel as we speak. He's enabling the genocide or Jordan or Egypt. So, you know, so Syria, you know, those who supported the so-called blessed revolution, where are they now?

[00:51:13]Now is the best time to liberate southern Syria.

[00:51:16]contribute to the the the the struggle right now and Syria can get something out of it. But they if they do not strangle attempt to strangle Hezbollah, which they are trying to do as we speak, that would be, you know, if they stop strangling Hezbollah, that would be more than enough. Let alone, you know, asking for them to help liberate Syrian territory. So the whole Syria episode was a dirty war planned by the empire in order to help Israel today. And these people helped them and they spent their lives and years of their lives helping Israel.

[00:52:01]And they got their money from Qatar and Erdogan through because funded Erdogan uh and and others in order to do so.

[00:52:13]But if if they were sincere, time to go to southern Syria and to take back your territory. So that was a fake uh and they can insult and attack and abuse and you know use all sorts of slander to you know to to uh to distract attention away from reality. But I think everyone knows what's happening. those who whose eyes are open, they know what happened in Syria and they know what's happening now.

[00:52:44]But with regards to Lebanon and Gaza, there will be no solution to the straight of hormones until there is a solution in Gaza and in Lebanon.

[00:53:08]Iran said a ceasefire across the region.

[00:53:13]Israel will have to leave Lebanon if there's going to be a solution in the straight of Hormos.

[00:53:20]In Gaza, it's a bit it's more complicated because these very same regimes that helped with the dirty war in Syria, they helped impose Trump's uh fake ceasefire in Gaza.

[00:53:35]They helped Trump. They went to Egypt in that disgusting monkey show where Trump went and they whitewashed his crimes. We saw them all come one by one and bow to the emperor and Trump, you know, uh speak of each of them as as his personal friend.

[00:54:01]So, it's going to be more difficult to get concessions with regards to Gaza because these regimes help give away all the concessions uh to Netanyahu and and and Trump. But a ceasefire in Gaza, hopefully the Iranians will push to to get a more serious ceasefire at least. But in Lebanon, uh there's no doubt that even though the Lebanese government has conspired against the people of Lebanon and southern Le southern Lebanon and they tried and they helped Netanyahu and Trump wreck the ceasefire in Lebanon. Uh but Iran will will make sure that that takes place. But again, uh is there talk among countries across the region?

[00:54:48]They all know what the US ambassador to Tel Aviv has said. He said if Israel takes all this region, that's fine. In the only country that would be untouched would be Yemen and Iran.

[00:55:03]>> Turkey would be badly affected. Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia.

[00:55:09]Iran and Yemen would be untouched. But apparently it's only Iran and Yemen that care.

[00:55:16]>> That's the strange Think think of exactly you know all those countries that are influenced by these greater Israeli sort of agenda expanded Israel they're going to be influenced by that but they're not fighting back they're not considering that as the main reason and the main difficulty and the main problem in the region professor man the other point is the case of Iran and Europe is there any sort of negotiation and talks when it comes to this trade of formos that Europeans want to make a deal with Iran or make some sort of agreement with Iran without the United States. They're finding their way of dealing with this trade of foremost.

[00:55:59]What do we know about that negotiations between Iran and Europeans?

[00:56:04]>> I don't know the details and I've heard some vague news a couple of days ago, I think, that the Europeans gave some sort of proposal to Oman. Is that what you're alluding to?

[00:56:15]>> Yeah. Yeah, I I don't know the details.

[00:56:18]I don't think that the Europeans have seen the light yet. And uh but I'm just guessing, pure speculation. Uh if the Europeans want to improve their relations with Iran, all the sanctions have to go. All of them.

[00:56:37]Will they do that? Do they have the political will to do that? I don't see that happening.

[00:56:44]When when the the Americans blew up Nordstream, did the Germans even say it was the Americans? Everyone tried to pretend it was the Russians who blew up their own uh we all knew who did it, but everyone the Western media, I mean, the the free world, the Western media that's supposedly free, they all pointed their fingers at Russia. was like the Russians would blow up their own uh pipeline an like an uninsured pip like what would they gain from it? It was obvious that the Russians didn't do it but the Europeans are so obedient to the United States that the United States cuts off their heads they'll they'll still thank Trump.

[00:57:27]uh they they say things nowadays about having an independent foreign policy or an independent defense policy and and you know the French sometimes say something but um I don't see them as having thus based upon based upon from what I've seen I don't see them having the political will to do what is necessary to improve ties with Iran and they burnt their bridges with Iran they uh they betrayed Iran with the JCPOA, the nuclear deal, and uh they have no special status and they are in rapid decline. It is going, you know, I I once said some people hate me, some of these liberals in Iran hate me for saying it.

[00:58:11]I said that Europe is heading for a dark winter, a harsh winter, and that winter is upon them. And I think it's going to last for a very, very long time. I remember when we were in Vienna during the negotiations and the and the war in Ukraine began, a lot of these European elites would come to me because I was like the the media adviser of the delegation and say like diplomats would come and have coffee with me and journalists and and so on. And I would say after the war began, I said, "Look, you you need Iran. You've destroyed your bridges with Russia. You need a deal with Iran." And and I said, you know, winter the winter for Europe is approaching and uh you will not have gas or oil from Russia for years to come.

[00:58:59]And they were all of them literally need were saying no of course the war will be over in weeks and there will be a new regime in Moscow when Putin's gone.

[00:59:12]And I was like saying to them like like Cuba, you know, you've been, you know, you've besieged Cuba since, you know, before I was born and you still haven't and so you're going to overthrow Russia.

[00:59:28]That's how these euros, you know, this euroentric and American exceptionalist arrogance uh destroys uh Europe and North America. in their arrogance they don't see their adversaries uh in uh they they underestimate everyone and the biggest underestimation of course is Iran with Iran they thought it would be over and they hit a brick wall and and when you look at um you know this was an unprecedented defeat for the United States uh Kagan in his article u in the Atlantic you know this this you know godfather of the neocons he said this this was an unprecedented defeat so the Europeans back then they ignored you know the they they didn't take this seriously there was a deal ultimately with Iran as you know there was a final text and the Americans didn't accept it and the Europeans didn't go with it because the Americans did Joseph Borel said the text is fine hopefully believe Biden will accept and we'll move on. Biden didn't accept and the Europeans walked away with Biden and now look at the European economies. So, does Europe have clout with Iran? No. Does is Europe's status as it was a few years ago? No. Is it is it it's on the decline? It's weakening and I don't see it willing to take the necessary steps for Raproma, at least for now. So, in my personal judgment, without knowing any details about anything that's going on between Europe and Iran, I seriously have no idea, I would say that I I would not take this seriously for them.

[01:01:18]>> Yeah.

[01:01:19]>> But it does show how desperate they are.

[01:01:24]that they want a solution but you know it's like someone who wants a solution but is unwilling to do what is necessary to find the solution.

[01:01:35]>> Yeah.

[01:01:38]Thank you so much Professor Mandi for being with us today. Great pleasure.

[01:01:42]>> Sorry Nemo I apologize to you. I apologize to every single one of your viewers and uh >> no problem at all professor man. Thank you. Thank you.

[01:01:55]>> Thank you for having