‘The hypocrisy is clear’: Australian blasted for promoting Iranian regime narratives from Tehran

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]Concerns are growing here at home after reports an Australian man has relocated to Iran and is now hosting a strongly anti-Western podcast aligned with regime narratives. Take a listen.

[00:00:14]Let's stop romancing Islam.

[00:00:17]Let's stop romancing this whole concept of peace. When you have a group of people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for their faith, [music] then then you know you're on the right track.

[00:00:29]Joining me now in studio is right counselor and human rights advocate Tina Fordham Stahli. And Tina, great to see you. Thank you so much for coming in tonight.

[00:00:39]I want to get straight into this cleric who lived in Melbourne, has fled over to Iran, and then has used this podcast platform to promote such anti-Western propaganda and is encouraging his listeners to go and support the Iranian regime.

[00:01:00]What are your initial thoughts when you hear something like that?

[00:01:04]Hypocrisy. You know, this man, he talks about oppression so much in his podcast.

[00:01:09]I unfortunately had to sit down and listen to all of them.

[00:01:13]And the hypocrisy is, you know, clear for us all to see.

[00:01:17]Oppression is in Iran where women have no control over their identity. They have no rights legally. Oppression is in Iran because people cannot choose their faith. They cannot choose what political ideology they would like to follow. That is oppression. So, for him to say that all of us in the West uh pigs, we are scum, that we uh horrible people who support oppression abroad, it's nothing but hypocrisy.

[00:01:46]One of the things that stood out for me was that he described conflict as an eternal battle of faith and has said supporters should take up arms for Iran.

[00:01:57]And I listened to that and I thought, at what point does a rhetoric like that become a national security issue for us?

[00:02:04]Because he is still an Australian citizen, and we have seen that, you know, ISIS brides have returned recently to Sydney and Melbourne. But if this gentleman was to return to our shores, which he is able to do, how concerned would you be having a a mindset like that returning here?

[00:02:22]Extremely. Just over the last few weeks, we've been talking about these Telegram messages that have come directly from the embassy itself.

[00:02:30]Why is he even able to maintain his citizenship?

[00:02:33]>> Mhm. This is a person who is very vocal about his disdain of the West. He talks time and time again in these podcasts about how Shaitan or the devil is controlling the West and how every Muslim is responsible for fighting against this devil. Mhm. He is encouraging others to take up arms and fight the West.

[00:02:55]So, he's not hiding behind anything.

[00:02:57]He is posing a threat to not just Australians, but everyone. Mhm.

[00:03:03]What concerns you the most? Is it him spreading such hateful anti-West rhetoric or the fact that because he's on social media, it's the young minds that have such easy access to be able to listen to that and them being convinced to follow in that way of thinking? Well, look, that that's always going to be a major concern for all of us. Um to see how so many progressive movements have become more and more supportive of the regime and those who represent it, I think that's the most alarming factor for us in the Iranian diaspora. Uh we are being told, we are being lectured to by every non-Iranian out there what our reality was in Iran and what our families are going through. The propaganda is working.

[00:03:56]Uh we're enabling it. When we allow people like him to maintain hold on to their citizenship, we're enabling this uh this language, we're enabling this community. We are sending a message to them that they can basically get away with whatever they want. So, those of us who had to run away from that country I have so many people messaging me every single day desperately telling me that they're trying to flee from Iran for me to help them.

[00:04:28]And I can't do anything for them.

[00:04:30]While this man maintains his citizenship, there are people suffering under this regime. And that makes no sense to me.

[00:04:37]That must be so heartbreaking for you when people reach out asking for you to help them get them out of Iran.

[00:04:43]And I know you're wearing a T-shirt tonight to send a message as well.

[00:04:47]>> Mhm.

[00:04:48]Can you tell the viewers? The woman life freedom movement was instigated by the women of Iran. It's was one of the first female-led revolutions. And if that doesn't show you what women in Iran are going through for them to do such a thing for them to get up after four decades of suppression, of torture, of imprisonment just for being themselves for a woman to lose her life just for showing this much hair.

[00:05:19]This is why this revolution took place.

[00:05:22]And this is what the cleric that we're talking about today is trying to remove from the history of this country. The reality of Iran is that it speaks nothing but the language of oppression. And this cleric clearly doesn't understand what oppression means.

[00:05:39]>> Mhm.

[00:05:40]It's incredibly concerning, isn't it, Tina? Thank you so much for coming in tonight. I really appreciate it. Thank you, Jane.