‘Face the music’: Iran hits back at Albanian PM over ‘hybrid war’ allegations amid protests Tuesday, 09 June 2026 2:36 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 09 June 2026 2:39 PM ] https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/06/0 ... legations-
People protest in Albania against a proposed luxury beach development project linked to Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner (Photo by AFP)
Iran has sharply rejected accusations by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama that Tehran is fueling anti-government protests in the country, urging him to show some respect for the intelligence and judgment of his own people.
Taking to X on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei mocked Rama’s claims that Iran was waging a “hybrid war” of disinformation in the country, telling the Albanian leader to “calm down” and “face the music.”
“It was YOU, sir, who started this. So you should face the music!" Baghaei wrote, urging the prime minister to listen to protesters chanting, “No to corruption,” “We want justice,” and “Rama leave.”
"They are perceptive enough to distinguish truth from falsehood," he said, referring to the Albanian nation. "If you choose to sell your national sovereignty, that is your decision."
"But when confronted by the outrage and criticism of your own public, please do not use others as a convenient scapegoat to evade accountability," Baghaei added.
He said that instead of making "hackneyed baseless accusations against Iran," Rama should "take a moment to listen to your own people."
In an interview with Politico, Rama accused Tehran of spreading disinformation about the protests against a proposed $1.4 billion tourism project on Albania’s southern coast, linked to US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
At a press conference on Monday, Baghaei said Albanian authorities “prefer to try to close the matter with these laughable accusations against Iran.”
'Flamingo Revolution': Albanians rally to save wetlands from Trump-Kushner family $4bn luxury project Hundreds of thousands of Albanians have taken to the streets in recent weeks against the Trump-Kushner family
The protest movement in Albania, dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution,” erupted on April 30 after a section of coastline in Zvernec, near the southern city of Vlora, was fenced off and placed under private security.
The land, which was protected until controversial legal changes were introduced in 2024, forms part of a development project led by Kushner’s private equity firm, Affinity Partners. The project, which also includes nearby Sazan Island, aims to build a luxury tourist resort.
Under the plan, Sazan Island would be transformed into a 1,400-hectare resort featuring hotels, wellness centres, and high-end tourist facilities.
Affinity Partners is backed by sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Protesters say the government has transferred strategic coastal land to foreign investors without adequate transparency, public consultation or environmental review.
Rama, however, has dismissed protesters as manipulated by foreign interests, suggesting that the project would not have attracted international attention without Kushner's involvement and implying that the criticism is politically motivated.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi. (File Photo)
Iran’s deputy foreign minister has censured the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over an anti-Islamic Republic draft resolution.
Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X on Tuesday that the move by the United States and three European Union countries at the IAEA, namely Britain, France, and Germany, is a “dangerous attempt” to whitewash accountability for aggressors and criminals.
“It has been documented by the IAEA that attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran’s nuclear facilities halted the agency’s verification activities and made its inspectors leave the country for security reasons,” the Iranian diplomat said.
Now, Gharibabadi said, the United States seeks to turn the consequences of its own illegal attacks into a case against the Islamic Republic.
“This is an inversion of accountability. They strike safeguarded facilities, disrupt the verification procedures and jeopardize nuclear security, and then they exploit the Board of Governors to pressure Iran.”
Gharibabadi advised the Board of Governors to refrain from imposing the costs of aggression on the targeted country.
“Drafting resolutions will not strengthen the IAEA Safeguards. Rather, condemnation of aggression against safeguarded facilities, respect for the rights of the member states, holding the aggressors to account and putting the agency back on its technical and impartial capacity will,” the Iranian deputy foreign minister stated.
The draft resolution demands that Tehran provide information on its enriched uranium stockpile and give the UN nuclear agency access to Iranian nuclear sites. It is expected to be submitted for a vote this week to the Board of Governors.
Israeli drones use crying children, sirens to spread fear in south Lebanon: Residents Tuesday, 09 June 2026 7:00 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 09 June 2026 7:00 PM ] https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/06/0 ... th-Lebanon
A quadcopter used by Israeli forces in Gaza. (File photo)
Residents and activists in southern Lebanon say Israeli drones are broadcasting recorded sounds of crying children, distressed women and emergency sirens in an effort to spread fear and lure civilians into the open.
They say Israeli quadcopters have become a constant presence in the skies, carrying out surveillance operations while transmitting prerecorded audio, often at night.
Witnesses report repeated broadcasts of children screaming, women calling for help, ambulance sirens and other distress signals.
“This is not the first time these drones have flown over us and broadcast different sounds,” Hashem, a paramedic from the village of Habboush, told the Middle East Eye.
“Yesterday, it was the sound of children screaming and pleading for help. Before that, they broadcast the sound of an ambulance. Another time it was the Quran. Another time, it was the voice of a woman calling for help. We are living through this almost every day,” he said.
The practice, they say, has deepened fear and uncertainty, turning familiar sounds into tools of intimidation in communities already affected by ongoing Israeli attacks.
Human rights groups and activists have condemned the broadcasts as a form of psychological warfare against civilians living under the threat of displacement and Israeli airstrikes.
Similar instances have been recorded in Gaza, where journalists and residents say drones have broadcast the sounds of crying children, screaming women and distress calls.
Since the start of the genocide, which has killed nearly 73,000 people in Gaza, doctors and rights groups have reported widespread use of quadcopters for surveillance, crowd control and intimidation.
Some believe the broadcasts are intended to identify movement in villages that have largely been emptied by the Israeli aggression.
In Lebanon, Tarek Mazaani, founder of the Gathering of the People of the Southern Border Towns, said Israeli drones have also broadcast warning messages naming specific individuals. He recalled an incident in October 2025 in which drones called on residents to boycott him over his ties to Hezbollah.
“When the Israeli army did that, I had to leave the house out of concern for the lives of the residents and neighbors in the residential complex where I was staying,” Mazaani said.
According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, since March 2, 2026, when Israel launched its latest aggression in Lebanon, at least 3,637 people have been killed and 11,188 wounded.
More than one million people, around one-fifth of the population, have been displaced.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned that the humanitarian situation is worsening, with 94% of displaced people struggling to meet basic needs.
Its Lebanon country director, Rick Bartoldus, said many returning residents are finding their homes or entire villages destroyed.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it remains committed to defending Lebanon against Israeli occupation, despite pressure from the United States and Israel on the Lebanese government to disarm the resistance group.
US staged false‑flag drone strike on Kuwait airport to sell anti‑drone systems: Iran FM spox Tuesday, 09 June 2026 6:47 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 09 June 2026 6:47 PM ] https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/06/0 ... ms-FM-spox
CCTV footage allegedly shows a drone approaching the Kuwait International Airport, in Kuwait City, Kuwait, June 3, 2026, in this screengrab from a video.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the United States orchestrated a false‑flag drone attack on Kuwait International Airport to create a pretext for selling nearly $2 billion worth of American counter‑drone systems to Kuwait.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks in a post on X on Tuesday, shortly after the US State Department notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Kuwait valued at $1.98 billion.
The package includes Anduril Industries’ Roadrunner‑Munition interceptors, Sentry Towers, Lattice command and control software, and other anti‑drone equipment.
“The pieces of the puzzle are falling into place with remarkable speed,” Baghaei wrote. “They carried out a ‘false‑flag’ operation by deploying a copied ‘Lucas’ drone to strike Kuwait Airport, manufacturing the perfect pretext to market their ‘Powerus’‑developed anti‑drone air defense systems under the guise of protecting against Iranian attacks. Profitable indeed!”
The State Department notification, dated June 5, 2026, said the proposed sale “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non‑NATO ally.”
The principal contractor is Anduril Industries, based in California.
Kuwait airport attack
Earlier, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) dismissed Kuwait’s accusation that Iranian missiles had struck the airport. It said the damage to the Kuwait Airport was the result of US Patriot systems malfunctioning.
Iranian military sources cited the alleged footage of the airport strike, telling Tasnim News Agency that while the IRGC launched its drones toward US targets at midnight and recorded impacts under the cover of darkness, the footage was recorded in daytime.
The sources said a targeting error was nearly impossible since their intended objective was located more than 40 kilometers from the international airport.
The IRGC said last week that it launched missiles and drones against the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, a US Air Force base in Kuwait and other American military assets in the Persian Gulf region.
The IRGC identified its actual intended target as the Ali al-Salem Air Base, a facility that houses US military aircraft.
The attacks were in retaliation for a US strike on an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman and for a US attack on a communications tower south of Qeshm Island.
The unjustified US‑Israeli aggression on Iran began on February 28 with airstrikes that assassinated senior Iranian officials and commanders.
The Iranian armed forces carried out 100 waves of retaliatory strikes under Operation True Promise 4 and restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
A Pakistan‑brokered temporary ceasefire has been in place since April 8, but the US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports while using bases in Persian Gulf countries to fuel tensions against Iran.
Tehran has repeatedly warned that any country allowing its territory to be used for aggression against Iran will bear responsibility.
Our Armed Forces to leave no attack unanswered, Iran warns after fresh US aggression Tuesday, 09 June 2026 11:15 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 09 June 2026 11:15 PM ] https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/06/0 ... g-Araghchi
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned the United States that its most recent spate of attacks on southern Iranian areas "will not go unanswered."
The top diplomat made the remarks on X on Wednesday after the US struck multiple locations across the Hormozgan Province.
https://t.co/0ZiaTx0SQ1 Press TV @PressTV US launches fresh act of aggression against Iran; its regional bases placed on high alert now From presstv.ir 4:50 PM · Jun 9, 2026
"Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the U.S. opted to test our determination," he wrote.
"Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered," the foreign minister added.
"Leave our region if you want to be safe," the official noted, concluding, "History of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders."
Earlier, the Islamic Republic's national broadcaster reported that several locations in the southern Iranian province had been hit by US projectiles.
It named the Qeshm Island and the Jask and Sirik Counties as the targets.
Right before the attacks, in a statement posted to social media, US Central Command had said it had begun strikes against Iran following the crash of a US Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman.
A day earlier, US President Donald Trump had acknowledged that one such helicopter had gone down near the Strait of Hormuz, confirming a report by The New York Times. Trump had vowed that the United States "must" respond, accusing Iran of downing it.
Iranian officials and military forces have denied any role in the incident, warning that any act of aggression against the country will certainly warrant reprisal.
Press TV Breaking @PTVBreaking1 Military source: Any enemy's new aggression on pretext of crashed chopper will be met with Iran's firm response. 4:36 PM · Jun 9, 2026
Prior to the American strikes too, Araghchi had cautioned, "Our Powerful Armed Forces are on constant alert for any violation of Iran's airspace, land or waters. Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire."
"To reduce risk, the best solution is for foreign forces to exit, as soon as possible, an environment which will never be hospitable to a hostile presence," he had stated.
Iran Just DOWNED US Apache Over Hormuz: What Trump is HIDING | Mohammad Marandi Danny Haiphong Streamed live 5 hours ago #israel #iran #trump
Prof. Mohammad Marandi joins the program from Iran to discuss the latest attack from Iran as it enforces blistering control over the Strait of Hormuz. Has Iran's power only begin to take shape in the region? We talk this and much more in this live show.
Transcript
Welcome back everyone. Welcome back to the show. It's Danny Haiphong here. And as you can see, I am joined by friend of the show, Professor Muhammad Marandi joining from Iran. I believe you're in Iran right now, Professor Marandi. Uh if you're not --
I haven't left Iran since well before the war. I haven't left the city of Tehran since before the war, except for one day in Islamabad, and on the way back, because they were afraid that our plane was going to be shot down because the Washington Post said they should kill the negotiators. So they landed in Mashad near the border, and we I took a train to Tehran. But other than that, I've been in Tehran. I haven't even left the city. So I don't plan to go anywhere.
Right. Well, thanks so much for joining. Everyone, hit the like button. That helps boost the show in YouTube's algorithm. I wanted to begin for us, Marandi, with the news that just came out over our favorite fake news site, Axios. And it's a report that the United States, Donald Trump is saying Iran has downed a US Apache helicopter over the straight of Hormuz. The AH64 Apache helicopter went down on Monday night, and both crew members were rescued within two hours, and are in stable condition. There were talks about drone technology having accomplished this rescue mission, and Iran is being said to have conducted this strike. Professor Marandi, I wanted to ask you your thoughts on this, but also, how overall you're viewing the situation, because at this moment, it appears the United States and Donald Trump is not prepared for actual peace, but is not prepared to escalate into a full-scale war either, especially since a situation like this also led to the 12-day war, which was Donald Trump coming in playing mediator, pretending to be mediator. And now there's a quote unquote "cessation of hostilities" on the Israeli side, and Iran's promise to continue hitting if the strikes on Lebanon continue, which it seems like they are. So your thoughts on this overall moment?
I think that we are seeing, what we're witnessing, is the United States carrying out aggression, and destroying the global economy, and slaughtering many thousands of people at the behest of the Israeli regime. And why is it doing it on the behalf of the Israeli regime? Because they want to enable the Israeli regime to carry out its genocide in Gaza and now in Lebanon. Two theaters of genocide now, one in the south and one in the north. This is basically it. The United States wants to help the Israeli regime carry out its Greater Israel Project, to take territory from neighboring countries. They've already done it in Syria. The al-Qaeda regime in Syria has no problem. They have no will, no interest in taking back the huge amounts of territory that the Israeli regime has taken. The so-called jihad, these Wahhabi Salafies that work for that, have been working on behalf of the empire, and funded by Qatar and Saudis and others. They only kill Syrians. They don't have any interest in fighting Israelis.
Lebanon is a different case altogether. The resistance is fighting back. And what the Americans want is Iran to stand silent and let them carry out the slaughter. Just like in Gaza, they want the resistance and Iran, the Axis of resistance. to stand back. and let them finish off the Palestinian people. This basically it, Dan. This is all about genocide. Western journalists know it. Western diplomats know it. Western elites know it. They're supporting genocide. They're quiet about genocide. They want the Israeli regime to get away with it.
Just a couple of days ago, they gunned down a a seven-month-old child infant in the West Bank. There was no reaction from the diplomats in Tel Aviv, or Western diplomats. They participated in the gay parade. What's it called? The gay pride parade? But they don't say anything about the daily killings in the West Bank, and the beatings, and the theft. So, this is the fight. It's between Iran and the Axis of resistance, and the Empire, and no one else wants to defend the Palestinian people.
Erdogan continues to transport oil from Baku to his business partner Netanyahu, and he talks about Palestine, and that's all fake. Egypt purchasing gas from Netanyahu. Abdullah in Jordan is a terrible proxy. When Iran was firing missile,s he was desperate, and drones. he was desperate to down them to assist the Israeli regime. And this axis of assistance, as I once called it a couple of years ago, this axis of assistance and axis of resistance are two completely separate entities.
We're also seeing the same thing in Lebanon. In Lebanon you have a puppet government that was installed by the Americans and the Saudis, this public government, with a president and prime minister, but they don't have a popular mandate. The votes that they got were far less than the votes Hezbollah got in the last parliamentary elections. But they were installed by force. What are they doing? They are preventing the refugees from southern Lebanon from going to different parts of the country, trying to use sectarianism and religion to create hate in Lebanon. They're encouraging different neighborhoods and different cities not to let the refugees in. Western embassies are pushing for this, too. Western NGOS's in Lebanon are pushing for this. So they're cornering the supporters of the resistance in southern Lebanon. who've lost their homes, and lost their cars and their businesses, and then they prevent Iran and Iraq from giving any aid. We can't send tents. Because the government in Lebanon wants to bring the Resistance to their knees. They want to humiliate them, break them.
And then of course they go and negotiate with the Israeli regime, and give the biggest concessions in direct negotiations. What do they get in return? The Israelis bomb and kill a lieutenant general and two other people in his convoy. That's what they do. That's what happens when you kneel before the Master. You only get more punishment, and the Master becomes more demanding.
So Iran will not accept this state. And then you have al-Qaeda to the east, funded by Erdogan and the Arab regimes -- another proxy of the United States trying to shut the Lebanese border so that Hezbollah cannot get any aid from Iran. So they've surrounded these people. Collectively the Wahhabis, the Salafies, the Zionists, the liberal backed government in Lebanon, collectively they're trying to crush the people of Lebanon. They're trying to break the back of the Resistance. And Iran says, "No, we're not going to let you do that."
And so what was the plan? The Israeli regime said, "We want to flatten Beirut." I mean, imagine if someone said, "We're going to flatten New York." It's unbelievable how easy it is for them to say this, and no one responds in the west. You don't see western members of parliament giving fiery speeches about genocide and crimes against humanity. You don't see any congressmen or Canadian journalists, or British journalists, or Australian journalists speaking out. Only alternative journalists and the good people who you and I know, or know of. They're all indifferent. They're all supportive. They all try to create a narrative to justify it. You know, the beheaded babies, the fake rape accusations. The Israelis and their support used that for a full year or so so that the Israelis could get away with the genocide. And now in in Lebanon, whatever they bomb, they say "Hezbollah strongholds." And then all we see is dead families, and massacred families. But the West has to help the Israelis do what they want to do for the Greater Israel Project. This is where we are. So the problem is that Iran and the axis of resistance says no. The axis of assistance are with the Americans, and the west is all for the genocide. It's as simple as that.
And so the US presence in the Persian Gulf, their bases, and these countries, they're all for the sake of Israel.
Now this helicopter. I spoke to an Iranian military official who also spoke to another official, both relatively secret. They told me that Iran had nothing to do with it.
But that's not even the point. I mean Iran is fully prepared for war. That's not even the point. The point is why are American helicopters in the region? Why has the United States surrounded Iran? It is all to support ethnosupremacism. All your viewers have to know this. This is to support ethnossupremacism. Iran has been antagonizing the Islamic Republic of Iran for 47 years, because it supports the Palestinians, because it supports the Cubans, because it supported south African resistance against apartheid. That's the fundamental issue. Because the US ambassador told Tucker Carlson htat it was okay If the Israelis take the entire region. This is what the battle is about. If Iran does not stand up to their expansionism, they will take Lebanon, they'll exterminate the population, they'll take Gaza, they'll take the West Bank, and they'll continue to move forward. So, there's no other way forward. And if we do appease them, they'll just become more aggressive.
So Iran has to take a stand. If the United States strikes, Iran will strike back hard. If the Israeli regime continues the onslaught in southern Lebanon, Iran will strike back hard. And then in addition to that, there will be no agreement unless the genocide in Gaza stops. Iranians have said that you have to implement that fake peace agreement. All those regimes of our region, Erdogan and Cece and Abdullah and all the others, and I should be careful about my wording, even though I'm not in government. All these Traitors to the Palestinian cause. They whitewash Trump. They endorsed his ceasefire. And since then, over a thousand Palestinians have been murdered, and they've done nothing. And now Netanyahu is taking more and more territory in Gaza.
So what should Iran do? What should the axis of resistance do? They have no option but to remain steadfast.
Yeah, those are important points, professor Marandi. And what is so suspicious about this Apache helicopter incident that Trump is referencing, and I'll just pull up one more time the truth social post. But this is the truth social post. That he was informed by his great military, probably while he was at the Nicks game, that the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters patrolling the straight of Hormuz. There are two pilots involved, yada yada yada. They're safe. The United States must respond to this attack.
Now, the suspicious thing about this, Professor Marandi, is that Donald Trump is ver keen on presenting certain events as Iranian hostility while hiding, for example, what Iran actually did during what Iran would consider its legitimate retaliation against Israel, because of Israeli aggression on Lebanon. And I just want to pull up satellite imagery which shows that Ramat David Air Base, the air base that is responsible for the fighter jets that are flying out to strike Lebanon, there's quite a difference. I'm not a satellite technology expert, but there is a difference between the before and after, some kind of missile drone related fire and rubble damage being presented there. So, Donald Trump said that he told Israel, "Oh, nothing was hit. Everything's fine. Please do not retaliate." That's been the narrative. Israel didn't listen anyway. But the point here is that there seems to be some selectivity going on about what is Iranian hostility and aggression and attacks on US assets versus what Iran is actually doing, which has been downplayed from the very beginning. To me, that's suspicious. What are your thoughts?
Since the beginning of the so-called ceasefire, the United States has repeatedly attacked Iran. So, if the United States helicopter went into Iranian territory once again, if I was an Iranian soldier, I'd shoot it down. But the Iranians have not taken responsibility. Not now. Not yet. So from what I've heard from people is that this was probably a mechanical failure. But the point is that it is the United States that repeatedly breaks the ceasefire, not Iran. and the war was carried out by the United States illegally, and murderously, where they slaughtered 168 little kids on day one, and murdered our leader on day one. All enormous violations of human rights. Trump threatened to wipe out the country, obliterate us, take us back to the stone age, erase our civilization. These are the monsters that we're dealing with. And of course, Western media is never outraged by this language. They never attack him for this. They attack him for other issues at home, but strangling Cuba, and obliterating Iran, or carrying out genocide in Gaza? These these are not a part of the problem. The problem is the elections in California, the accusations of fraud in the local elections. That's what stirs up anger among Republicans and Democrats.
So my understanding is that since the Iranians have not made any comments on this, they probably did not carry it out.
But that's not really important. The United States has violated the ceasefire many times before and they'll they'll use this as an excuse to strike again and Iran will hit back hard. But the question is that does does Trump want to drag the world into a global economic depression? Because when the Israelis began striking Iran, when they hit a prochemical plant, Iran hit back at an Israeli plant, but then it said, "If this continues, we're going to destroy US uh the infrastructure in the Persian Gulf region that is linked to the Israelis and the Americans." And of course, everything there is linked to the Israelis and Americans because they're their troops are there, American troops are there. In the case of the Emirates, Israelis are there. And so that would be an end to the global economy. Right now, as we all know, things are going downhill for the global economy. The estimates uh uh with regards to where how fast things are going to get bad differ. Some say June is a is a is is a transition month and 18 minutesthings are going to get much worse soon in the coming days and weeks. Some say July. Some say by the end of September there'll be uh a catastrophic situation and by the end of the year some say depression some say much earlier I don't know but what I do know is that Trump is pushing the world towards economic depression and Iran is not going to back down Iran is not going what the Americans and the the West want to happen is for Iran to forsake the Palestinians and the Lebanese and that's not going to happen they want to carry they want to enable the Israelis to carry out ethnic cleansing and genocide in Lebanon and to continue the ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza and for the Iranians to have an agreement where they get a few billion dollars and and then they it's not going to happen. Iran is not uh Iran is different from all these other countries. axis of resistance is is different and people of you know I I I you know I don't want to go into ideology and religion but I I think I I told you before like anyone who reads about Iran going to tan Alice of Cro's book resistance they they'll learn a thing or two about the reality of Iran and they'll better understand why Iran does this but it's also it's not just about it's not just about the Palestinian people and the Lebanese people, which is for Iran key. I mean, without the end to this the these massacres and war, we're not going to accept an agreement. That's the end of the story. But it's also the fact that if you appease these people, if you appease this ethnosuppreist regime and its ethnosremacist allies in the United States, they're going to co go after you. If you show signs of weakness, they'll come after you. They're not the sort of people who will say, "Okay, they, you know, they're they're weak, so let's leave them alone." No, they'll they'll they'll they'll tear you apart. And uh that's what we saw. That's what we see in Syria. They the Golani regime, they're good at slaughtering Syrians. They've been doing it since 2011 and Iraqis at the behest of foreign western powers. But when it comes to Israel, everyone is quiet. They're all submissive. Is is the Israeli regime withdrawing from all those territories that they've taken during the the last year ever since the fall of the Syrian government? They've taken huge territory uh a huge amount of territory in the south, far larger than the Golan. Are they going to return it? So well uh professor Mandi I I mean I wanted to ask you now about given you referenced it a bit in terms of the fantasies these fantasy the fantasies of the United States around a deal uh with Iran and uh this came out in the uh media of the king of Hazbara the the king of lies the Israeli media. But in con media they have reported now that there is some kind of exchange that happened that uh up to three billion in Iranian assets were transferred from uh the Qatari banks where they are held illegally stolen from Iran uh back to Iran in order to uh sweeten a kind of coming ceasefire which Trump has said could happen any day now. uh but he has said this and I'll pull it up as you're speaking 38 times uh since the April uh ceasefire began that there would be a new deal uh uh you know imminently and you know just so happens to always come around the time when markets are opening or closing. So, uh, Professor Ronnie, your thoughts on this? What is Kanu saying? Did this even happen? Uh, what's Do you have any understanding of what's going on here? I don't know. I really don't know. I I should have asked actually before the show, but I was so busy asking about the helicopter that I forgot about this because I heard this just an hour ago. I know that a plane from the Emirates came during the the the war and people have been asking, "What is this about?" I'm just as curious as anyone else, but I don't know. I mean, the Amiratis, they have confiscated Iranian assets at the behest of the Americans over the, you know, period of time. I don't know if that would be a part of if, first of all, I don't even know if this is a true story at all. I don't trust anything from Israel. And, uh, so I really can't comment on it. And then if I if I say but the thing is that it could be 23 minutesseparate from the um the the 24 billion dollar assets that the Iranians demand from the United States because we haven't been in negotiations with them over this as far as I know. It may be that the Emirates Iranians are demanding compensation from the Emirates for other things that they've done. I have absolutely no idea. I'll I'll try to find out and let you know and then you can tell your audience if I find out any news. But uh but I mean the US policy is so I don't you know US policy is so strange that you know one day Trump it's leaked that Trump told Netanyahu that you know you're hated and country is hated which I think was probably a true statement. I don't think this was for show actually even though usually um it is for show last time around now they did the same thing right before the 12- day war saying that Trump wanted the negotiations and Netanyahu wanted war and then they carried out the war that was fake and with Biden too but on this occasion and I I personally think it's a bit different because Netanyahu was humiliated and in in the Hebrew press they attacked him u severely after what Trump said and for Trump for this to come out that Israel has hated and so on that comes at a price. I mean people across the world heard this so it's not good for Israel but I think and I'm just guessing and I've said this elsewhere and I maybe uh I'm not an expert but um I'm thinking that maybe there are Israeli firsters in the White House Zionists and people of influence among the Zionist class that are thinking that Netanyahu should go and they are per perhaps criticizing him and weakening him uh because they want him to lose election. Maybe if he goes, they can bring in some genocidal uh criminal from the opposition because they're all the same and the the public is genocidal. That's what their own polls sh show. I mean, it's a country where they celebrate rapists. But um maybe they could have a you try to bring in someone else and have a facelift for for the Israeli regime and say that it was all Netanyahu's fault and so on probably won't work but some people would be fooled. I think it's gone beyond that for the world to be fooled by this sort of thing. But I'm thinking that maybe this is this is a part of it and people in the United States are saying that Israel controls the country and it could have multiple purposes. I'm just guessing. Of course, I may be confused. But then here, it's interesting that Trump says, "I call the shots." And then Net Netanyahu humiliates Trump. So, it's a very confusing situation, but it just shows how much in disarray these genocidal maniacs are, these psychopaths are. Washington, Tel Aviv. What do you make of the comments then uh by a US official again to Axio saying that Netanyahu needs the war to continue for his political future while Trump needs the war to end for the political future and that's where uh for his political future and his party's political future and that's where the uh divide is actually uh occurring. uh it's it's not a divide over whether they agree or not that Iran should be a target of war or Lebanon or anything like that. that it's simply about their political futures that is causing a rift about how long this has been going on and of course the consequences uh especially on the Trump side of uh for the United States and the uh political viability of his regime and the particular kind of regime that he wants to be the face of. So what are your thoughts on this? Do you find this to be plausible or is this another like plausible deniability report where uh we are just getting more well good cop bad cop uh Trump is trying to restrain Israel but Israel just does it anyway. There have other there have been a BBC I put this up yesterday a BBC State Department correspondent said well actually it's highly unlikely that the Trump administration was not involved at all in these strikes on Lebanon that caused Iran's retaliation. But your thoughts? Well, this is true. I mean, we've been saying this for a very long time and so have many other people that Trump's political fortunes are linked to the straight of Hormos and uh the worse the situation gets, the longer this lasts, the less capable he will be of manipulating the markets and you know ultimately uh you know gravity works and uh the shortages will show and the uh reserves will finish. So that I think if this continues for long, I think the midterm elections will be a route and uh he will face impeachment and all sorts of other problems. I think that's the end of his presidency and uh it could lead to many many bad things for him. But uh and the same is true with Netanyahu. We know we you know we've been discussing this all along. I when before the attack on Lebanon I was telling people that he's going to attack Lebanon. Not this time the other time when said Hassan Nasah was martyr I actually went to Lebanon the day before on my own because I knew there would be war. And a lot of people were saying no he won't do this. I said no he has to do this because he's fighting for his own political survival. 29 minutesSo he has to go from Gaza to Lebanon to So he has he has to have perpetual warfare and the Greater Israel project therefore now makes more sense because it it justifies his uh you know constant strikes against Lebanon, against Gaza, West Bank and murdering people in the West Bank, killing that seven-month old baby u you know and every day killing people there and bombing Yemen and bombing Iraq and bombing Syria. and bombing Iran. All that is justified because he wants to stay in power. He doesn't want to go to jail. And uh so I think that he will continue for as long as he can. This the wars will never end as long as he's in power. It doesn't mean that the opposition is any more humane. But Netanyahu is destroying Israel. That's my opinion. I I've been saying it all along that the fact that everyone has turned the fact that you have this quote from Axios by Trump 30 minutessaying the world everyone hates Israel any everyone hates Netanyahu that I think is very revealing that's that's another reason why I don't think this particular report even though Axio has no credibility at all it's corrupt immensely corrupt and a tool of Zionism and the administration but I think in this particular case this was very damaging damaging for Israel. But I think they did it because they needed to get they I think they are doing this some people because they want to get rid of Netanyahu. Again, I may be wrong. I don't I don't make any claims that this is necessarily it's pure speculation on my behalf. I just can't think of a better reason why this this would happen. So, um, I I don't, you know, I I think that Trump definitely needs peace. Netanyahu definitely needs war, but we have to always go back to Joe Kent. Not that Joe Kent said anything that we didn't know, right? 31 minutesBut Joe Kent's resignation letter confirms from as from someone who was high up in the intelligence uh field in the United States, a Trump appointee, said that this is not about nuclear weapons. Iran is not making a nuclear weapon. This is not about um Iran being a threat. Iran's not a threat to the United States. This is about the Zionist lobby and the Israeli regime. And that's why when you look at Trump and you look at Netanyahu, the guy who is more important is Netanyahu. And so Trump is the one who is going to lose the election and perhaps a lot more than that. And Netanyahu, I think he's going to fail too because I think that ultimately he is destroying Israel and at some point the Zionists are going to say we have to remove this guy. He's destroying us and he's already destroyed them. I mean people across the world are I mean Iran Denny Iran has no soft power capabilities. It has been sanctioned for decades. All it has is these young kids who do um the Legos, the Legos, which you know, you know, wonderful job, incredible young kids, fantastic job. But Iran doesn't have the ability to counter Western narratives. But the world has woken up to all the lies about Iran for the last 47 years. Why? Because the Americans and the Israelis are so disgusting. The West is so disgusted and shameless that people are saying, "Look, this can't be right. I mean, what they're saying about Iran must be wrong because they're supporting genocide." The Guardian, Fox News, there's no difference. One may be critical, you know, in this sort of mildmannered way, but they're they're the same. One Fox News may be a bit different from uh MSNBC, but they're still fundamentally the same. People are seeing through them. So across the world people are supporting Iran because now they see and in and in Sunni countries all the propaganda against Iran all these decades by you know Erdogan by the the despot in Doha the Saudis the the Emiratis sectarianism racism beating their people with hatred towards Iran and the Shia and the resistance. Why? Because they're complicit. They're with the Americans and they need to discredit whoever's standing up for the Palestinians. Even many ma Palestinians believe their nonsense and their lies about the Shia, their lies about Iran, their lies about what goes on inside Iran. That is falling apart. During the war, people across the Arab world were cheering Iran. Even as Iran was striking these regimes in retaliation. Why? Because people see propaganda. Why? because it's become so ugly and so clear for everyone what the United States and the Israeli regime are doing and their proxies and the access of assistance how they have been facilitating all this that people don't trust them anymore. So Iran despite the fact that we only have some kids doing Lego videos and the state has no ability to project and we don't even have a good book on Iran. You know, I keep I I keep saying here and there, go read going to tan by the levers or Alister Crook's book, you know, resistance or Peter Oborne's book, you know, dangerous delusion. I think that's that's all there is out there. The Iranians haven't even written books that that are, you know, in English. That's all I that's all I've ever read that's any good. There may be a few other good books I haven't seen. I can't say there aren't any, but I haven't seen. But the point is that Iran doesn't have they're so sinister. They're so disgusting that people don't they don't even need to see the Iranian point of view. They're saying, "Look, these guys are really bad. So obviously what they see about Iran can't be trust." That's where we are now. Yeah. And uh maybe we can pull up uh Abas Sarachi, the foreign minister of Iran has published his response to the helicopter Apachi helicopter incident just to tie the knot here. Tie the loop. No, I haven't seen this. Yeah, it just came out actually. I can't because this I'm using my cell phone so I can't read this. You can't I'll read I will read it then. So, uh say Abasarachi, foreign minister of Iran wrote this. Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plane accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire. To reduce risk, the best solution for them is to leave. We prefer language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages too. And he published um uh two uh reports where he uh well two images. One of them is a report uh that says the straight of Hormuz is not this is his literal statement not international waters but shared between Oman and Iran located thousands of way miles away from US shores maritime borders are crystal clear and our powerful armed forces are in constant alert for any violation of Iran's airspace land or waters um uh and then it continues but I don't have to read the whole thing and then a picture of the straight of Hormuz for a reminder of exactly what it looks like and exactly where Omaran and Oman sit in relation to it. Uh so that was the statement first. Your reaction to this, it's uh quite clear. Yeah, I think that the Iranians obviously haven't taken responsibility. Not not now, but even yesterday before Trump said this, I would imagine that the Iranians don't know what happened. Uh otherwise the Iranians would have taken they would have said yesterday that a helicopter entered the Iranian territory and it was down. They've done that before and they they've said it before and we've seen how the Iranians have hit the Israeli regime very hard. So there's the Iranians are not going to shy away from taking responsibility. But in any case I think Trump is being pushed towards some sort of confrontation. May again this is speculation maybe because of the position he took on towards uh Beirut and towards the Israelis uh not responding to Iran and maybe there are Zionists in the United States who are saying you've gone too far and so he now wants to kill a few people and bomb a few people and murder a few people so that the Zionists and the United States would and Israel would be appeased. I'm guessing, but that's all that's the only thing I can think of right now as to why he would push this uh narrative, but you know, I don't know. But anyway, the Iranians are prepared for war. Danny, the Iranians are prepared. It's not as if anyone here is afraid, right? Gone are those days where people we don't want war, but we know they're not going to defeat us. they're going to be defeated, right? It will create hardship for us. It will create create hardship for the world. But if we have more war, then no one should imagine that the critical infrastructure of the region will remain intact and any talk of some sort of agreement that's gone. That'll be gone. So the oil markets, they should, you know, they should expect nothing from the Persian Gulf anytime soon at all. But if there's destruction in our region, that means that the permanency of this lack of energy is going to is is what we'll have to be dealing with at a time when the reserves are already finished. So manipulation can can work bit longer, but not much longer. 39 minutesYeah. And uh you know uh Iranians first have been in the street every single day. Now we are in day what 101 102 of this war since February 28th. And uh Iranians have been in the streets uh not afraid of war but supporting their government in uh you know taking up the mantle of uh self-defense against the aggression. I was on channel 4 news last night Danny. It's a British media and and the and and the and the the presenter I don't want to name him I know him but I saw a clip of him saying a few days well he was with on the second night when he was here he invited me to be on his show just four minutes for five minutes right and so I went anyway and he said you know uh Iranians won't approach me they are afraid of the guards there guards everywhere I'm like where are guards but anyway uh I don't see any guards on the street but anyway And and I said and and I was saying that come on if they if the Iranians don't approach you it may be because they don't trust you. He said okay I grant you that. And then last night he invited me again because he they were leaving today. He said to me you know Iranians on the streets tell told me they're tired of war and they they want peace. And I said really they told you that? He said yeah. And I said well I thought that the Iranians weren't allowed to express their opinions. I thought we I thought we gunned them down here in Iran. Isn't that what like what you guys what the I didn't say what the western media always says right and so you know forget I mean and channel 4 news is somehat like this particular host is better than other western media journalists that I know at least those that I can think of right now but the point is that uh I don't know what Iranians he met and who obviously the Iranians don't want war obviously the Iranians feel the economic make pressure. No doubt about that. There's high inflation. But for us, this is a war for our survival. We know that the greater Israel project is on and that these people are ruthless. They will exterminate the Lebanese. They will exterminate the Palestinians to get what they want. And the West supports them. No country in the West will do anything but assist them. There are no sanctions against the Israeli regime after three years of genocide. Few token sanctions on some people in the West Bank. So a joke by some of these regimes basically to to say that we're doing something. The Iranians know that first of all they cannot forsake the Palestinians or the Lebanese. It's not in our religious culture especially as Shia Muslims. Just can't. We can't let them just disappear. It's not doable for us. They'll have to kill us. But also, as I said, if we appease them, they're not going to go back and say, "Okay, well, the Iranians, they what was it that Trump said? Trump said uncle." If you're on, they said uncle, so let's, you know, go home. That's not how it works. That's not how it works. They will go 10 steps forward. They'll move 10 steps forward. They'll be more aggressive. They'll be they'll be more brutal. Yeah. So, we have no option but to resist both for the sake of the Palestinians, the Lebanese, but also for our own sake. And the countries in the region, you know, they are indifferent as they would say. Yeah. US Empire is literally the most uh maybe grotesque definition of uh give an inch, take a mile. Uh uh, Professor Mandi. Okay. So, two last two questions then. Um, well, not questions. The first I had a comment about the Netanyahu Trump rift story. 43 minutesUm, you know, we've heard we've seen it before. We've seen reports about Trump and Netanyahu Trump nasty call with Netanyahu. We even seen it during Biden at the toward the tail end of Biden's regime. Uh, nasty call with Netanyahu. But this is the first time that there was a literal quote, a particular quote indicating that Netanyahu, that indicating that there is a uh a confirmation that the ruling circles, they know Israel's reputation is uh in the absolute toilet and to articulate it in an Axio piece that's supposed to pose as legitimate reporting. Uh yeah, I think I think I agree with you. I think that's a big deal. It doesn't even really matter what the details of what actually happened are because people digest it as this is what we're being presented and if what we're being presented uh fits if the shoe fits then uh we ult ultimately it gets worn. So that uh that that seems to me uh the the situation with that. But I think I think it is significant in the sense that um uh uh we are seeing uh I think a a panic erupt that is based on a a a dead end that the US and Israel too finds itself in because Israel could go on as long as it wants doing all of what it's doing. But it is a dead end in the sense that the results are not going to change. The results are going to be yes, they continue to slaughter people. But does it meet any kind of objective? Not really. And does it worsen Israel's overall stat status in the world as a literal colony? Though that tends to not bode well in the future, especially as the resistance strengthens. And I think we can say that the resistance has strengthened over the course of this period from October 7th onward, February 28th onward. I don't know how anyone could make a case otherwise uh because we've seen things that we've never seen before. So your thoughts on this and then I have an audience question for you. Yeah, I you know I agree and I but I I'm not implying that there's a rift between the United States and Israel. That's a different thing alto together. I'm talking I'm I'm basically saying this is Netanyahu and not even just Trump. Trump really isn't that important in many ways. Whoever put this in in in Axios, which is just a tool for for the people around Trump, the Zionists around Trump, whoever put it there, I think was attacking Netanyahu. And obviously within the Zionist ruling class of the United States, there are different factions. But if I, God forbid, if I was a Zionist, God forbid, may may he kill me before I have the opportunity to be anything. Don't want to put that into existence. Yeah. I don't want to put that in. Yeah. It's just just, you know, take me, you know, just throw me under a bus or something before that. But if I was a Zionist, I would do the same thing. I would discredit Netanyahu. Bring in one of those other genocidal monsters. Help them win the election the in this apartheid regime where the majority Pal Palestinians don't have a vote. It's no democracy. But anyway, like South Africa where the white people get back then got. So that that sort of democracy. So I would try to help his opponent his one of his opponents to get in and then give the regime a facelift. give that genocidal opponent of his a facelift, make some, you know, marginal concessions, withdraw here and there, but not everywhere, and then move on. If I was a Zionist, that's what I would do. So, um, this I but I think this rift is real. I think the rift between not Trump, but more than Trump and Netanyahu 47 minutesis real. And uh because this quote, as you said, this is a literal quote and this hurt Netanyahu badly. And you know, even Fox News put this on I saw it on their Twitter account. I don't follow Fox News. I don't know how it got onto my Twitter feed, but uh that's where I saw it. Well, the audience question uh is a good one. Um they are asking about a comment made by Paul Craig Roberts who I believe served in the Reagan administration. Uh I don't know if he was in the department of treasury. Uh he said that his concern is that Iran is playing a dangerous game and is acting not is not acting decisively against Israel instead instead engaging in a tit fortat in which Israel continues to advance incrementally. uh his opinion is that Iran can overcome this existential crisis only when it makes a much bolder move than it has so far. Uh first, what do you make of this kind of critique especially in light of what we saw uh just a couple days ago and of course in the whole picture uh big picture of of what's been happening. Well, I hear this a lot and we've discussed this, you and I, on other issues. And I'm of the belief that in order for Iran to do things has to have part of Iran's power is to gather support both at home and abroad. So, for example, if Iran began firing missiles at at the Israeli regime earlier on, maybe some of the countries that support Iran right now would take a stance against Iran and condemn Iran's attack. But when the Israeli regime, you know, in Lebanon continue to carry out these genocidal strikes and threaten with Western support and Western people across the world are watching. they see through the Western media and then so and then when the the regime said they're going to flatten Beirut and then the Iranians threatened them and then they actually did begin a strike and Iran took across the world no one no one took a stance in favor of this regime that's important for Iran not that like Iran expects Russia to be a part of the axis of resistance or or China to be part of the access of resistance or any of the countries in the region that are friendly to Iran to become a part of the axis of resistance. But Iran wants to make sure that the other side it does not benefit from uh as far as possible from any violent exchange. And so again like Iran threatened the Israelis for southern Lebanon. Now, people some people are saying, "Well, you should continue until well maybe maybe they will. Maybe they're waiting to make sure that the Israeli regime uh is seen by everyone as provocative, as murderous, as genocidal, and then when Iran punishes them, it doesn't it it it doesn't hurt Iran. Iran needs support at home and abroad. People across the world need to I mean, Iran is and you know, I'm not speaking of of him. A lot of people, you know, sit on the sidelines and they're saying, you know, do this or do that. Iran is on its own. The axis axis of resistance has no help. The countries in this region are on the American camp. Awax jets fly over Turkey. American bases in Turkey are used against us. In the Persian Gulf, they're all their bases are used against us. In Jordan, they're down. They're trying to down Iranian drones and missiles. This is what we're up against. So Iran wants public opinion to be on its side. Just like as I said be right before the 12- day war, Iran was negotiating. A lot of people said Iran was fooled. That's not true. We knew there would be war. 51 minutesThe Iranians miscalculated by thinking that the Israelis would not strike the leadership like the commanders that were martered on day one. That was a miscalculation. But they knew a war was coming. I knew a war was coming. They wouldn't. Of course they knew. But Iran negotiated to show the world and the Iranian people that look, we tried. If we had not negotiated indirectly and with a mediator and in Oman where the Americans didn't want it to happen, in other words, from a position of strength, if we had not negotiated, then the Americans would many could have said, well, if you just negotiated, we didn't we wouldn't have had this. But Iran did and the Americans thus were blamed. In this war we saw that the same thing Iran knew the Americans were going to attack. And so they in the negotiations the Iranians were even a bit extra flexible. Not that because they wanted to give up anything because they knew the Americans were going to attack. And the Omani foreign minister went to Washington and said we made progress and they attacked. Iran was ready for it. Not they didn't know what hour and also they couldn't block all their missiles. They attacked. But the point is that the world saw Iran as the victim and ordinary Iranians because a lot of Iranians are very supportive. When you look at the polls, there's strong support. But the Iranians want every extra bit of support at home and abroad that they can get. That strengthens the resistance. Yeah. Hezbollah wants to I mean the president of Lebanon because he's an agent. He he helped Hezbollah a lot during the last two three weeks unwitting through two three days unwittingly. Why? He attacked Hezbollah and Iran and then what did the Israeli regime do? They bombed that convoy and murdered it. So basically they strengthen foolishly they strengthen Hezbollah because Hezbollah was saying the more you concede the more you're subservient the more aggressive they are. given his take a mile, right? Yeah. Yeah. And uh uh yeah, I mean I in terms of this question, I want to thank the Patreon supporter who who gave it. Was it is it give an inch, take a mile? What what was it that you said? Yeah. Yeah. You give an inch and they take a mile. So essentially the US empire that's that's what it does. If anyone tries to um you know uh cooperate Yeah. concede a point and they want a thousand more points. That's just how it works. Well, I mean, look what happened to That's what happened with the nuclear deal, right? We started giving concessions and they began to demand more. Yeah. When the Iranian president Roani kept saying, "We need to do a deal fast. You know, that's my top priority." The Americans said, "What? This is his top priority, so let's let's increase the pressure because he'll concede more." Yeah. Yeah. I mean uh uh if people don't know Iranians are quite educated people including in their leadership I think they've studied what let's say happened to Moar Gaddafi what happened to uh you know what happened to Bashar al-Assad or the Assad you know it cooperation let's look at the negotiating team the head of the Iranian negotiating team the speaker of parliament is an associate professor at my university right uh to one side was the deputy head of the supreme National Security Council Dr. Bogari who is also a professor at a university in Thran and then Dr. Adali a PhD holder foreign minister who is on the other side you know the vice president with whatever background he has and then two you know two Zionist firsters who are real estate real estate agents. Yeah, I was about to say real estate moguls, I guess. And yeah, and and you have Donald Trump who is literally just constantly contradicting even another genius. Yeah, even anything they do or say, he's I mean, we saw it with Ukraine. Look at what happened with the Ukraine conflict. Uh spirit of anchorage and then just, you know, tear tearing up even just a vibe. I mean the United States can't even maintain uh uh any any kind of even semblance of uh good faith negotiations or good faith even just uh you know collaboration around uh issues of of mutual interest. So I doesn't seem like Iran is uh uh budging on anything. And what's so and we even have reports, I'll just we can leave it on this 15 uh a 15-year freeze on Iran's uranium enrichment. You know, this is New York Times just throws out this number as if that uh is anything that Iran would accept given the fact remember when it comes to Iran, Trump's opponents are still on the Zionist side. So the New York Times, they'll carry out their psychological warfare. the Washington Post. They're all the same. They may be anti-Trump, but they're not anti-ionist. There may be a rift between some people and Netanyahu, but there is no rift between the political regime in Washington and the regimentality. Yeah. Yeah. And I think I hope people understand that war is not, you know, and to Paul Craig Roberts has comment, you know, war is not maybe to the US mentality, you know, US exceptionalism, military security, just, you know, crush everyone in your way that doesn't uh, you know, uh, kiss your feet. And even if they do kiss your feet, maybe you crush them anyway. Uh, it's not Hulk smash. That's not war. Iran is fighting a particular kind of war that uh is about as you said survival and also you know survival. They've been exterminating kids for three years now. Yeah. These people are ruthless. Yeah. They're ruthless and they don't they don't they're never going to understand why Iran fights uh the way that they fight back. Uh and I'm just going to read some uh comments. They don't comprehend morality. They for them it's beyond their imagination despite their fake pretenses over the years for human rights and all that. You know, the masks are off. They have no comprehension of human dignity, morality, and Iran does. So, I'll just read some of these comments, the super chats. Hello. Hello to you two. God bless and protect Dr. Morandi. Uh we also have a thanks to both of us by uh another one. And then there's a comment. Glad to see you, Professor Mohamad Mandi. Professor Mand Morandi, glad to see you, Danny. We support the sovereignty uh and the will of Iranians. We fought here for freedom and reparations, and we're still fighting for that. Um so that's a very nice comments. Thank you all. You know, it's sad. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other Muslim nations say they believe in Allah, but they help the enemies of the freedom fighters biggest Muslim nation, Iran. Uh thank you for that comment. And then again, professor, why doesn't Turkey wake the hell up and come to Iran for help and unite with you all? Now, that's a question that could require Well, the Turkish people are very pro Palest, right? Well, uh, we have to let Pro Marty go and end the show here because he is a very busy man. So, hit the like button before you go. I'll be back tomorrow with Patrick Hennington, 3 p.m. Eastern time, June 10th. Uh be sure to catch us there. Uh in the video description below, you can support this work, Patreon, Substack, and much more. Thanks again to all the super chats. Thanks to all the moderators, thanks to everyone who viewed. Hit that like button again, and we are out of here. Bye-bye. Say hi to Patrick. Sync to video time
US launches fresh act of aggression against Iran; American regional bases placed on high alert Tuesday, 09 June 2026 10:36 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 09 June 2026 11:40 PM ] https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/06/0 ... high-alert
File photo shows an aerial view of the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan.
Several locations in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan were hit by US projectiles late on Tuesday, the Islamic Republic's national broadcaster said, in yet another act of unprovoked and illegal military aggression.
Reporting on Wednesday, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) said a location on Qeshm Island was one of the sites that came under the US attack.
According to an informed source cited by the broadcaster, six explosions were heard in Qeshm, which the source said were caused by enemy projectiles. The broadcaster added that the projectiles had apparently been launched from a warplane.
An IRIB correspondent further said that, based on the information available so far, the impact of one projectile in the province's littoral Sirik County has been confirmed.
At least two water reservoirs in the Bomani district of the county were targeted by the enemy, and the drinking water supply to this district has been temporarily cut off.
According to an IRIB correspondent in Jask, another one of Hormozgan's coastal counties, two locations in the county's city of Jask and Kuh-e Mobarak were also struck by such projectiles.
Press TV @PressTV
US Central Command (CENTCOM) claims its forces began launching strikes against Iran
Meanwhile explosion sounds reported in Iran's Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, and Sirik islands.
U.S. Central Command @CENTCOM U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression. Last edited 3:18 PM · Jun 9, 2026
3:32 PM · Jun 9, 2026
No explosions were reported elsewhere in the coastal province.
Earlier, in a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said it had begun strikes against Iran following the crash of a US Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman.
A day earlier, US President Donald Trump had acknowledged that one such helicopter had gone down near the Strait of Hormuz, confirming a report by The New York Times.
Trump had vowed that the United States "must" respond, accusing Iran of downing it.
Iranian officials and military forces have denied any role in the incident, warning that any act of aggression against the country will not go without an answer.
Press TV Jun 9, 2026 @PressTV Replying to @PressTV IRIB: The impact of one projectile in Sirik has been confirmed.
In Qeshm, the impact of several projectiles has also been confirmed, though details on the nature and location of the strikes unclear.
Trump declared the truce on April 7 after at least 100 waves of decisive and successful Iranian retaliation in the face of the latest bout of unprovoked American-Israeli aggression targeting the Islamic Republic.
Shortly after reporting the blasts, the IRIB said "the wave of American strikes" had subsided in Hormozgan, describing the overall situation as "calm."
'Blasts hit Jask again'
Later, however, the IRIB cited local sources and nearby villagers as reporting that multiple blasts rang out across the Jask County again.
American website Axios, meanwhile, cited an American official as saying that a second round of attacks was underway against Iran.
Amid the situation, media outlets cited issuance of the highest level of alert at American bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar amid the prospect of Iranian reprisal.
Iran's military command has not commented on the US aggression so far.
Strait of Hormuz never hospitable to hostile presence; foreign forces urged to leave: FM Araghchi Tuesday, 09 June 2026 8:34 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 09 June 2026 8:34 PM ] https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/06/0 ... d-to-leave
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi underlines Iran's territorial right to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, reminding adversaries of the Iranian Armed Forces' dedication to guarding the waterway against foreign interference.
"The Strait of Hormuz is NOT international waters but shared between Iran and Oman, and located thousands of miles away from U.S. shores. Maritime boundaries are crystal clear," the top diplomat remarked in a statement on X on Tuesday.
Press TV @PressTV Trump acknowledges US attack helicopter crash near Strait of Hormuz https://t.co/0LjWIxE7oU presstv.ir Trump acknowledges US attack helicopter crash near Strait of Hormuz Trump acknowledges that an American military attack helicopter has gone down near the Strait of Hormuz. 1:24 AM · Jun 9, 2026
"Our Powerful Armed Forces are on constant alert for any violation of Iran's airspace, land or waters. Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire," the foreign minister added.
"To reduce risk, the best solution is for foreign forces to exit, as soon as possible, an environment which will never be hospitable to a hostile presence."
Araghchi finally underlined that the Islamic Republic prefers the language of diplomacy, but the Armed Forces have indisputably displayed throughout various episodes of foreign aggression against the country that "we know how to speak other languages too."
As a retaliatory measure, Iran shut down the corridor to enemies and their allies following the launch of the latest bout of unprovoked American-Israeli aggression targeting the Islamic Republic.
It began applying far stricter controls after US President Donald Trump announced continuation of an illegal naval blockade of Iranian vessels and ports on April 13 in violation of the terms of a ceasefire he, himself, had previously declared.
Earlier on Tuesday, Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf had likewise noted that Iran preferred to use diplomacy to put an end to the US-Israeli aggression, but other options were also on the table to deal with the aggressors.
Qalibaf: Iran has options other than diplomacy to deal with US and Israel The Iranian Parliament speaker warns that Iran has alternatives to diplomacy if the US and Israel fail to uphold their commitments.
"We speak other languages far more fluently. Break your commitments, and we'll switch to what we speak best," he said, cautioning against violation of the ceasefire.
2026 FIFA World Cup: Asian and African teams 'offsided' in US even before kickoff by Press TV Website Staff Tuesday, 09 June 2026 9:23 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 09 June 2026 9:23 PM ] https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/06/0 ... re-kickoff
As the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, prepares for kickoff in less than a week, a series of immigration and visa-related incidents involving Asian and African teams, match officials, and fans has raised serious questions about the US's capacity to serve as a neutral and welcoming host.
Over the past 48 hours alone, a disturbing pattern of visa delays, denials, and intrusive security procedures has emerged, disproportionately affecting teams from Muslim-majority Asian and African countries, and other teams outside the Western alliance system.
These incidents reflect systemic issues and policies that discriminate on the basis of nationality, race, and political affiliation, in violation of the spirit of the FIFA World Cup.
Swiss player faces visa delay
In the most recent case, Breel Embolo, a forward for the Swiss national team, had his visa placed under administrative review upon arrival in the United States.
The review process prevented him from joining his teammates for several days, disrupting his preparation for the tournament that will begin in less than a week.
While Embolo was eventually admitted, the delay imposed on a high-profile European footballer with no criminal or security background suggests inconsistent and unpredictable application of US entry procedures that go against the spirit of the gentleman’s game.
Press TV Sports @presstvsports NEWS: Iran’s Football Federation slams abrupt US decision to cancel its ticket quota
@presstvsports https://t.co/0j1Sw26njN presstv.ir Iran’s Football Federation slams abrupt US decision to cancel its ticket quota The Iranian Football Federation condemns in the strongest terms the abrupt decision by US authorities to cancel its ticket quota and obstruct the sale of tickets to Team Melli fans. 8:17 AM · Jun 9, 2026
Iranian players and staff face discriminatory treatment
The Iranian national team faced even more severe difficulties. The delegation spent multiple days completing visa procedures at the US Consulate in Türkiye.
The team finally received the visa, but fifteen members of the Iranian delegation, including coaching and support staff and team manager Mohammad Nabi, were denied visas outright, forcing the team to operate with a reduced contingent.
More scandalously, Iranian players were granted entry only on match days, effectively preventing them from establishing a normal pre-tournament training schedule.
On Tuesday, with only three days left before the inauguration of the FIFA World Cup 2026, US authorities obstructed the presence of Iranian football fans at stadiums where Team Melli will play three matches in the group stage.
Iran’s football federation strongly condemned the abrupt decision by US authorities to cancel its ticket quota. According to the regulations and common procedures set by FIFA, 8 percent of the ticket capacity for each match is allocated to the federations.
Aymen Hussein, a player for the Iraqi national team and the highest goal-scorer for the team, was detained and interrogated for nearly seven hours upon entry for questioning.
No formal charges or public justification for the extended detention were provided.
An official photographer for the Iraqi national team was also detained and interrogated for nearly 10 hours at the airport and eventually refused entry and forced to go back.
Top African referee denied entry
Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was named CAF's Best African Referee of 2025, was denied entry to the United States despite traveling with a diplomatic passport.
Following his refusal at the Miami Airport, FIFA officially announced that Artan would not be permitted to officiate at the tournament, without providing any plausible explanation.
The rejection of a referee of his caliber, selected by FIFA as one of the world's best, has raised many questions about whether US entry policies are overriding the international sporting body's authority and judgment.
Press TV Sports @presstvsports Africa’s best referee denied entry to US despite being picked by FIFA for World Cup
@presstvsports presstv.ir Africa’s best referee denied entry to US despite being picked by FIFA for World Cup https://t.co/4hxqPAG79P In another scandalous event just days before the 2026 World Cup, a highly decorated Somali referee, widely described as Africa 1:43 PM · Jun 8, 2026
South African and Senegalese delegations face delays and invasive searches
The South African national team arrived in the United States significantly later than planned because a part of its delegation was not granted visas in time.
The unnecessary delays disrupted the team's preparation and travel logistics.
Members of the Senegalese national team staff were required to remove their shoes and clothes and submit to lengthy security searches upon entry.
Staff members and observers characterized these measures as excessive and discriminatory, particularly given that similar procedures were not visibly applied to European or North American delegations, sparking concerns of racial profiling.
Uzbekistan team searched with bomb-sniffing dogs
The Uzbekistan national team was subjected to extensive security screening that included bomb-sniffing dogs upon arrival in the United States, as videos showed.
Footage of the search circulated widely on social media, drawing scathing criticism for the treatment of a national delegation from a Central Asian country with no history of hostility toward the United States.
The use of explosive-detection canines on professional athletes and officials, absent any credible threat, has been cited as evidence of a security posture that presumes guilt based on national origin and goes against the spirit of the World Cup.
Press TV Sports @presstvsports World Cup in US: Uzbekistan, Senegal teams undergo sniffer dog searches
@presstvsports
#WorldCup2026 presstv.ir https://t.co/JfV5t85J9V World Cup in US: Uzbekistan, Senegal teams undergo sniffer dog searches The United States is facing a growing scandal after its authorities subjected the Uzbekistan and Senegal national soccer teams to humiliating searches using sniffer dogs. 1:53 AM · Jun 9, 2026
Scottish supporters denied entry under ESTA program
Several Scottish supporters who were eligible to enter the United States without a visa under the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) program had their travel authorizations revoked just days before departure.
These revocations occurred after the supporters had already purchased match tickets and booked accommodation, resulting in significant financial losses.
No public explanation for the revocations has been provided so far.
Widespread visa rejections for ticket-holding fans
Across multiple countries, fans who had purchased World Cup tickets and arranged travel were notified that their US visa applications had been rejected.
Most Moroccan fans who had already purchased expensive tickets for their national team’s matches in the US had their visa applications denied, costing them huge amounts of money.
In many cases, these rejections came after non-refundable expenses had been incurred.
The absence of a transparent or expedited appeal process for sporting events has left thousands of supporters unable to attend a tournament for which they had already paid.
Press TV Sports @presstvsports Growing backlash over US visa issues ahead of the 2026 World Cup
Iran’s embassy in Sierra Leone slammed Washington after several members of Iran’s football delegation were denied visas, calling it “shameful” that FIFA awarded hosting rights to US.
@presstvsports
1:02 AM · Jun 7, 2026
Systemic issues in US hosting capacity
The pattern of incidents over the past 48 hours points to several structural problems with the United States as a main World Cup host, angering football fans across the world.
First, US visa and border policies do not distinguish adequately between ordinary travelers and accredited participants in major international sporting events.
Despite FIFA's credentialing systems and the diplomatic status of football delegates, US authorities have repeatedly overridden these protocols.
Second, there is a demonstrable disparity in how teams from different regions are treated. European delegations have not reported delays, denials, or intrusive searches. Teams from Muslim-majority nations (Iran, Iraq), African nations (Senegal, South Africa), and Central Asia (Uzbekistan) have borne the brunt of the most severe, discriminatory measures.
Third, the denial of entry to someone like Artan, a FIFA-selected referee traveling on a diplomatic passport, suggests that US border authorities are willing to contradict FIFA's own rules and judgments, undermining the tournament's integrity.
Finally, the financial harm inflicted on fans whose visas were rejected after purchasing tickets and accommodation indicates a lack of coordination between US immigration authorities and FIFA's ticketing and logistics systems.
