Jolted by downing of F-15 plane, Trump seeks ‘48-hour ceasefire’; Iran rejects | Janta Ka Reporter Janta Ka Reporter Apr 3, 2026
Faced with a series of military setbacks against Iran, US President Donald Trump has reportedly asked for a 48-hour ceasefire, but the Islamic Republic has rejected the request. Meanwhile, the US military has claimed to rescue one member of the F-15 crew, while the fate of the other remains still unknown. Elsewhere, there are reports of two US blackhawk helicopters being hit by the Iranians as they conducted a rescue operation inside Iran. There are also reports of a US A-10 military aircraft crashing in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz. Rifat Jawaid captures the day's spectacular events.
Transcript
Since I posted my last video, things have only gotten worse for the rogue regime of Donald Trump and his terrorist Israeli boss Benjamin Netanyahu. The US military has confirmed the news of the downing of its Ffighter jet by the Iranians. But what's even more embarrassing for the Americans is their inability to find at least one of the two crew members. And this is what is making them increasingly uncomfortable. Then there is a news of not one but two American Blackhawk helicopoters taking a direct hit from the Iranians and American AWarthog attack aircraft crashing in southern waters near the state of Hormos. This has prompted the Iranians to launch brutal trolling of Trump and his administration. This would be the broad focus of my video tonight. Also in this video, Iran releases another Lego video, this time targeting Pete Hex's shady personal life. So, please stay tuned. So, it's official. Iran indeed shot down an American F-fighter jet today. The news has sent shock waves across the US as media outlets went berserk in registering their shock over this development. Breaking news coming into Fox News Channel. The president has now been briefed on a downed F-fighter jet in Iran. This is a US fighter jet. We are also told a statement from Sentcom is expected shortly. Pamela, the breaking news is that three US sources now confirm that a US fighter jet has been shot down over Iranian territory and that US forces have now launched a search and rescue operation to rescue the downed pilots. Okay, so breaking news out of the war with Iran. By now, you've likely heard that an F-E was shot down over Iran. As it emerges, there were two crew members on board this fighter jet. The US military says it has rescued one of them, but the fate of the other is not known. The F- has one pilot and another weapon system officer. The identity of the crew member rescued has not been disclosed yet. The US military was quick to send its Blackhawk helicopters to search for its missing crew, but it faced a barrage of attack from locals. This prompted the Blackhawk helicopters to run for safety. The Iranian military has released this video of local residents firing at the Blackhawk helicopters. I'm Nuna's army. What's up? What's up? Now, reports have emerged that at least two helicopters were damaged in the attack and they had to perform an emergency landing across the border in Iraq. This is Brandon Vikat on Steve Bannon show. Uh Brandon, I think they're reporting in the uh near the town of Isa in Kuzan, which I believe is near the Iraq border. It's where a lot of the horrific Iraq Iran war took place. Um give us what we know so far. I think there's an FF-E that's down. Yeah. And the Americans we have sent in. It looked like forces strike eagle. We've sent in Blackhawks and others Cgunship uh to uh retrieve the pilots. Give us what we know. Yeah, it looks like there's a search and rescue s operation going on. And one of these videos that you were showing I saw earlier because they apparently the locals are shooting at our Blackhawks uh and the CThey were apparently midair refueling. Um, and they were flying low and people on the bridge started shooting at at our planes. Um, but they are looking for the pilots. It's a two-seater, so my assumption is that our guys got out. Um, we've got some pretty great ejection systems, so I I'm sure that our guys survived. Um, and hopefully they are, you know, laying low. the locals. There's a local news report in that district of Iran in which the um the anchor of the news uh there is encouraging all the locals to go out and uh arrest the pilot pilots and and hand them over to the IRGC. Even a reporter working for right-wing American TV channel Newsmax tweeted this and I quote, "Breaking. Two US officials have now confirmed to Newsmax that one of the pilots has been rescued and is undergoing medical treatment. The status of the second pilot is unknown. Search and rescue operations continue. We have seen video of SCaircraft and hello in the skies. One source tells me a Blackhawk may have also been hit over Iran while conducting rescue ops to find the second F-pilot. I'm told the Blackhawk was tailed by a trail of smoke as it crossed into southern Iraq from Iran today. End quote. Iran has announced a cash reward for anyone who can find the missing pilot of the downed F-and hand him or her over to the IRGC. And Jennifer, quickly, we just have a few moments here. Our our thoughts immediately go to that second pilot. Um, I imagine the search, the rescue, it is ongoing. Any news on the second pilot? There is no news at this point in time, but as you can imagine, we've seen the images of the Paveh Hawk helicopters. Those are the special forces helicopters that are part of that search and rescue mission. They were being air refuelled over uh in daylight over uh the contested area. We've seen the image of the the pilot seat and the uh the parachute that it that was part of the ejection mechanism. Uh it looks like that worked and and that is very good news. But the Iranians have put out a reward for that second American uh or for both Americans. And so it is a very very uh tenuous time right now. But those crew members and pilots would have been given uh sear training, survival and evasion training. and we are now thinking of them, thinking of their families and and hoping that as the sun goes down uh now over Iran that it will be easier for the search and rescue uh operation to continue. What's worrying for the American military is the fact that it's already nighttime in Iran and given the difficulty and vast geographical terrain of the country, it's going to be an uphill task for them to find the missing pilot. The American military is literally racing against time and also the Iranians to find its crew members safe. So it has become nighttime in Iran now. Um one of our earlier guests said that gives us an advantage because we are so advanced in our technology to pinpoint a down pilot with the technology that we have available in the emergency radios and everything else. Uh how critical is it with every minute that passes to find this airman? Well, obviously very critical because if the bad guys find him first, then we have a prisoner of war situation uh which as we've seen from Israel's war uh in Gaza uh can make things very complicated. It's almost a hostage situation when you're talking about the Iranians. We don't know how they would treat our pilot. Uh you know, they probably wouldn't treat him very well and then he would become a bargaining chip in the ongoing very shaky uh diplomatic situations. Retired Colonel Keith Nightingel told Channel News in the UK that the fact that the Americans have still not been able to find the second crew member is a bad news. Nightingle suspects that the second pilot could well have been captured or killed. The fact that they rescued one pilot and not the other causes concern with me. Uh, you know, the ejection seats are quite close and they would have landed on the ground at about the same time. uh and pretty close together. Uh which in my mind leads me to a worst case situation uh that the individual uh was, you know, probably incapacitated or killed uh you know during the ejection process or on the ground by some local. What might the Iranians do with the second person aboard that craft if they were to discover assume if we assume that uh he or she was captured uh this will be a major media event uh and that person will be paraded in front of television uh at infan item uh and held as a hostage as part of the negotiations uh that ostensibly are going on between Iran and the US. Elsewhere, Iranians are believed to have shot down another American plane, this time an AWarthog attack aircraft near the state of Hormos. The American military has not commented on this development yet. In fact, the Sentcom has gone silent on social media since the news of the downing of the F-emerged. Not just the US Sentcom, but even the motormouth US President Donald Trump has lost his voice. He gave a short interview to NBC, but did not refer to the setbacks that his military has received by the Iranians. Americans and Israeli terrorists have hit Iran very hard by showcasing their bravery on educational institutions and hospitals. Today they bombed Meharabad in international airport and Shahid Bahti University. Their target at the Shahid Bahashti University was its plasma and laser center. The US and Israel have so far bombed over schools and medical centers. This requires some bravery. It's not easy. Trust me, it's not easy. And that's what the rogue and morally bankrupt pedophiles and war criminals from the US and the settler colony have been showcasing since th of February. Then the deranged occupant of the White House posted this on truth social. He wrote and I quote, "Our military, the greatest and most powerful by far anywhere in the world, hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. Bridges next. then electric power plants. New regime leadership knows what has to be done and has to be done fast. President Donald J. Trump. End quote. Meanwhile, Iran has continued to troll the US with its quirky social media post. The Twitter handle of the Iranian embassy in South Africa shared the photos of sacked American army generals and attorney general Pam Bondi with this caption which read and I quote, "The regime change happened successfully, MAGA." End quote. Then someone shared the photo of Iranian professor Muhammad Mandi as the next US president with this caption which read and I quote, "Professor Mirandi, a US citizen born in Richmond, VA, has the constitutional right to run for president. His exceptional intelligence surpasses that of Trump and Biden and he has the courage to take a stand against uh Zionist terrorists in America." end quote. Marandi was equally brutal in his response as he wrote and I quote, "I'm not eligible. My name isn't in the Epstein files." End quote. Meanwhile, a person no less than the former head of America's counterterrorism department, Joe Kent, has showered praises on Iran and how the Islamic Republic has outsmarted the US in the ongoing war. I think the Iranians uh studied the wars of the last uh two decades to their to their their east and to their west and they they saw that essentially you can win by not losing. And so I think for them to keep enough of their leadership alive and they obviously have a lot of depth in their leadership and I think their leadership has only been strengthened because of the strikes that we've taken I think that there's a lot of uh support right now for the regime whereas just a couple months ago there there probably was less. Um, but also they they've done a very impressive job with being able to to manufacture and disperse their ballistic missiles and their drone capability. And I mean, anybody who can look at a map of the Straits of Hormuz, it's a pretty pretty narrow section there that if they can every now and again get a drone, every now and again get a ballistic, every now and again get some mines and that, then they mess with world energy and they and they know it. And I think the way that they're um they're using the Chinese and and other world powers say, "Hey, you guys can get your oil through. Uh we're not going to trade in the dollar. Um but you guys are welcome to use the Straits of Hormuz." I think it's very shrewd of them. Um and they also just know politically that this is not going to be a popular war as it drags out. So I I think that they they've found kind of their steady state right now where they realize they can continue to strike targets in the Middle East. they can make this very uncomfortable uh for the GCC countries which for now we sort of have the support of but I think that erodess more and more we're already seeing a lot of fraction uh fractures in our relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is key uh for us to be able to project power against Iran as well. So right now I I personally don't see uh very many downsides for the Iranians. For what today's hammering by the Iranians have done to Israeli lab Trump is that he is now reportedly begging for a ceasefire. According to the Iranian media, Trump requested Iran for a hour ceasefire, but Thran has rejected this request. A little bit of breaking news coming out of the Middle East. uh hearing in the last few moments from the Reuters news agency that Iran has rejected a US proposal for a hour ceasefire. That's according to an unnamed source speaking to the FAR news agency. Iran rejecting a US proposal apparently for a hour ceasefire. I will leave you with the latest edition of the Iranian Lego series. Tonight they have targeted Pete Hex's history of infidelity. Watch this video first to understand the context of the Iranian Lego video. Many of your work colleagues have said that you show up for work under the influence of alcohol or drunk. I know you've denied that, but you would agree with me, right, that if that was the case, that would be disqualifying for somebody to be Secretary of Defense. Senator, those are all anonymous false claims. And the totality, they're not they're not anonymous. The letters on the record here. On the record, people record with names for Freedom, Concerned Vets for America, and Fox News. One of your colleagues working hard every day. One of your colleagues said that you got drunk at an event at a bar and chanted kill all Muslims. Another colleague, not anonymous, we have this said that you took co-workers to a strip club. You were drunk. You tried to dance with strippers. You had to be held off the stage. And one of your employees in that event filed a sexual harassment charge as a result of it. Now, I know you denied these things, but I isn't that the kind of behavior that if true would be disqualifying for somebody to be Secretary of Defense, Senator, anonymous false charges. They're not anonymous. And and I'll just conclude and say this to to the chairman. You claimed that this was all anonymous. We have seen records with names attached to all of these, including the name of your own mother. Now, enjoy this Lego video. Just in case I'm forced to take down this video by YouTube, you can watch it on our Telegram channel. Details on the screen and also in the description of this video.
Yo, Bex, this one's specially for you. You punk ass rapist Straight from Iran. Your tattoo cover clown with that capp ink on your arm. Think you a crusader? Nah, just a drunk infidel in a fake uniform. chance to kill all Muslims. Wasted in the hotel lobby. Sexual assault settlement in Monteray. Blocked the door. Took a phone. Paid her off. Quiet cuz me too was on. Now you secretary. What a joke, bro. Cheated on wives. Multiple affairs. Kids in the mix. Family man. Hell no. Handy with women at Fox. Drunk on the job. Your own team say, "Yo, this dude toxic." Couldn't even guard Biden's inauguration. Your own military said next book called American Crusade. Dreaming holy war but reality check. You just a fail bat turn TV clown slipping on your own mess. Trump picked you cuz you kissed the ring. But wait, funny part ain't coming. The dude you sucking up the for that secretary gig. Trump himself was Bill Clinton's top sucker giving blue j back in the day. Real talk. You out here blowing for access but he the original BJ queen. You thought our missiles max Cute rookie mistake. We hitting the bow. Worshiping Epstein Island crew, the ones who hurt the kids. Revenge for every American soul. You and Trump's dirty crew oppressed and dead. We taking payback for the girls. You broke the wives. You broke the Muslims you hate. Every victim screaming in the dark. Iran got you on the plate. You threw everything at us. All your cards, all your might. We still operating on % power. Laughing while you fight. We see everything. Know every secret, every dirty Epstein link. You hide where you least expected in the shadows we riding. No place to slide. This ain't full force, just the warm up. Persian flow with the rap. Pete, you done roasted raw sending this heat. Feel the math. Drop the mic. Infidel clown. We coming.
That's it for me. Thank you very much for your support of this platform and our journalism. If you haven't subscribed to my channel, please do so because that's one of the many ways you can support independent journalism. God bless you all.
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The term "BJ queen" can refer to a few very different things depending on the context—ranging from 18th-century European history to modern pop culture and drag terminology.
1. Historical & Social Context (London, 18th Century) In the 1700s and 1800s, particularly in London, the term was associated with "Molly Houses" (clandestine meeting places for gay men). The term was used within these subcultures to describe men who adopted flamboyant, feminine personas or specialized in specific roles within that community....
Because the term uses a common shorthand for a sexual act [Blow Job], it is frequently used in explicit or adult contexts. In those cases, it is not a historical or cultural title but a slang descriptor for someone's perceived skill or preference in that specific area.
Will There be a Ground Invasion of Iran? (w/ Col. Larry Wilkerson) | The Chris Hedges Report The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel Apr 3, 2026
As the US prepares to escalate the war on Iran with a potential ground invasion, Col. Wilkerson divulges the long reticence of US military planners to engage Iran, and the folly of such an endeavor.
Trump Fails In War: 1500 US Troops Flee Bahrain As Iran Bombards Israel, America's Arab Friends Hindustan Times Apr 4, 2026
Signs of strain are emerging in the U.S. military posture as evacuations from key Gulf bases raise questions about the war’s trajectory. Following repeated Iranian missile and drone strikes, hundreds of sailors and families were reportedly rushed out of Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Satellite images showed visible damage, while accounts described hurried exits with minimal belongings. Even as Washington projects strength, intelligence assessments suggest Iran retains significant strike capability. The developments are fueling speculation over whether the U.S. is recalibrating its strategy amid rising risks in the region.
Handala Avenges Khamenei? Israel's Elite Spy Unit 9900 Data Leaked: Netanyahu Compromised In War? Hindustan Times Apr 4, 2026
A hacker group named Handala claims it has exposed the identities of dozens of senior Israeli intelligence officials linked to Unit 9900, one of Israel’s most advanced geospatial intelligence divisions. The alleged leak includes details of around 50 officers involved in satellite imagery analysis, drone surveillance, and battlefield planning. While the claims remain unverified, the incident raises serious concerns about cyber warfare escalation and the security of intelligence personnel amid the ongoing regional conflict.
Mojtaba Shows Armed Women Fighters As Trump Eyes Hormuz, Warning US Marines Of Fierce Battle | Iran Hindustan Times Apr 4, 2026
Iran has sent a powerful message as tensions with the U.S. escalate over the Strait of Hormuz. A video showing armed women training with rifles has gone viral, signaling a nation prepared for total defence. The clip emerged just after Donald Trump floated plans to seize Iran’s oil and reopen Hormuz, intensifying rhetoric. With U.S. troop deployments rising but still far below invasion levels, analysts warn any ground operation could prove extremely costly. From mass mobilisation to symbolic displays, Tehran is projecting readiness for a prolonged and difficult conflict.
WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND! This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue. At my direction, the U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine. This miraculous Search and Rescue Operation comes in addition to a successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday, which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation. This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory. WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND! The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies. This is a moment that ALL Americans, Republican, Democrat, and everyone else, should be proud of and united around. We truly have the best, most professional, and lethal Military in the History of the World. GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS, AND HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!
April 04, 2026 10:08 PM
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Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran. The Iranian Military was looking hard, in big numbers, and getting close. He is a highly respected Colonel. This type of raid is seldom attempted because of the danger to “man and equipment.” It just doesn’t happen! The second raid came after the first one, where we rescued the pilot in broad daylight, also unusual, spending seven hours over Iran. An AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all! I will be having a News Conference, with the Military, at the Oval Office, on Monday, at 1:00 P.M. God Bless our great MILITARY WARRIORS! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Apr 05, 2026, 5:52 AM
*******
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP
Iran claims to inflict heavy losses on US military; Trump flaunts pilot’s rescue | Janta Ka Reporter Janta Ka Reporter Apr 5, 2026
US President Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to announce the rescue of the second crew member, a colonel, from a downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran. In contrast, the Iranian military claims to have downed two American C-130 transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters during the operation. Trump has also repeated his ultimatum to Iran, warning that the U.S. will target the country's bridges and power plants on a designated "Power Plant Day" this Tuesday if the Islamic Republic does not immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Rifat Jawaid examines the competing claims and escalating tensions between Trump and Iran.
Transcript
Last night or early morning if you happen to live in Europe, Africa or Asia, Donald Trump announced the rescue of a second crew member of an F- fighter jet from Iran. He took to social media to hail it as a huge American military achievement. But what he didn't tell you were the heavy losses suffered by the Americans as a result of the ferocious Iranian attack. This is what is making the US military generals extremely jittery about a possible ground invasion of Iran. This will be the broad focus of my video today. Also in this video, a new Iranian Lego clip capturing the recent American military losses in Iran. So, please stay tuned and happy Easter to everyone who is celebrating this festival. The deranged occupant of the White House, Donald Trump, dominated social media conversations over the weekend as many people discussed his health condition following reports that he had been admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. Of course, the White House did not comment on these speculations. Therefore, it's difficult to say anything convincingly about Trump's health. But his disappearance from public engagement since Friday did raise some eyebrows. Trump didn't even do a media interaction, which he always does on Fridays before leaving for Mara Lago. However, late into Saturday night, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce the recovery of the second crew member of the downed F-fighter jet from Iran. He wrote, and I quote, "From President Donald J. Trump. We got him. My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States military pulled off one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history for one of our incredible crew member officers who also happens to be a highly respected colonel and who I'm thrilled to let you know is now safe and sound. This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran being hunted down by our enemies who were getting closer and closer by the hour. But was never truly alone because his commander-in-chief, Secretary of War, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and fellow war fighters were monitoring his location hours a day and diligently planning for his rescue. At my direction, the US military sent dozens of aircraft armed with the most lethal weapons in the world to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine. This miraculous search and rescue operation comes in addition to a successful rescue of another brave pilot yesterday, which we did not confirm because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation. This is the first time in military memory that two US pilots have been rescued separately deep in enemy territory. We will never leave an American war fighter behind. The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations without a single American killed or even wounded just proves once again that we have achieved overwhelming air dominance and superiority over the Iranian skies. This is a moment that all Americans, Republican, Democrat, and everyone else should be proud of and united around. We truly have the best, most professional, and lethal military in the history of the world. God bless America. God bless our troops and happy Easter to all." End quote. Though there was something unusual about this social media post by Donald Trump. They started with the sentence from President Donald J. Trump. I don't remember him ever starting his social media post in the third person unless of course someone else has written this post on his behalf. This would further fuel social media speculations about his health conditions. Anyway, returning to his social media post, what this did not reveal were the heavy losses suffered by the US military as claimed by the Iranians. In fact, Fox News kind of gave it away in the immediate aftermath of the rescue operation when its reporters spoke about the serious injuries sustained by the rescue crew member as a result of firing from the Iranians and also the fact that the US military had lost at least two aircraft. Listen to Fox News's chief national security correspondent, Jennifer Griffin. Uh, we don't know the condition of the airmen at this point. I can tell you that uh the injuries uh are likely to be uh serious. Uh we know that uh that the uh that the pilot still remains in the region getting treatment. That suggests to me that the medical condition of the pilot is such that he cannot travel onto land stool yet. Um must be stabilized before you can can do that. So uh this is still a very serious situation. a number of of US service members were injured during the rescue mission. We knew on Friday that two of the uh military helicopters were struck by enemy fire uh as part of that rescue mission. And then we now we know more details about the A-Wartthog that crashed on Friday. that A-Wartthog was providing suppressive fire and flying cover for the rescue operation as they were trying to find this uh they were in a race against the clock to find this second airman who had ejected from the plane and was hiding in in that ridge line. Um but we know that that Warthog crashed in Kuwait and the pilot of that plane also had to eject and be rescued. Um, but he is safe as well, I'm told. And, um, good news tonight. Uh, but I think when when all is said and done and we learn the details of this rescue mission, it really will be, uh, the stuff of Hollywood. Within hours, the Iranian media released the video of the burned wreckage of fighter jets and helicopters from Isvahan. They claimed that this was the wreckage of two burned USCrefueling planes and two military helicopters. Now, if true, this is a further blow to the Americans given that the Ctransport planes have at least three to four military personnel on board. Watch this Sky News reporter here. In Donald Trump's truth social post, he says, um, you know, we got away with this scot-free basically. But we're now hearing from Iranian state media that a Cwas shot down as part of that search and rescue process. Now, a C transport or refueling planes. They are the big ones that we saw on video refueling two black helicopters in the on Friday in the first day of the search. This is obviously coming from Iranian state media quoting a police commander in the Isfahan region um saying that they'd shot down a C Now there are three or four crew members at least on those kinds of planes. Whether that is or is not the case, you know, we don't know. We can only take Iranian state media's word for it. Um but that is something that we will have to see whether it is confirmed. I think Donald Trump never lets the truth get in the way of a good truth social post. The IRGC's Kathmal Amba Brigade spokesperson released a statement mocking the US rescue operation of its crew member.
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL, THE SO-CALLED RESCUE OPERATION OF THE US ARMY, WAS WRITTEN AS A DECEPTION AND ESCAPE OPERATION UNDER THE PRETEXT OF RESCUING THE PILOT OF ITS DOWNED PLANE AT AN ABANDONED AIRPORT, ENDED IN COMPLETE FAILURE WITH THE TIMELY PRESENCE OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN. IT WAS DETERMINED IN ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS, TWO C-130 MILITARY TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT AND TWO WERE DESTROYED BY THE FULFILLMENT OF THE DIVINE PROMISE AND THE HELP OF ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY AND THE FIRE OF THE HOLY WRATH OF THE ARMIES OF ISLAM, THIS ACTION INCREASED THE LEVEL OF SUCCESSIVE FAILURES OF THE US ARMY. IT WAS PROVEN TO EVERYONE THAT THE WEAK AND BANKRUPT US ARMY IS NOT CONSIDERED A DOMINANT AND SUPERIOR FORCE IN THIS IMPOSED WAR AGAINST THE DIVINE WILL OF THE ARMED FORCES FOLLOWING THIS ARROGANT AND VICTORIOUS OPERATION, THE DEFEATED US PRESIDENT IS TRYING TO ESCAPE THE BATTLE OF DEFEAT THROUGH CONFUSION AND LIES THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE, CONTINUES HIS RUMORS AND PROJECTIONS AS IN THE PAST. ALTHOUGH THE REALITY OF THE FIELD OF SELF-PROCLAIMED SUPERIORITY IS THE POWERFUL ARMED FORCES OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN. AND VICTORY IS ONLY FROM ALLAH, THE MIGHTY, THE WISE.
The US military for its part claims to have destroyed two Cplanes to ensure that they were not captured by the Iranians. Meanwhile, Trump has just posted on truth social again warning to blow up Iranian power plants if they did not end the blockade of the state of Hormos by Tuesday. He wrote and I quote, "Tuesday will be power plant day and bridge day. All wrapped up in one in Iran. There will be nothing like it. Open the effing straight, you crazy bastards, or you will be living in hell. Just watch. Praise be to Allah. President Donald J. Trump. End quote. Top generals of the US military have already been uncomfortable about continuing with Trump's madness regarding Iran because they saw how this would end in an epic disaster. Trump was quick to sack anyone who appeared to or even reportedly opposed his slavery to Israeli war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump would rather get rid of his top generals than face a challenge to his subjugation to a foreign settler colony called Israel. Listen to this military affairs reporter from the Washington Post on CNN. There are thousands of troops deployed to the Middle East right now as we all wait to see if the US is going to commence with a ground operation in Iran. Is there a sense that there's any confidence that there's a well give us the sense of confidence in HEGs leadership among those who are directly impacted in the US military? I think it's pretty divided. Um I I don't think by any means it's it's universally against. There are there are people who really kind of buy into his lethality uh rhetoric. Uh but there is significant concern that he's uh perhaps not fully appreciating the gravity of this situation particularly when you look at things today like the pilot down on the ground. This is something that was a foreseeable circumstance in a serious uh campaign with numerous aircraft up against a country that also has anti-aircraft. Now, this explains why Europe has chosen to stay away from joining Trump and his Israeli boss Netanyahu in this illegal war against Iran. There are reports that French President Emanuel Macron could even have struck a secret deal to have his ship pass through the state of Hormos by paying a toll to the Iranians in the Chinese currency. Watch this epic encounter between CNN's Becky Anderson and French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confablu. This would give you a good idea on what France may be doing behind the scenes. A Frenchowned vessel navigated the straight of Hormuse on Thursday. According to tracking data, did the French government or any French representatives coordinate with Iran about that ship? Well, I leave it to the to the company. It's called CSGM which is indeed a French a French company and to communicate on that I won't have much uh commentaries on it but it shows what is important is that this situation uh cannot last we need to have this restoration of the freedom of navigation in as soon as possible because our world economy depend on it. So Iran does appear to have implemented a de facto toll system at this point. So you must know whether a fee was paid for the friendship to pass. Yeah. Once again, I won't I won't be uh more more precise on this. It's really for the for the company to say how it's uh how it did it and how it communicates uh on this. But it's extremely important to have uh this restoration of the of the straight of form. We are doing national measures to uh moderate the prices uh in France but we have to go and have the solution at the root and the root is a straight of meanwhile Iran has retaliated against the Israeli and US strikes on his civilian infrastructure. Iran fired more ballistic missiles targeting the Tel Aviv and Naggev areas of Israel. Explosions were also heard in Kuwait as it emerged that the Americans were using the Kuwaiti base to launch missiles against Iran. I will leave you with another Lego video from Iran. This one mocks the downing of US F-fighter jet and the Americans failed rescue operation. These guys ability to respond to going sun in Iran is more impressive than my own ability to respond to breaking news from the region. Yeah, you sent the jets. We sent them down. Rescue fell. Now you're losing clowns. No cease fire. Watch this. Jet down. Jet down. Jet down. Jet down. Trump screaming. Losing ground. Losing ground. Rescue mission. More birds gone. hours we said no carry on carry on jet down lighting raw jet down no cease fire we strike back all night long you thought your fines on the sky we locked on target made two more fly one rescue one still lost in the dust rescue choppers running out of turn in the rust from talking finish the job on TV but every j you send is a gift back to me You beg for Thought we need a stop. We laughed in your face. Keep taking the L. Pop pop. Jet down. Jet down. Jet down. Jet down. Trump screaming. Losing ground. Losing ground. Rescue mission. More birds gone. In hours we said no. Carry on. Carry on. down. Ling down. No cease fire. We strike back all night long. Sacred defense. Lion still flying high. You lose my planes, we own the sky. That's it for me. Thank you very much for your support of this platform and our journalism. If you haven't subscribed to my channel, please do so because that's one of the many ways you can support independent journalism. God bless you all.
US aircraft destroyed during the American mission to find a stranded airman in Iran, April 5, 2026.
Iran's downing of two American warplanes marks one of the rarest direct attacks on US forces in more than 20 years, a report said.
The last time a US warplane was shot down by enemy fire in combat was an A-10 Thunderbolt II during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, according to retired US Air Force general and former F-16 fighter pilot, Houston Cantwell, the Associated Press reported.
He said the US has been "flying combat missions" in Iran over the past five weeks, and US invading jets and drones "are being shot at every day."
On Friday, Iran shot down a US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet in an attack that left the two pilots missing.
According to Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran program senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank, it is possible that Iran fired at the F-15 with a surface-to-air missile.
Taleblu said it is also more likely that a portable, shoulder-fired missile was used in downing the warplane.
A US A-10 attack aircraft also crashed after being hit by Iranian Armed Forces. The Iranian Army also managed to shoot down two Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 transport plane early Sunday morning.
According to the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the enemy flying objects came under fire during a desperate mission to retrieve the pilot of the F-15 jet.
In a separate statement, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) also confirmed that its forces have destroyed several US warplanes that were conducting a desperate mission to rescue the pilot.
The US, the IRGC said, "once again suffered a humiliating defeat."
US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that his country's military "got" the pilot during an operation, one day after rescuing another pilot.
The two aircraft used by the US military during the so-called rescue mission, which were subsequently destroyed by the IRGC, cost more than $100 million each.
Iran's Armed Forces have also shot down two invading drones, including an MQ-9 and a Hermes-900, over Isfahan Province on Sunday
Iran CLASHES with US Special Ops Over Downed Pilot, Trump in SHOCK | Mohammad Marandi Danny Haiphong Streamed live 86 minutes ago #iran #f15 #trump
Iran just confronted US Special Ops attempting to rescue the missing pilot following the historic downing of the F-15E fighter jet. Trump has responded and Prof. Mohammad Marandi joins to break down the latest developments in the war that is changing the world forever.
Transcript
Welcome everyone. Welcome back to the show. It's your host Danny Haiphong. I am joined once again by Professor M ammad Mandi from Iran. Professor Marandi, thanks so much again for joining me today. Thank you Danny. It's always a pleasure being on your show. Yes. Hit the like button everyone. We're going to get into the latest updates now. That helps boost the show as we do it. So first we have to talk about this rescue operation. Uh the United States is claiming major success in this operation. I can just pull up right now. I won't read the whole thing, but here is what Donald Trump announced in his true social talk about how we got him. And then that was a a daring search and rescue operation. Uh he's safe and sound now. This is a downed pilot of the F- down by Iran two days ago. The brave warrior was behind enemy lines, treacherous mountains of Iran. And he had the president, the war secretary, everyone by his side, the Joyce chiefs of staff hours a day and they got him out. He they they he did admit that he sustained injuries but will be just fine. But Professor Mirandi, Iran is saying something quite different here and I want to be sure that people get this perspective because they may not get it anywhere else. Uh Iran is calling this operation an absolute failure. Uh here is what um Iranian media. Let me just find it here. Well first let's look at the aftermath of what they claim the military have done. This is what Iran released. These are the wreckages of all of the aircraft that were It looks pretty victorious to me. Yeah. that were involved in this two MC. Can you hear them bombing? Can you hear the bombing? I cannot, but I I totally believe you. Uh I don't know if the audience can. Everyone, please let them know and I'll I'll see. But yeah, I mean this is the barbarism that's going on right now in Iran, everyone. And this is what US special ops the Air Force special ops that were trying to rescue the air the the down pilot. This is what happened. Uh, two MCaircraft were destroyed, four helicopters were destroyed in this operation. Iran is even saying that this wasn't even an operation to rescue the pilot. That there was actually maybe more to this [LC: Uranium kept in Isfahan facility]. But nonetheless, these MCs cost $__ million, Professor Marandi, not to mention the fact that the justification for why these aircraft are destroyed by the United States is that they were stuck in the sand while they were trying to leave and that forced them to destroy their own aircraft. Iran is saying that they didn't destroy their own aircraft. It was Iran who did it, and that the United States was actually trying to kill the pilot, and kill those who were a part of the rescue operation, knowing it would fail.
So, first of all, what do you make of this? Obviously, there's a lot of fog of war here and that the US really needed a win, but I'm I'm curious your reactions and your thoughts, especially given the context of where this war is right now. I didn't hear the Iranians say that they wanted to kill the pilot. Oh, no, no, no, no. That the United States was trying to kill their No, I mean, yeah, I haven't heard that. I haven't heard that myself. But what the Iranians are saying is that these two planes were not stuck in the sand and that the Americans and their that the planes were damaged. They were fired upon and that on the ground and that this is what I've heard and that um the Americans had to leave. And they also believed that this was um not simply about some rescue operation for a pilot, but that these planes and their the soldiers were there for something bigger. but it went wrong and they didn't have the time to carry out whatever it was they wanted to do and they had to swiftly retweet retreat. Uh I personally don't think that this was a success by any means. Destroying two planes and four helicopters having the the during the previous day two other planes and two other helicopters destroyed that's not a good sign. Uh some people would say well why why didn't and these were just locals villagers you know people living in that area they took their arms and sought sought out these invaders but some people would say well why didn't Iran have their armed forces there Iran is a huge country it's the size of the UK Germany France combined and even bigger And so um in some areas there it's very the population is is is quite low. So the air defenses and the military presence tends to be where we have large populations and the terrain there I think is evident of the fact that there isn't much going on. But in any case this is definitely not a success. having to destroy and bomb two damaged planes or even if they say they weren't damaged but two damaged planes and four helicopters alongside them. Apparently there are four helicopters. That's not a success. in order assuming that this is just about retrieving a single injured pilot and I saw something I think it was on Sky News where someone I saw a clip where they were saying they were talking about this pilot and you saw there was wallto-wall coverage when they slaughtered what was it little girls at an elementary school. We didn't see any wallto-wall coverage. Actually, we didn't see any coverage, but um and then one of these people who was on the show on Sky News was saying, you know, they're seeking him out and they're trying to find him and this puts a a human face on this um this whole war. And I was wondering like the guy who bombs kids, that's the, you know, that's the human face of it all. and all those kids slaughtered and all those women slaughtered and all those workers in factories who were burned alive by the Americans and Israelis and the fact that Trump wants to send Iran back to the stone age. Yeah. You don't see any Western media outlet say these, you know, sending Iran threatening to send Iran back to the stone age is these are threats of crimes against humanity. You don't see any outrage in the Guardian or among these left European leftists who pretend to be, you know, anti-imperialists. You don't see anything from anyone. And that just shows the utter moral bankruptcy of the entire political class in the West. And I'm not just talking about Democrats and Republicans. I'm talking about those sort of mainstream critics um of US foreign policy. you know to to the language that Trump is using to dehumanize and of course all of them are complicit. I mean, all these people who've been saying the Iranian regime is this and and lying, you know, even people like um anyway, even like the so-called leftists and and and others who um who've been who are sort of on the margins of the mainstream political sphere who on the one hand they say don't attack, don't bomb. Yes, they're bad. They're evil. They murder. They slaughter tens of thousands of peaceful protesters and all that nonsense. Um, and of course, just today, Trump admitted that he was sending weapons to the protesters, according to a Sky News, according according to Fox News journalists who spoke to him today. But of course, that's all ancient history. They'll just repeat the same nonsense over and over again. But it is quite stunning that um we are living in a in a day and age where the the leader of the United States can threaten to send people back to the stone age repeatedly and no one no one is saying this is a monster. You know these are monsters who are in charge and that basically means that they're all monsters. That means everyone at the New York Times, in the Guardian, you know, all these in the Washington Post and Fox News, MSNBC, BBC, they're all monsters. There's there's no difference between any of them because um they many of them have Twitter accounts. I don't see anyone any of them screaming and pulling their hair out for these threats being made against the Iranian people. But in any case, this is no victory and they can pretend that it's a victory. It's all been a victory. The whole this war was supposed to be over in two days and then our missiles were supposed to finish in one week and here we are into the sixth week and the Iranians are hitting hard. there's it targets in in this sinister apartheid regime this genocidal regime and and across the Persian Gulf at US affiliated assets. So and the straight of hormones is controlled by Iran. So if this is all a big victory for Trump well okay. Yeah. Well, , yeah, people may forget, especially in the West, that, , this F-was shot down trying to enter Iranian airspace in the south. And, what was it trying to do? Well, it was obviously going to conduct strikes against Iran, likely, if not entirely, on civilians and civilian infrastructure. So, that's really the the the base of where we should be starting. Of course, the Western mainstream media doesn't do that, but here's the Fars News report. I couldn't find the link, but this is from someone. And just one thing before you continue, Danny. Sure. Almost exclusively, the targets are now civilian because they have failed to take out Iran's defense capabilities. They're all deep underground. Iran's air force in underground tunnels. Iran's air defenses. I've tweeted I've tweeted a clip of Iran's air defenses underground. Iran's air defenses deep underground. They take them out when they need them. Their air force, they bring them out when they need them. Iran's navy, as I think I said before on your show, all deep underground alongside the coast of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Speedboats with missiles, all prepared. Nothing of significance in the Navy. They bombed a few ships that are were in port that are not used for fighting. Yeah. And so the air force, the air defense, and of course the drone and missile say underground cities, their factories, they're all intact. And that's why Iran is firing missiles and drones on a daily basis. That's why they are still shooting down planes and they get frustrated and they start bombing more and more civilian targets. They bomb apartment blocks. They bomb hospitals. They've they've what they've been doing in in the last few days is looking for new types of civilian infrastructure to target. So now they're start targeting universities. They're bombing universities. They bombed the Shah Besi University couple of days ago. Before that in Tehran they bombed the sorry another technical university. They're bombing universities. They're bombing, you know, all sorts of civilian infrastructure. And and of course simultaneously in in Lebanon, they're they're bombing am and today they bombed an ambulance in in Iran as they they've been doing that regularly. When they see an ambulance, they try to they they bomb it. Uh they bomb truck drivers. I have a I may have told you this last time. I'm not sure if I if I if this is a repetition. Sorry. A friend of mine, his brother-in-law has a business and he hired two truck drivers to take goods from their city to another city and they bombed them and killed both drivers and destroyed the two trucks that belong to the drivers. So, um you know this is this is the sort of these are they bombed a a big bridge that was on was completed. People were um like the car bridge, right? Is that what it's called? Yes. Yes. in Karachi and um it was it was new newly built. It was I think about to be inaugurated and people were picnicking under the bridge and then you know lots of people were badly wounded and many killed, families, children when all the rubble and shrapnel fell down upon them. But in the west it's okay. I mean the New York Times doesn't care. The Guardian doesn't care. Uh they they you know they just four or five nights ago I said this on another show four or five nights ago very close to where I am right now a minute walk minute walk at most in a place near called um Arish Square they bombed a gathering of people I told you about these gatherings every night there are gatherings of people across tan and across the country in defiance of the of the Trump regime and the Z the the Epstein coalition and they fired missiles at them just away from here and a woman was killed. They killed a protester, someone who was defending the Constitution and the armed forces and they did that I I think I told you on the last Friday of Ramadan also where I was there and there's footage of it. I think you may you probably recall where people were on the streets and they bombed it. They fired missiles at the demonstration. There's actually a very interesting footage of a young woman, a PhD student of the UN at from the University of Tehran in fact where she was talking about why is it that people don't run away and why is it they chant aloh and while she did it while she was speaking the the missile blew up behind her. I don't know if you saw that clip. Mhm. You would think that in Western media that clip would go viral and that she would be invited on all the news channels, the BBC, Sky News, ABC, NBC, CBI. I mean, she'd be all over the place telling her story. A woman, you know, but they won't do that. That's, you know, that goes against the rules. So, all these young women who are on the streets at nights under fire, they don't stampede. They don't run away. or during the days when they gather, you know, these teenagers who can just joke can just go home and do what teenagers do, they go they stand their ground on the streets. These are the these are and they want to emancipate these women. these young women, these young women have to go and emancipate these, you know, regime affiliated activists in the United States and across Europe and these fake leftists and former presidential candidates and former Gian government ministers. I don't know if you hear the car. is carpet bombing. Bomb after bomb after bomb. That's carpet bombing. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah, Professor Ronnie, I mean, those are all great points. Th this is I think why we will never see a US victory in this war because it's people the ordinary Iranians alongside their I cannot maybe the audience can I cannot though but I we've heard it before on this program it's for sure um an absolute crime what's going going on right now. Uh, just one . Yes, there's a demonstration right here, but people are gathered. I heard I heard a blast. I heard a blast right when immediately when you said, "Yeah, lots of blast." Yeah, very close by. And there are people on the streets very close by. So yeah, this is this they're still bombing. Anyway, let's go. Absolute criminal and and well, just to wrap up this point on what happened in this ridiculous operation versus Ronnie that goes in line with everything that you said. Um this is according to Fars News citing local sources. Um of course we already went over the destruction of the aircraft, the transport planes, the helicopters. They also say Reaper drones, Hermes drones. Uh but this is this is the thing. Uh field sources do report killing of several American forces. I think Iran has said that about nine people were killed on their side. Um but un unclear how many Americans died in the so-called operation which we don't even know was a rescue operation to begin with. Lots of fog of war. It all comes from Ron V, the Sensecom silent throughout this whole ordeal from the beginning of the downed aircraft all the way up until now. Um, and now we have President Marandi, as you're hearing the bombs go off behind you. We are having Donald Trump on Easter. People have to remember this is Easter Sunday, right? This is supposedly the holy war, you know, , super , godly president that he claims to be. on Easter Sunday, he's giving out ultimatums, Professor Arandi, to Iran. Absolutely ridiculous ultimatums. Uh here they are. Uh today, he said, Tuesday is power plant day in bridge day all wrapped up into one. There will be nothing like it. Open the effing straight, you crazy bees, or you'll be living in hell. Just watch. Praise to Allah. And then Professor Marandi, he put out the time of the deadline. Uh here we go. Which is a delayed deadline, by the way. p.m. Eastern time. Uh hours. So I mean, first of all, what do you make of this? This is in terms of the overall shape of the war. The bombings continue. Uh the United States media though is reporting that um these bombings are going to have to be you using different weapons very soon because they're running out of these JSONs, standoff strikes. Uh we might see more F-s, more F-s, more aircraft down soon as they have to get closer. But what do you make of these threats on Easter Sunday? Uh pray, you know, just distastefully, disgustingly, in a totally racist fashion, you know, citing Allah. I mean, what how do you react to this? How do you think Iran is reacting to this? He's a psychopath. And Iranians all you know know he's a psychopath and um Iranians in particular are disgusted with those Iranians in the diaspora who've been calling for the war and you know and there was one of these women from the diaspora apparently I haven't seen this myself she went on a show and she was continued to call for Trump to bomb Iran. And then the host said, "Well, you know, civilian targets are also being like he hit a bridge." And she said, "No, no, he he didn't. He he always lied. He didn't hit the bridge." And she I didn't see this myself, so I'm I'm a bit vague. I may get it wrong a bit. And then the host said, "But he's he claimed that he hit the bridge." So because she was saying, "No, he didn't hit the bridge." And then the host said, "Well, he claimed that he hit the bridge." He said, "Well, Trump Trump always lies." So this is how how detached from reality. These people have to become live on air in order to justify the the the crimes being committed against the Iranian people. And of course, those Trump supporters, the MAGA base, they are all implicated in crimes against humanity because they support it. So they they're they're partners in crime and you know there's no but also all those who may repeated the lies of some thousand or now Trump says some thousand today he said or so those who repeated these lies whether it's what's that guy's name whatever maybe it's best not to mention people all these people are complicit in crimes against humanity every single one of them those who repeated the lies of the regime murdering um people on the streets they're they're all criminals every single one of them they're all criminals yeah and first Prof. Marandi now that we have you know got into this ultimatum another one by Donald Trump drops news is saying that his whole thinking right now is he wants to get this war wrapped up in a couple of days and if not he just wants to blow everything to hell. That is the way he's thinking about it. But Iran does not seem phased by this. And now even the western mainstream media has to admit that not only is Iran not fazed by this, but Iran has the means to not be. It's not even just it's not a it's not just a psychological it there's a material backing to this why they aren't phased. It's because they can continue to keep going. And before the show, we were talking about these decoys and and this is the New York Times admitting that Iran is quickly repairing its missile bunkers according to US intel alone. And these are conservative estimates, conservative assessments. But here it says Iran is deploying significant number of decoys and the United States is not sure how many of apparent launchers it has destroyed were real. While the US has an estimate of Iranian missile launchers from before the war, that number was not precise. It's been difficult to assess how many launchers may be in bunkers or caves struck by American or Israeli air strikes. So, they're not even sure at all this whole war other than the civilians, the infrastructure, anything else they've been trying to hit. They're not even sure if they're hitting anything. And Iran has shown every single day, I mean yesterday, Bahrain, UAE, Hifa, every Beera, these are Israeli sites. Um, every day, every single day, it doesn't stop. And so that makes me wonder, Professor Rondie, did this ultimatum is it is it purely meaningless? And do you believe that the United States, Donald Trump, is really trying to seek a quick exit out of this? Well, there are a number of things there that we have to discuss. One is that yes, he is seeking a way out. And as we speak, he is apparently seeking a way out, but we have to see what he actually does because what he was proposing before was complete nonsense and the Iranians are not going to accept it. The Iranian demands are quite clear and of course key to all those demands are is control over the straight of Hormuz and have no doubt that after this war continue to control the straight of Hormuz and already two countries besides Oman in the Persian Gulf, they have spoken to the Iranians and have agreed to work within the framework of this new situation. And so, um, we but we have to see what Trump does because nothing that Trump says has any meaning. He's constantly flip-flopping. And a signature by Trump is meaningless. He's, you know, he's a serial liar. He's a he's a psychopath. So, for the Iranians, negotiating with the United States is meaningless. The facts on the ground have to change. And not just in the Persian Gulf, but also across West Asia. The facts on the ground have to change. Part of that change Iran is already implementing. It is changing the status quo. It is changing the status of the straight of hormones. That is permanent and there's nothing that the Americans can do about it, meaning the the regime in Washington. So, but we'll have to see how that plays out. Whether he carries out some further monstrous attacks against Iran, that remains to be seen. But as we've discussed repeatedly before and as I've been saying for seven, eight years now, actually someone reminded me that I did a I spoke on Press TV years ago, I don't know where the clip is, but years ago before Corona, few years before Corona, I said that if you know, if something happens like what we're seeing today, Iran will destroy all the countries in the Persian Gulf. And it went viral. That was the first thing I that I actually said that went viral. And this is not new. It was clear as day from the beginning that this sort of aggression would would carry out would would lead to this sort of response. And for Trump and the the United States not to know how many missiles we have and then based upon their ignorance launch a war not to know that we deployed. I knew that we deployed. I knew and I'm not in government. I knew that we had deployed tens of thousands if not more um decoys um and many of them are very advanced. They I think a lot of Chinese and they're they actually produce heat and so they've been bombing decoy air defenses deep deco de decoy planes decoy um missile launchers decoy trucks for for weeks and they continue to do so spending billions of dollars and and you know wearing out their jets destroying decoys, you know, each I don't know how much each cost, probably like a drone. But in any case, , for them not to know this, but but then again, they don't know anything about Iran, what do they know when they keep saying that the so-called regime is unpopular, it kills its own people. Well, the people are the ones on the streets and they're the ones who defy their air strikes. So where are those American and European public intellectuals who've been you know talking nonsense about Iran and contributing to this narrative of an unpopular regime. People are you know they're completely no one is going to rally around a flag of a its own people on the streets tens of thousands of people. No one should believe that. That is they say they they use this rally around the flag argument to say that no despite the fact that no that they kill all these people. No, that's a lie. If they had killed peaceful protesters and tens of thousands of people on the streets, who would rally around such a flag? No one would. That's why Saddam Hussein his regime collapsed so easily. That's why it was a walkover because people were sick and disgusted, sick and tired of the regime. So the only reason why Saddam could fight against Iran was because both blocks were behind him. They gave him chemical weapons. The entire Arab all the Arab regimes were were funding him and sending in troops to help him and sending people to work so that he could take ordinary people to the front lines and people to take their jobs. That's why he could fight. When when that was all gone, when the Americans invaded Iraq, there was no real resistance. It was only after the regime fell that gradually we saw people begin to resist, but not for Saddam Hussein. So that rally around the flag nonsense is is not a valid argument. Yes, they rallied around the flag, but around what they consider to be the legitimate government. That is that is the reality. But these people in the west, they're as ignorant about the the reality on the ground, on the streets of Tehran as they are about the the reality under the ground in Iran's missile bases and drone bases and naval bases and air force bases and air defense bases. Yeah. If anyone knows anything about history, if the Iranian government was doing, what the United States mainstream corporate media, what think tanks, the Pentagon, CIA, what they all say about Iran if it were true, they would be aligning with Iran. They would be aligning with Iran. They would not be at war with you know, you know, Danny, there's a good book and I advise all your viewers to buy it. I've I've actually spoken about it elsewhere. It's called Going to Tean. It's written by Flint and Hillary Leverett. They worked in the white house under Condoleeza Rice. He was the head of the Middle East and she was the head of the Persian Gulf in the National Security Council of the United States. Very important people. And um that's where they met and got married. But in any case, they um they Clint resigned during because of the Iraq war and they wrote a book called Going to Thran and they and they deal with a lot of the myths about Iran and I think it's very much worth reading but also the whole the book is basically saying that um the United States should should try to come to terms with Iran. And it it talks about the history of Iran and post there are very few good books in English on Iran. They're they're almost all garbage. But but this is a quite a good book. I don't agree with everything in it. And but it's a a very good book and you know if if the United States and they were hammered by both Democrats and Republicans. All the the corporate media attacked them left and right. These were people who, you know, they weren't like leftists or, I don't know, , obscure political, you know, figures. They were people who were in the center of everything that was happening. And so they were hammered and marginalized. But if they had listened instead of attacking them, we wouldn't be where we are today. Instead of listening to the what you know Joe Kent admits was are the Zionists and the Israeli regime that pushed the US towards war instead of listening to them US analysts had listened to these people but they can't listen to these people because they get their money from these oligarchs and the Epstein class. So that's why all the analysts write the way they do. That's why all the you know experts who get published in good publishing companies that's why they write with in the way they do because they you know that's how you make your living and that's how these two people were marginalized. Hillary man lever is Jewish you know attacked and slandered but it's a good book to read. But in any case, the United States chose death and destruction for the last two and a half decades. And I believe all of these wars that we've seen, these countless wars, were to bring us to this war. Yeah. Yeah. Remember what Wesley Clark said, , seven countries in five years ending with Iran. Well, those five years took years, but that's what happened. Yeah. Yeah. That's what happened. And then Iran has been preparing every step of the way. And so that begs the question then, Professor Moran, the you know, if we look at the landscape of what General Wesley Clark said, a lot of people have made note that you know, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, you know, I think Somalia, Sudan, um Iraq, and then or was it Afghanistan, I think it was Afghanistan, Somalia, and then Iraq. Um you know all those countries have faced some level some very extreme levels some less extreme levels of destruction um and many note that Iran is the only one left but yet here we have now I mean when I read the reports of what Iran is saying about its um you know it's operation true promise now there's a whole section on joint coordination with Hezbollah and Iraq and Ansarallah and Yemen Uh and this is very you know it seems to have come as a surprise that every single day now they're still despite you know what are we on week five of USIsraeli strikes yeah week six oh yeah we're now into week six I think the first day of week six now that we're here professor Marandi these operations are not letting up I mean just yesterday Kuwait was hit very hard energy um as well as a naval base So strikes on energy on naval base. Uh Iran is saying they've killed US personnel um in the UAE overnight. Um Israeli targets were hit. Um you know multiple ships in the street of Hormuz were denied pass.
So Iran is very active despite supposedly being isolated if if we take the formula that was supposed to happen. So what went wrong here? Professor Marandi, why and how does this shape the future of like how this war will conclude? It's the arrogance of empire. You know, you underestimate the the other the other is backward. It's third world as they, you know, they like to say the they're they're despotic. They're broken. They're not sophisticated like us. They're, you know, they're camel jockeyies. their sand so and so and that's how they that's how they view so they they look down upon every you know at everyone else and here they've they've they've had to confront the reality that the Iran is a very sophisticated country under maximum pressure sanctions and while the United States has been undermining it through terrorism as we saw two three months ago during those that armed U insurrection that these westerner these western elites pretend. Um you know all despite all that Iran has been able to develop indigenous technology to adv have a advanced missile system, advanced air defense systems that are underground and we are seeing them still being used. Uh the Iranians have better missile systems than the United States does despite all this. And um and then you have a nation, a country where the leader was martyed on the day on day one of the war and so were senior commanders who were not with him but they were elsewhere in a different meeting. He was martryed. He refused to leave his home because he said other ordinary Iranians have many have nowhere to go. And despite losing those commanders and him, within an hour the military response began. And despite the fact that we didn't have a leader for a week, the country was completely stable. There was no rush on shops or supermarkets or gas stations or petrol stations at all. Nowhere. Not for a day, not for an hour. Everything was going on as normal. And that's basically because the people were with the state. people with the Islamic Republic and they they basically for a whole week before according to the constitution in accordance with the constitution a new leader was chosen they were leading the country the population was leading the country the people were running the show they were running the bureaucracy and the armed forces without a leader of course the you know the constitution states that a three-man leadership is to take charge. But you know under those circumstances where the superpower and it's all its regional proxies and even countries like the regime in Azarbaijan and they're the one regime they're contributing to the to the war through different means through allowing Awax jets to fly over and of course providing the Israeli regime to with cheap fuel to help it carry out its genocide in Gaza. Despite all that, you saw we saw the resilience of the Iranian people keep the country not just afloat, but to create this impressive and extraordinary push back where Iran against the collective west, I mean, Western regimes are too afraid to bring their boats and and and soldiers here because they know what would happen. But they contribute in other ways to to to the war by helping the United States. All this whole you know these Arab dictatorships. So this entire front was created against Iran and the Axis of resistance. And by the way the same can be said about Lebanon. We had this discussion together multiple times. The Hezbollah is incapable. It's a lot of people said it was dead. It's gone. It was dead. But now we're seeing Hezbollah and and the Israeli regime is so frustrated that instead you know instead of targeting Hezbollah they target homes and apartments and western media contribute to them ecing class controlled media. Their journalists are in Beirut in in Gaza they pretended that since they're not there they cannot confirm anything. They are in Beirut but they won't tell the story. They'll say that Hezbollah is hitting the Israeli regime is hitting Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut. In other words, bombing apartment blocks, slaughtering people. So, Western media tries to give them cover as much as possible, whereas those journalists all know they're lying and they're misleading the people. So across the board we are seeing miscalculation after miscalculation after miscalculation whether it's the to the support that Iran has among the people whether it's military it's whether it's military capabilities are effective or not whether has public public support popular support or whether it has the the capabilities to resist and then there's of course Iraq and the resistance in Iraq and Yemen and if the United States escalates under Trump, then I have no doubt if he escalates and he goes after Iran's vital infrastructure and which is a these are crimes against humanity which he's boasting about and of course no one has a problem with it in the west then the we will do the same all the infrastructure of these Arab family dictatorships within the next days will be gone and those regimes will collapse Iran won't collapse but those regimes will collapse they'll be gone and Whenever there is a new regime, they'll definitely be close to Iran. Th those slaves and indentured servants and workers who many of them are not even from this region. Maybe they'll control the country. Who knows? The people of Bahrain, they'll finally be able to have their own government. And in Kuwait and elsewhere, they'll finally be able to have a government where there's no despot. Uh so I don't think the Americans I I have no doubt that the Americans won't have the upper hand. But all their assets in the Persian Gulf which are trillion worth trillions will be gone and there will be no more oil, no more gas, no more um petrochemicals, no nothing coming from the Persian Gulf for years. So even if we have an agreement and then the straight of Hormuz is open, there are no ships, if there's no oil or gas or LNG or if there's no fertilizer, then what's the point? Yeah. And then if that's the if those are the material conditions Press Marty which are very likely going to be the conditions on the ground then what you have is as you predicted as you have said here many times you have a global economic crisis you have a global econom like that's what that's what the situation will be and that will you know we're already headed there and um you know for and imagine like let's just look at India India we we've seen how the Israeli regime does not care about the Indian people or anyone else. A lot of Indians unfortunately because of their worldview they support the Israeli regime and their genocidal policies. What is what has this Israeli war against Iran caused? It's caused this the shutting down of the straight of hormones and now the Israeli regime is every time tries to escalate and destroy Iran's infrastructure to push Iran to do the same. So what will happen to India? The Indian economy will implode. It's already in deep trouble. Does will the Indian government last? There'll be crisis in the country for years. The country is you know it's a very poor country for the most part. So by so you know India, Brazil, any all countries AC they're all they're all going to face a very dark future because of Zionism because of Israel because of Netanyahu and Trump. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I just want I I also want to put out there for Marty, you know, I have this article here you know on this channel the all the sources that we use here on this channel that we discuss it's either especially about war right all you have with wars you have Iranian you have where what Iran is saying and what Iran is putting out there media as well as other kinds of information to help us understand the US side Israeli side. That's really it. So that's how we can glean information of what's going on. Now, , Israeli media is always so interesting, Professor Mandi, because while the hazbara and the, , pensions for lying is really strong, the force of lying is really strong with Israel, , it nonetheless, it's level, it's it's so , as the, um, Maguds would say, it's such a snowflake. it can't really handle any any reaction, any response, any retaliation, any resistance to it that when there is it it automatically panics. And here we and and it actually starts to put out some truth even among all the lies. And here's one IDF admits Israel overestimated damage to Hezbollah, believes Iran can keep firing missiles as long as war continues. You'll see this, this is Times of Israel, you'll see this all over Israeli media almost every single day. you'll see these little nuggets of truth and you know just yesterday president Ronnie Hezbollah they said that they hit Israeli naval assets. I mean this is it's only it the level of retaliation that Israel and the United States faces it doesn't get despite what Pete Hegseth says it's not getting less severe. It seems like it's either just as severe or getting more severe, especially as the more severe, especially as the consequences mount around dwindling air defense interceptors, dwindling standoff long range missiles. Uh and then of course the fact that the longer Iran goes, the more the United States start and Israel start to panic about how can we get what we want out of this and start making really disastrous moves like for example sending US troops into Iraq. I mean this is this has been the level of escalation we've been witnessing for us. What's your thoughts about this? How do you how do you see um the overall trajectory given that we we do get from especially from Israel, the US actually is probably um especially now that it's put itself out front, it feels less trustworthy even than the panicking Israeli media at this point because Israel seems to have a much thinner skin when it comes to what is happening to it. Well, you know, in the past, we used to always hear how brilliant the Israelis were at Hasbar. Actually, they're pretty dumb and they're pretty foolish and they're pretty ignorant. And even their policy right now of of perpetual war and an extended war. The Iranians want to extend this war because they they want the United States to be punished. They want to make sure that this war doesn't happen again. Israelis though don't comprehend the fact that the longer this war lasts every day that it it continues it's going to turn the world further against them because as I was saying earlier when the global economy collapses people are going to say this was done by Trump and Netanyahu and this is all about Zionism. So people across the world are going to attribute their misery to the Israeli regime and Zionism. So already they they all recognize that this is a genocidal and monstrous regime because of Gaza and now because of Lebanon and the unprovoked war against Iran. But now in addition to all that, you're going to have global misery that's really just we're we're we're just seeing the first little bit of what's going to come. There's going to be huge upheaval in the weeks ahead. And it's not going to be pretty. And you know I don't I don't welcome it because people everywhere all of us are going to all your viewers all your listeners all of us everyone's going to be affected in a negative way but everyone is going to attribute this to the Israeli regime and also the Israeli regime is a tiny puny vulnerable weak regime it's its strength comes from all the support it gets from the west and the United States in particular well if there's global economic crisis Not quite sure in future how much an angry American public is going to accept continued support for the Israeli regime as like you know as if it's you know business as usual. So I'm not quite sure this is a smart move by the regime. I think actually it's it's it's going to hurt it a lot. But you know this is again the arrogance of empire. They under they overestimate themselves. They underestimate everyone else and ultimately that's how empires collapse. We've already seen over the last couple of decades how the US empire has been going downhill and I think now with this war it is going to go downhill much faster than anything we've ever seen before. Yeah. And the support for this war is already very low. It's going to get even lower. And yet we have the Trump administration, Donald Trump himself, requesting , believe it or not, Professor Rodney, $ trillion , military defense quote unquote budget. Uh, arguing that everything else needs to be cut in order to make this happen despite the fact that this war already doesn't have public support in any kind of majority, let alone a plurality. Um, it's minority support. But it's only getting worse and it will get worse when those conditions strike, Professor Marandi, that you have outlined that are already happening. So as the economy goes downhill and as as people are paying more at the pump, he wants to take away more money from the people and give it to the the the military-industrial complex that is buaires. But, you know, I I think that reality is going to I mean, unless there's the Trump backs down seriously. Uh I think that the events that are coming, the global economic hardship that's coming is going to change things in ways that we just simply cannot u foresee right now. No. No. we we only see what is already apparent which is despite all of what's been invested. I mean the trillion that feels like a please we need this to rebuild everything that we've lost which is not even going it the reality is is that's not so simple as many analysts on this show have talked about. You can't just throw money at destroy feds, destroy patriots, destroy military bases. You can't just do that. Yep. You know, first of all, one thing that I should point out is that the Persian Gulf region is going to become very warm very soon and the heat and then you'll have sand, you'll have sandstorms, it's going to be dry and these are all desert countries. In fact, Iran, you know, in right now, we have a lot we've had just at during the first couple of weeks of war, we had snow. We had snow on the a lot of snow in the north of Tehran and on the mountains. And it's been raining a lot the last few weeks. And so, the mountains here are full of snow. If you look up the mountains in Tehran, it's it's, you know, it's a very pretty site. But in the Persian Gulf region, these are all deserts and it's going to get hot very fast. And if there is escalation and the United States destroys our critical infrastructure, if it's destroyed on the other side of the Persian Gulf, everyone will have to leave. Tens of millions of people will have to move. But in addition to that, all these weapons of the United States that they put here and they're sensitive, you know, air jets and so on, they're all going to be severely affected by the sand and it's going to be very costly for repairing all of these. So if anyone thinks that those that $trillion dollars is going to go to, you know, futuristic weapons, um I think a lot of it is just going to go to repairing the trucks and the the vehicles and the you know the equipment and the planes and all that. Uh because things are going to go downhill very fast. Yeah. and over a number everyone remember over a number of years in a very limited amount that's how the military-industrial complex works they max and they don't have the they don't have the infrastructure here to protect their their hardware they're not in military bases because Iran has destroyed all those bases so they're out in the desert to the west of Saudi Arabia and in Jordan and elsewhere and so they are more so when they carried out the war against Iraq or both wars, they brought in infrastructure to pro, you know, for a long-term stay to protect their assets. But here, they just rushed them and they're not they're not in places where they would normally stay. But this is going to be, you know, there there are costs, they're hidden costs that are just not being calculated. And also the the cost right now, they say like this war is costing this, I don't know, a couple of billion dollars a day. It's much more than that. the oil and the gas and the the fertilizer and the petrochemicals that these Arab family dictatorships are not exporting right now, they're all damaging the US economy because much of the money goes to US stocks and bonds and a lot of the money also goes to purchasing US weapons that they can't use because they don't even have, you know, like Qatar has people. How are they going to use all those claims? They're basically for kickbacks for commissions for both sides you know people of influence in US government people princes on this side so that money is you know that money is not available because they're not making any money and their their infrastructure is being damaged and if it's destroyed then you know everything changes so the m there's a multi-layer of the damage to the US economy is multi it's going to gradually reveal itself over time. Yeah. And final two points I want you to comment on. There's an audience question. But first I want to put out some breaking news. So you know coming full circle right as we're talking a lot of things are being revealed. Uh first Marens who's a very reliable she does great independent work on military affairs understanding geopolitics. Uh she posted this. So, DDJ Politics, a friend of this show, they published an image. I won't put up here because of issues with censorship, but they've already published an image that they say is proof that in one of these Cs that were downed by Iran in this so-called operation, rescue operation, that there was an American a US pilot in there incinerated essentially. You can you you see it. So, everyone can check that out on X if they want to go to DDJ politics. Nonetheless, Professor Marens is breaking some news about how US forces tried to use an old agricultural air strip in Iran was already prepared for the ambush and then goes into all of the costs of the losses that Iran was able to inflict in terms of the helicopters, the two transport aircraft, and then going into I mean just this alone, Professor Marandi, is devastating. F-AMQdrones, another A damage, Blackhawk helicopters. I mean, this is it just goes on and on and on. And this is only in the last hours or so. So, we're talking about massive damage to what's supposed to be the unflappable, unstoppable, invincible air force on top of all of the damage to the bases, all of the damage to Israel, all of the damage to the Gulf infrastructure, oil, gas. I mean, yeah, to say the cost is what they're saying, two billion, ridiculous. Two billion a day. Absolutely not. The the if you if you count what Hezbollah is doing to Israel, they've destroyed over tanks, that's like $million. So, we're talking about a massive amount of money. Yemen has not yet shut down the rest which will I mean when that happens we are going to see oil if people think oil markets right now are absolutely in crisis we haven't seen anything yet. So your final reaction to this and then the last question um that an audience me a question the audience member had I think it's the only one but I'll look u no there's a couple but here is one of them. How does person Ronnie feel about the world being behind Iran, most of the world? It's it's quite stunning actually how popular Iran has become across the world and how you know Sunnis have been being taught by the Kataris and Erdogan and Saudi Arabia and the Emirates to hate the Shia and they've been taught to be sectarian and you know these regimes have been supporting ISIS and al-Qaeda and and the dirty war in Syria but now everything is being exposed and so we see huge support among Sunnis across the world for the axis of resistance. They see right through the propaganda now. They see right through the the nonsense of you know of of of Syria of of of all the you know all these regimes are supporting are have continued to do business with as usual with Netanyahu and it is the access axis of resistance that's making the sacrifices and we see a lot of cooperation in Lebanon and among the global south you see the left and and much much of the right supporting Iran and in Latin America, in Africa and across Asia, including in India, lots of support. And I I'm, you know, I I find that in in the West there, you know, I I was speaking to one of the your guests, someone who you've had on your show before, a very old friend of mine for for years. he was telling me that in in the west there are people you know not necessarily the majority but a very interesting segment of u people who he knows who um who their the views on the war and on Iran have evolved dramatically. So, you know, this is of course the the doing their own doing.
The the West has behaved so shamelessly and shamefully. I mean, with with regards to Gaza, with regards to Lebanon, with regards to Palestinians, with regards to the entire world, but but especially in these last two, three years that the facade, the mask has been removed and people see the reality of what the you know, Western elites are and people in the west are seeing it. So the world is changing and um that's why I think people should read more about Iran. People should read like I said like the book on going to Tehran that sort of thing and they'll see that Iran is actually my view is that Iran is and axis of resistance. Uh these are shining stars of humanity. I it doesn't bother me if anyone attacks me or calls me names or threatens to kill me or whatever. I don't care. It's we we do what we have to do and this is what I believe and I think a lot of people are hour, beginning to see that the propaganda is just propaganda. hour, Yeah, indeed indeed. Professor Mandi, we I'm just putting up all the rest of the super chat. Somebody asked is hour, the rescue pilot alive? We actually don't know. We only have word from what Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump are hour, saying. Uh, someone brought up a good point here. Will closing the straight over moves and raising the price of oil over $spur the world to significantly reduce the usage of fossil hour, fuels and be positive in the fight against climate change? I mean China's renewable energy sector is certainly going to be booming hour, because of this but I don't know if you have any reaction. hour, Yeah, but this is this is not going to this is not going to be a good thing. hour, This is going to be tragic. We have to always remember Iran did not start this war. If you watch Western media, you think Iran did, right? Iran did not want hour, this war. Iran at no phase did it initiate escalation. At no phase. It waited for the And people criticize Iran. hour, They say, "Why don't you hit them harder? Why the Iranians have moral boundaries." Yes. hour, The Islamic Republic of Iran has moral boundaries based upon its religious beliefs. It has moral boundaries. It's hour, difficult for many people. Oh, the mullas in Iran, these, you know, they killed people on the streets. They gun them down day and night and I don't hour, know, you know, all the nonsense. Women and the women are the one ones who are preserving the revolution. They're the ones on the streets every night on the hour, streets in the cold. It was it was it was it would rain and snow. It was cold. Tean is cold. It's still cold. I mean, hour, Iran is not all a desert. Uh we have forests in the north. We have lots of snow on the mountains of Tehran right hour, now. And these young women you know, speak referring to young women. Young women are on the streets hour, and they've under rain and snow and and less rain now. I mean, the rain, sorry, less less snow now, but still rain. It's been we had heavy rain yesterday, the day before in Tehan. They're on the streets and under threat of death and destruction because these monsters, these pilots, they they fire missiles at them. So, you know, so all these narratives on Iran obviously are nonsense, but but yes, Iran has moral boundaries. So they wait for the other side to escalate. But when the other side escalates, they hit hard. Just like when they hit our petrochemical plants and the bridge, the other day, yesterday, and the day before. Now, you know, all civilian targets, now the Iranians have retaliated. But what do the Iranians do? They say beforehand that they're going to strike. even though it helps the other side prepare itself, it's air defenses, but they say so beforehand and they've been striking petrochemical plants and and other things in in in some of these countries in the Persian Gulf because they have a hour, sense of morality. If in Iran, we don't we didn't want this war. It's been imposed upon us. But hopefully with the defeat of Trump, this madman and psychopath and Netanyahu, this you know the the great evil and Zionism, the great evil of our time, we'll have peace. But no. Um if you suddenly take oil and gas and fertilizer and petrochemicals away from people, it's going to create a global catastrophe and probably starvation. So people have to put pressure on the Trump regime and to bring this madness to an end. We'll see what happens. Yeah. Somebody brought raised the point that two MC As can carry paratroopers or if there's equipment. So what were they doing when they landed only to be abandoned and or destroyed? That means you know of course we don't know how many exactly were on there but the there were likely many casualties if we cannot account for all but also you know there may have been more casual there may have been many casualties I I don't know and if the pilot thing is true then that indicates that they're not telling the truth but why so many troops exactly and so this is more than just about this is what the Iranians are saying that this they were planning something and it didn't go well. Yeah, it seemed like they were testing. I mean, it wouldn't be a surprise if they were using this F-pilot down as a kind of a test run for something, you know, how how far can they go? In any case, the generals they were they were resisting something stupid, obviously. Yeah. That's why they were removed. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. And it failed badly. I mean just the aircraft alone we will I guess we'll more will come out professori on the details as as as things emerge but I want to thank everyone who gave a super chat asked questions of course that's great hour, everyone you know professor Randi said multiple times in this stream that there were bombs overhead that very close you know he's working very hard here so if you want his voice past this stream to be heard after this you hit that like button because that will tell YouTube that this video is worth watching after we are done live. So do that. Uh that's the best free thing you can do. And of course you can support this show in the video description below. I'll be back tomorrow with Justin Podor and John Elmer. They they're going to do a a situ a sit rep here. We're going to get into the military situation that they've been following. p.m. Eastern time tomorrow, Monday, April th. person, anything you want to say before we head out of here? No, no, nothing. Just um thank you and thank your audience for listening and no one should ever be discouraged. That's the reality of human existence and we should just do what we have to do and if we do what we have to do that that is that is enough. So sometimes people get depressed and discouraged. They shouldn't be or they feel guilty for what their government is doing. If they're resisting, if they're opposing it, if they're active, if they're raising awareness, they have nothing to be ashamed of or to apologize for because it's not their doing. Yeah. Yeah. Great. Uh great way to end this program. Everybody hit the like button before you go. We are out for surround will be back.
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https://x.com/IRanMediaco/status/2040778633330168287 Iran News 24 @IRanMediaco BREAKING: New images show wreckage of a downed U.S. C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in the Islamic Republic of Iran 7:08 AM · Apr 5, 2026
US so-called rescue mission 'ended in total failure': Khatam al-Anbiya. The US military’s attempted rescue operation in southern Isfahan ended in total failure, with two C-130 transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters destroyed, according to Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters. by Al Mayadeen English Source: Al Mayadeen English Today 13:05 https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... e---khatam
The so-called rescue operation carried out by the US military "ended in total failure," the Central Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya asserted in a statement on Sunday. The operation, planned under the pretext of rescuing a downed pilot at an abandoned airport, was thwarted by the timely intervention of Iran’s armed forces.
According to the statement, the mission, described as a rapid extraction by the US military, was exposed as a deceptive maneuver carried out to mask Washington's military failure.
"Based on prior intelligence and further on-site assessments by experts, it was determined that two C-130 military transport aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters belonging to the US Army were destroyed," the statement detailed, noting that the swift and powerful resistance from Iran's armed forces had compounded the US' repeated failures in Iran.
As a result, the Islamic Republic of Iran was able to demonstrate once more that the "weakened and bankrupt" US military was not a dominant or superior force in the imposed war on Tehran, particularly when faced with the resolve of the nation's armed forces, according to the statement.
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Zolfaghari further noted that US President Donald Trump's "resorted to psychological warfare and false claims to cover up his defeat, as the ground reality has proven Iran's superiority in battle."
What did the US claim?
Earlier today, US officials told Axios that special forces allegedly rescued the second crew member of the F-15 fighter jet that was shot down over Iran, following an operation that involved confrontations with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and aerial attacks.
On Friday, an F-15 fighter jet was downed over southwestern Iran. Both the pilot and weapons systems officer ejected and made contact with US forces through their communications systems. The shootdown, described by Axios as a "nightmare scenario," triggered an urgent search and rescue mission, while the IRGC mobilized to locate the missing personnel.
The US admitted that during the first rescue, a Blackhawk helicopter came under attack by Iranian forces, resulting in injuries to some crew members. However, Washington claimed it was able to carry out its mission as intended.
The IRGC fully countered the claims, asserting that the mission failed and resulted in additional losses for the US military.
Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish #WATCH | Footage shows the remains of destroyed #US invading and hostile aircraft in #Isfahan, Iran. https://x.com/i/status/2040702085029638453 #IranWar #WarOnIran #Iran 2:04 AM · Apr 5, 2026
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Fars News Agency @EnglishFars This is the official page of Fars News Agency (FNA) English. We provide you with the latest news reports, photos and videos about Iran and the Middle-East. Iran Tehranfarsnews.ir/showcase Joined September 2013 https://x.com/EnglishFars
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Photos and videos released by Iranian authorities show the wreckage of a US military aircraft destroyed in southern regions of Isfahan in central Iran. The spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters of Iran announced on Sunday, April 5, that that Iranian military forces have destroyed several US aircraft in southern Isfahan, thwarting an attempted mission to rescue a downed American fighter pilot.
He said the incident followed desperate efforts by US forces to infiltrate central Iran and extract the pilot.
The spokesman stated that a joint operation involving the aerospace and ground forces, volunteer Basij units, and law enforcement servicemen successfully intercepted and neutralized the incoming aircraft.
He said the operation resulted in the destruction of multiple hostile aircraft and described the outcome as another humiliating defeat for the United States, drawing parallels with the failed Operation Eagle Claw in April 1980.
He added that the downed aircraft included two Black Hawk helicopters and one C-130 military transport plane, all of which were struck and left burning in southern Isfahan.
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Arya Yadeghaar @AryJeay
Fars News’s report on the turn of events re: finding the American pilot.
• Since Saturday night, search operations to find the American pilot(s) have continued in the 3 provinces: Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Isfahan, and Kohgiluyeh & Boyer-Ahmad. • Isfahan: Around 2 AM today, Iranians in southern Isfahan reported hearing the sound of an airplane flying, and simultaneously, the sound of drones and helicopters was heard in parts of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad. • According to local sources, until about 5 AM, several explosions were heard in southern Isfahan. The IRGC & Army then announced in statements the destruction of 2 MQ-9 and Hermes 900 drones, and the Khatam al-Anbiya also reported the destruction of 2 transport planes (C-130 Hercules) and 2 helicopters. • Some local sources reported that the US attempted to destroy the remains of the crashed aircraft and even the bodies of killed American forces. • Field sources also report the killing of several American forces by Iran’s armed forces. • Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad: During the enemy's early morning attack on a point in Siyah Mountain, a point in Kakan, and the Vozg area of Yasuj city, there were a total of 9 martyrs and 7 wounded. • Some media linked these attacks to the search operation for the pilot and even claimed that American forces were deployed to rescue the American pilot, but official provincial sources denied these claims. • The political and security deputy governor of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad told a Fars reporter: No heliborne operations were carried out by the US in last night's attacks. • Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari: Investigations by the Fars reporter regarding some media fabrications about Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province and clashes in this province indicate that these claims are false. • Trump, in a media move and without releasing any image of the pilot, claimed to have rescued the 2nd pilot, but his claim is unproven.
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https://x.com/AryJeay
Arya Yadeghaar @AryJeay Noteworthy
Translation:
12:16 / April 5 The rescue operation for American pilots in Iran has turned into a historic failure, reminiscent of a disaster even deeper than Tabas. While the United States claims to be on the verge of an operational leap against Iran, in just the past 48 hours, it has lost two aircraft in the south and one fighter jet in central Iran. Then, in the claimed rescue of this fighter's pilots, it has so far lost two HC-130 special operations aircraft, two Black Hawk helicopters, and two more medium-range combat drones. Additionally, fierce ground clashes have occurred, resulting in serious casualties among American forces. Trump's tweet about rescuing a pilot from Iran was part of a deception operation, and the conflict is ongoing. The United States is bombing the remains of its own aircraft and the bodies of its soldiers to cover up the trail of the disaster that has unfolded. There is a possibility that the pilot has been killed.”
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IDF admits Israel overestimated damage to Hezbollah, believes Iran can keep firing missiles as long as war continues. Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo acknowledges ‘gap’ between post-2024 expectations and Hezbollah’s current capabilities; top intel officer assesses Iran still has over 1,000 ballistic missilesbBy Charlie Summers and Times of Israel Staff Today, 3:56 am https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-north ... -2024-war/
Israeli security personnel secure an area around a rocket partly buried in a field in the Golan Heights bordering Lebanon, on March 19, 2026. (Odd Andersen / AFP)
The head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Northern Command has acknowledged that the military overestimated the damage done to Hezbollah’s capabilities during the 2024 ground offensive in Lebanon, as evidenced since the terror group returned to attacking Israel in recent weeks amid the fighting with Iran.
Separately, a senior Israeli Air Force intelligence officer assessed that Iran will be able to continue launching ballistic missiles at Israel for as long as the war continues, and estimated that the regime still has more than 1,000 ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel.
Regarding Hezbollah, Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo met on Tuesday with a group from Misgav Am after one of the northern kibbutz’s residents, 60-year-old Ofer Moskovitz, was mistakenly killed by IDF artillery shelling last month.
In recordings aired by Channel 12 on Saturday evening, Milo could be heard apologizing to the residents, acknowledging that the lethal incident “shouldn’t have happened.”
He then admitted that there was a “gap” between the IDF’s assessment of damage caused to Hezbollah’s offensive capabilities during the 2024 ground operation in southern Lebanon, and the force with which the terror group has been striking Israel’s northern communities in recent weeks.
His comments came more than a month after Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, renewed its rocket and drone fire on Israel amid the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.
Since then, Hezbollah has been firing hundreds of rockets a day, according to the IDF. The vast majority of the daily rocket fire has been directed at Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon, with several dozen projectiles crossing the border into Israel.
Cars burn after an attack that apparently killed Ofer Moskovitz in the northern community of Misgav Am, March 22, 2026. (MDA)
“There is a gap between how we finished [Operation] ‘Northern Arrows’ and what we understood and thought, and how suddenly, we still find Hezbollah [active], Milo said to residents.
“What I’m sure is concerning you all is the steep-trajectory [rocket] fire,” he said, moving to reassure them that the terror group had yet to launch rockets in “very, very large amounts,” and that most of those they did fire were aimed at IDF troops.
Despite his attempts to calm residents’ nerves, Channel 12 reported that a day after Milo’s meeting, the IDF shifted its assessment of Hezbollah’s current capabilities, understanding the terror group to be stronger still than estimated.
The change came in the wake of the heavy rocket barrages launched by Hezbollah at Israel over the course of the Passover holiday, which began Wednesday evening.
Now, officials reportedly estimate that the terror group has hundreds of launchers and tens of thousands of rockets at its disposal.
IDF troops of the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued by the military on April 2, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
Before the outbreak of the war triggered by the October 7 Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel, estimates in 2023 put Hezbollah’s arsenal at around 150,000 rockets and missiles.
But the stockpile was widely believed to have been significantly reduced by IDF raids on Hezbollah’s munition storage and production facilities during the year of fighting that ensued after it began attacking Israeli communities and military targets on October 8, 2023.
The group’s ability to smuggle in weapons and parts was also significantly hampered by the loss of Syria as a viable transport route following the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024.
And in 2025, in accordance with the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire, the Lebanese army also began confiscating weapons from Hezbollah as it deployed across southern Lebanon. Just weeks before the new round of fighting began, it declared that the area between the Israeli border and the Litani River had been demilitarized.
Mourners grieve by the bodies of Hezbollah members killed during an Israeli operation on the village of Nabi Chit in the eastern Bekaa Valley, during the funeral in the village on March 8, 2026. (Nidal Solh / AFP)
But Israel, which at that point was maintaining a troop presence in five key locations in southern Lebanon to defend the border, was skeptical about the Lebanese claim, maintaining that Hezbollah was rearming faster than it could be disarmed.
With this in mind, the IDF had estimated that 70-80 percent of the terror group’s rocket fire capabilities had been destroyed in the months of open warfare against the group in the fall of 2024, and damaged further in regular strikes following a ceasefire in December of that year.
At the start of the renewed fighting last month, the IDF believed Hezbollah still possessed thousands of short-range rockets, along with hundreds of longer-range projectiles — a far cry from the tens of thousands it now allegedly believes the group to have access to.
Since March 2, the IDF has said it has killed some 1,000 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force.
More than 3,500 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon have also been struck, including hundreds of command centers, weapon depots, and rocket and missile launchers, according to the IDF.
In the same period, eleven IDF soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, two civilians were killed by Hezbollah rockets, and Moskovitz was mistakenly killed by Israeli shelling.
Iran thought to still have large stock of ballistic missiles
Separately on Saturday, an Israeli Air Force intelligence officer told Channel 12 news that the IDF believes Iran still has more than 1,000 ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel.
“The Iranians have more than 1,000 missiles that are capable of reaching Israel,” said Lt. Col. “Tet,” who leads the research on Iran’s missiles and drones in the Air Intelligence Group, the IAF’s intel unit.
At the start of the war, the IDF assessed that Iran had 2,500 ballistic missiles. Iran has since fired over 500 missiles at Israel, as well as hundreds at other countries in the Middle East, and potentially hundreds of missiles were destroyed in strikes.
Missile fire from the Islamic Republic on Israel has slowed to around 10-15 missiles a day in recent weeks, down from around 90 on the first day of the war on February 28.
A senior Western official told the New York Times in a report published Friday that Iran has been firing around 15-30 ballistic missiles across the region each day.
Israeli security and rescue forces at the scene where a missile fired from Iran at Israel caused damage in Tel Aviv, April 4, 2026. (Flash90)
Since the start of the conflict, the military assessed that attacks from Iran would continue as long as the war is active, and the rate of missile fire could even increase.
“In all honesty, I assess it will not reach zero [launches a day],” the officer told Channel 12 news in an interview.
“I think they will continue to launch ballistic missiles. I don’t think it will be significantly more than what we have seen,” he said.
On Friday, The New York Times reported that US intelligence has assessed that Iranian personnel are digging out bombed underground missile bunkers and silos from the rubble, bringing them back into service within hours after being struck by the US and Israel.
The report came after CNN also cited a US intelligence assessment that around half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers are still intact despite over a month of US and Israeli strikes across the country.
Of the more than 500 ballistic missiles launched at Israel from Iran since February 28, 12 carrying conventional warheads with hundreds of kilograms of explosives have struck populated areas in Israel, causing extensive damage. There have also been more than 30 incidents of missiles carrying cluster bomb warheads hitting populated areas, with over 200 separate impact sites.
The military has reported an interception rate of 92% against attacks heading for populated areas and key infrastructure.
Sixteen Israeli civilians and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel in Iranian ballistic missile attacks, along with four Palestinians in the West Bank.
The Israeli Air Force has conducted hundreds of waves of strikes in Iran in the same period, dropping over 13,000 bombs on Iranian regime and military sites, including air defense systems, ballistic missile launchers, weapon production sites, nuclear facilities, and various headquarters.
The IDF has estimated that some 5,000 Iranian soldiers have been killed in Israeli strikes, along with tens of thousands more wounded, many of them members of the internal security forces and Basij paramilitary force.
U.S. rescue teams were ambushed, suffering losses worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but according to the U.S., they managed to accomplish the mission.
According to official information, the second American pilot managed to hide for more than 24 hours and was rescued in an operation where, as I have reported in recent days, Iran lets them in, but getting out is the real problem.
It appears that American forces tried to use an old agricultural airstrip in the region, but Iran had already prepared a large-scale ambush.
At least two variants of the C-130, possibly MC-130J, were lost, along with one or more AH-6/MH-6 Little Bird helicopters. There are also reports of two Black Hawks being hit, but which managed to leave the area safely.
Contrary to the official version that the units were destroyed on the ground, the images clearly show damage caused by air defenses on the aircraft wreckage, and this may cast doubt on any other official version of the event, including potentially much larger losses.
The two MC-130J Commando II each cost between US$ 114-165 million, but with special SOF configurations they easily reach US$ 130-165 million per unit, which puts the damage between US$ 260-330 million.
The MH-6 Little Bird costs about US$ 2-4 million in the basic version and US$ 7.5 million in the more equipped variants like the ones used in missions such as this one in Iran.
This is the minimum estimate of the damages, but the losses may be higher when all the assets are accounted for. In the last 72 hours, the damage tally also includes 1 F-15, 1 A-10, 2 MQ-9 drones also shot down, and damage to anther A-10, two Black Hawks, plus one CH-47F destroyed on the ground in Kuwait, bringing the total damage close to half a billion dollars in just the last 3 days.
If the information on casualties released so far is correct, despite the losses, the rescue operation was a success when viewed in isolation.
However, it calls into question everything that has been said by the U.S. so far about Iranian air defenses and reinforces what we have been saying about the gradual deployment of these systems, which, according to my own estimates, Iran still has hundreds of.
In addition, this latest event shows what I had already said: Iran is a master of ambushes, with a highly consolidated asymmetric doctrine developed across multiple conflicts that include wars in Yemen, Syria, and through various proxies.
Iranian ambush capability comes out strengthened, and if the pilot rescue really occurred, the American special forces come out of this operation looking very good.
