Judging Freedom - Prof. Mohammad Marandi : FROM TEHRAN: Why Iran Stands Firm

Episode Date: May 14, 2026

Prof. Mohammad Marandi : FROM TEHRAN: Why Iran Stands FirmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Undeclared wars are commonplace. Pragically, our government engages in preemptive war, otherwise known as aggression, with no complaints from the American people. Sadly, we have become accustomed to living with the illegitimate use of force by government. To develop a truly free society, the issue of initiating force must be understood and rejected. What if sometimes to love your country you had to alter or abolish the government? the government? What if Jefferson was right? What if that government is best, which governs least? What if it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong? What if it is better to perish

fighting for freedom than to live as a slave? What if freedom's greatest hour of danger is now? Hi, everyone. Judge Andrew Napolitano here for Judging Freedom. Today is Thursday, March 14, in 2026, my dear friend, Professor Muhammad Mirandi, joins us from Tehran, Iran, and we are delighted to be able to chat with him. Muhammad, my dear friend, how are you? You look well, you seem happy as life returning to normal. Hi, Judge. Thank you very much for inviting me.

It's always a great pleasure. Life is normal for now as long as there's no war, but obviously there are economic difficulties. that people will have to tolerate for the time being. Right. Is the war still on? It's difficult to say. I think that logically speaking, we shouldn't have the war continue because the United States has too many trouble,

has too many difficulties, too many problems. I think that it would also harm the summit between Trump President Xi in China. But since the Israelis have huge influence and the Zionist lobby is very powerful in the United States, the belief here is that we could be moving towards a hot war in the near future. So if it was basically between Iran and the United States, I think there would be no chance of war.

But because of the Netanyahu, factor and so on, I think that the chance of war is not low. I'm going to ask you to predict the future. What happens if Trump disregards the Zionist lobby, enters into some long-term ceasefire or even a peace treaty with Tehran? Netanyahu cannot take on Iran alone, can he? No, without a doubt, he would be badly defeated. The Iranian Iranians are today, as we speak, militarily speaking, stronger than they were at the beginning of the war. Not economically, not, you know, the Iran has had factories, bombed, schools, bombed, infrastructure

bombed. And of course, the siege has, it takes its toll, not the way in which the Americans want. And the harm that is doing to the global economy is, I think, significantly more for a host of reasons. But militarily speaking, Iran is stronger today. During the war, it used its old weapons during the first few weeks. Then throughout the war and after the war, they were building new high-tech missiles and drones. And even the estimates that have been leaked by the CIA to newspapers, that I think underestimates Iran's real power. So when we had the war between the Israeli regime,

when the Israeli regime assaulted Iran, the 12-day war, Iran, although it was caught off guard, it won that war. It was Netanyahu, who after eight days or so, was seeking a ceasefire. So if the Israeli regime again attacks, Iran today is far more prepared than it was back then. So I don't think the Israeli regime,

could do anything on its own, it would be on the losing end. But if Trump moved in the right direction, I think it would be, I think the whole situation in the region would change. I once, I think, mentioned a book going to Tehran by Clinton, Hillary Leverett. They were, it was a very good book written about a decade ago. And they throughout were predicting that if the United States and Iran don't move towards rapprochement, then this would happen, something like this would happen. It could have been very different from where we are.

The war is not in the interest of Iran or the United States. Right, right, right. I'm going to guess that you're aware of this article in the Atlantic by Robert Kagan, one of the leading, maybe the leading neocon in the United States. It's a very, very damning peace in which he argues, a checkmate in Iran, Washington cannot reverse or control its defeat. Is Donald Trump the only, and Donald Trump and Pete Heggseth, the only people on the planet who fail to recognize that the U.S. and Israel have been defeated?

I don't think they are the only people, but I think there are very few people who really believe that the United States has not been defeated. And this was clear from years ago, before Corona, that if the United States went down this path, these would be the results. And whenever we would speak out, Western think tankers or journalists would insult us or, you know, call me a mouthpiece or propagandist. But I think it was clear that the results would be completely different from their expectations. Their expectations were and are based on certain. We're having a little internet problem. I'm not sure if you're aware of it, Professor Miranda, but are you back?

No, okay. So I was asking Professor Miranda. Yeah, now you're back. Okay. You were talking about the whole world except for a couple of, you know, diehard Trumpians. I'll be charitable and just characterizing them. Surely the whole diplomatic community recognizes the failure of the United States and Israel. They haven't achieved any of their goals.

And you can tell me your thoughts. The article by Robert Kagan, the husband of Victoria Newland, the principal advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney when he was alive and in his. office. This is very, very telling. It's condemning of Trump, but it is also lamenting his failure. I mean, but Kagan is not changing what he wants to happen. He's just being realistic about what has happened. Which is a good sign. At least it shows that those who are deeply ideological, the Zionists who whose priorities are the Israeli regime over everything else on this planet, that even many of them have recognized the truth,

something that they should have known before and something that we've been saying for years, I always believe that the result of such a war would be what we've seen. But whenever I'd say it, in the West, they'd call me a propagandist or a regime mouthpiece. But the reality is that these people, in general,

because they're so ideological, they believe in certain narratives, and those assumptions that come from those narratives, that Iran is unpopular, popular, the regime is imploding, the people hate the regime. They keep using the regime also to imply that it's abnormal and unstable and it will not last. And that it will not last. So if it's not going to last, all we have to do is give it a push. And so all their assumptions are based on wishful thinking about Iran. And since it was based on wishful thinking, when it came to

reality when they had to actually implement those policies, they hit a brick wall. And now I think the results of this war are going to be felt far beyond the region, as he and his article also implied. In East Asia, are Americans going to, are the Koreans or the Japanese or others, are they going to collaborate with the United States against China? For example, the way and after what they've seen in the Persian Gulf or with Iran, do they, do they, when they see that the United States is not nearly as powerful as it claims to be or as it was perceived to be, I think you're going to see East Asia, Latin America, Africa. Across the world, I think we're going to see gradual changes.

Right, right. What is your understanding of Prime Minister Netanyahu's now revealed secret trip to, United Arab Emirates. You know, Judge, there's something I would like to say as a good example, but it's not appropriate. But it's sort of like a man or woman going and meeting someone who has a horrible reputation and has a secret relationship with someone who has a terrible relationship. and then it comes out.

And then people figure out that he's seeing this person or that she's seeing that person. This is poison for the United Arab Emirates. And when the Israeli regime revealed this, first of all, it showed that they had complete disregard for the Abu Zabia regime in Muhammad bin Zayy. Because it was a completely selfish statement. Because then the Emirates denied everything. But it's too late. So people across the region and across the world who are hostile towards the Israeli regime

are now going to look at the Emirates, even though they knew that a strong relationship existed. But what has been revealed makes the Emirates look far worse. And that strengthens Iran's hand. That strengthens the hand of Iran's allies as well. So I think it was a real disaster for... What was Netanyahu trying to accomplish? I'm not an expert. You have people on your show who I'd like to hear their views and your view as well.

But I personally think it has more to do with the elections and to make himself look successful in bringing about change in the region to the benefit of the regime. Because he's failed in Gaza. he's right now hesbollah is really causing huge problems for him in lebanon and the war in iran didn't go well nothing is looking good for netanyahu so if he has some you know big diplomatic success and by exposing the fact that the that abuzabi is the Israeli troops are there and that the musad is there and there's an alliance and they meet in secret during war, that may be good for him, but for Abu Zab, for Mohammed bin Zayyat, as I said, that's poison. Right, right, right.

Are negotiations still going on between the United States and Iran via Pakistan or any kind of an intermediary? Right now, it's not, there's no news on that front. And since I was with the delegation, as you know last time, it's clear that there are no signs of any movement. Iranians feel comfortable where they are. They also believe that the summit between the Chinese and American leaders went pretty well for Iran and that the statements that came out to the was clearly showed that Trump didn't

get anything from the Chinese and that, but that was already clear from the foreign Iranian foreign minister's trip to China before this trip. So right now the Iranians are waiting. The Americans have imposed this siege. It is devastating the global economy. Every day things are going to get worse. And the Iranians are saying, well, we had a ceasefire. You agreed to it.

Stop the slaughtering Gaza and Lebanon. Stop the siege on our ports. And those ships that we agreed could leave through the Strait Hormuz from the Persian Gulf, they can leave. What is the status of the Gulf of Hormuz now? Our mutual friend, Pepe Escobar, who's on right after you, is telling us, and we'll say on air, I think, that Iranians are moving a lot of oil over land. But what is the status of the water?

Is the United States still conducting a lot of? blockade five or six hundred miles away, is Iran still deciding what ships get through the very narrow area that's deep enough for them to go through? Is Iran still collecting a handsome toll, which was not collecting before the war? Well, the Iranians have said, and they are determined that they will control the Strait of Hormos from now on, and that's not going to change and umman is cooperating with iran in this regard so any ship that passes through is going to have to meet iranian conditions whatever they may be now some countries may have special relationships with iran some other countries may not have those special relationships uh so there could be

different standards for for different countries but but ultimately iran will keep control Iran is definitely exporting oil. The siege, I think, is complicated. I haven't heard any new news of the U.S. boarding Iranian ships or bombing Iranian ships, which they did a number of times in the past few weeks. But without a doubt, it's going to become more difficult for Iran. There's no doubt about that. The war caused damage.

It's war is no joke. And the siege is intended to harm Iranians. Now, how much it harms Iranians and how fast? That's a different issue. But we have to remember two things. One is that Iran during Trump's first term was exporting almost no oil. I've never had a government job. Well, my university is a state-owned university, but I mean in government.

But for a year or two, for a couple of years, I was as a volunteer in charge of the China file on behalf of Dr. Lari Johnny, who was martyred a few weeks ago. He was the chair of the Supreme National Security Council. Back then, he was the Speaker of Parliament, and he was in charge of the Chinese relationship. So I was in charge of that file on a volunteer basis because I liked him a lot. And we were not exporting any oil, literally, at the height of the maximum pressure campaign of Trump, except for a small amount of oil which we weren't getting money for. It was a debt that we had to China for projects that they carried out in Iran. So Iran has lived with being under siege for decades.

It's not fun. It's not easy, but it's something that Iran can manage. On the other hand, the crisis that is growing across the world, and we're not really seeing the reality of that crisis. It's like the patient where we see that the patient has a temperature, the patient has a temperature, a fever, but the real problem is much greater. The world economy is moving towards crisis. And the world economy in countries across the world that have never experienced sanctions and siege, they're going to face catastrophic consequences pretty soon. So in my opinion, this siege is going to hit Trump much harder and much faster than it's going directly and indirectly than it's going to hit Iran.

And I think ultimately the United States will have, just like during the hot war, the 39-day war that the United States had to concede, they began with unconditional surrender and ended accepting Iran's 10-point plan as the basis for negotiations, I think that this war, this sort of trade, this siege warfare will end with the same, with the same, that the Iranians will have to apprehend. Wow. Just to add a little levity to our conversation, because his statements are so ridiculous. Here is a frustrated Senator Lindsey Graham.

Sorry to do this to you, trying to interrogate the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense about the role of Pakistan in all of this. Watch this. Pakistan. Are you aware of reports that Pakistan are allowing their bases to be used to park Iranian aircraft, General King? Sir, I've seen one report on that. Was it accurate?

Sir, I think based on the variety of classification matters I've seen. Let me just say, do you agree if it is accurate, that is sort of inconsistent with being a peace mediator? Sir, I wouldn't want to comment on that based on the ongoing negotiations. Secretary-Secretary, Exeter. If the mediator is allowing reconnaissance aircraft in Iran to be part in Pakistani air bases, do you think that's consistent with being a fair mediator? Again, I wouldn't want to get in the middle of these negotiations. I want maximum efficacy for our people.

I want to get in the middle of these negotiations. I don't trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them. If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect. protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate. No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere. I swear, Judge, I have tears in my eyes. You know, I love Pakistan, and when we were there, people treated us as heroes in the

hotel, on the streets, in the media center. I mean, not knowing us as individuals, just knowing that we came from Iran. But Iran didn't choose Pakistan as the mediator. It was the United States. They sent their messages through their first. So if anything to complain about, they should condemn themselves. But the problem, actually, he said something else that you also put that you showed on another one of your shows, where he said that Iran violated the agreement by.

enriching it 60%. The Iranians never violated the nuclear agreement. It was Trump who tore up the nuclear agreement. And then the Europeans, all of them began violating the agreement in obedience and obeyed Trump. And then Iran, as a result, gradually, over two years, it took two years for Iran to stop implementing its side of the bargain under maximum pressure sanctions. People like me were saying we should immediately just throw the agreement out the window. But the Iranians showed patience.

It was the right thing to do, I think. And it took two years for them to stop implementing the deal. And so the Iranians only enriched uranium at 60% well after the Americans left and the Europeans defied their obligations. So it's truly a one-sided street. It's always been U.S. aggression, U.S. violations, U.S. sieges, and but when you look at U.S. media or Western media, Iran is always the bad actor. Wow. You were born in the United States of America, as we all know. Are there many Americans in Tehran now? and if there are, how do they interact in society, given what the U.S. is trying to do for Israel?

You know, there are Americans who live in Iran, and they live normal lives. Many of them are American-Iranians, and they have no problem whatsoever. I mean, our mutual friend, Max, Max Blumenthal, he's been to Iran, He's been to synagogues. He's visited synagogues in Tehran and Esfahan.

He's an American, an American Jew. And I don't think he's ever felt uncomfortable in Iran. I don't know as far as I recall. Or for example, Flint and Hillary Lebrot who wrote that book, they came to Iran three times. And Hillary is Jewish. And she worked in the White House. And she was always, she was very popular among students.

gave lectures, both of them gave lectures. She gave lectures, she went to different institutions, they went shopping, they were very popular. And no one ever said anything about, you know, of the American people and showed hostility towards them. So these are myths that the Zionist lobby creates in order to create hostility between the United States and Iranians. As you know, Jesus for us is, especially for the Shia, is infallible. And for, I think that if Jesus was insulted in front of an Iranian, the reaction would be much more harsh than if Jesus was insulted in front of a Zionist Christian. I have no doubt about that.

I mean, you do not insult Jesus or Lady Mary. or any of the promosus. So the similarities and the commonalities that exist are enormous. But all we are seeing for 47 some years now is hatred, hostility. And then, Judge, the most extraordinary thing is that the Islam that the Western intelligence agencies, the Islam that they promote Wahhabism and Salafism and ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and Buku Haram and all these crazy groups. They promote them and then or they supported the Taliban in the 1990s to take Afghanistan.

Now today the Taliban is somewhat different, but back then when they were pushing, they were helping the Taliban in Afghanistan and they were carrying out mass slaughters. The Americans, that that ideology that they were promoting themselves, they attributed to us. They say that this is Iran. You know, the action, those extremist groups are not, they do not represent Islam. They've been supported by the West and their regional proxies. Yet they try to make Western society, American society, think that we are like ISIS, that we are like al-Qaeda. Like, we are like Bukharam. And the biggest enemies of these groups are Iran.

They hate Iran more and Hezbollah more than any way. else. They will never attack Israel, but they will always try to attack Iran or the resistance or Iran's allies. So, you know, the warped understanding of Iran in the United States is something that it will take years to rectify. And, Muhammad, this is a fascinating conversation. Every conversation we have is fascinating, and each one is better than its predecessor, and this is no exception to that. Thank you, my dear friend, for your intellectual. intellectual honesty, your personal courage, and your clarity of thought and expression.

All my best of you and your family and all your students, and we'll talk to you again next week, my dear friend. Thank you, Judge. It's a great pleasure and a great honor. Just one small thing. Our mutual friend, Alasor, who's been a friend of mine for 20 years, he has a book. It's an old book, but it's still very much worth reading called Resistance, the essence of the Islamic Revolution or something like that.

I read it a long time ago. It is also a good book for people to read. I've already spoken about going to Tehran. But his book is a very good book, and he never talks about it. But I think for those who are interested, it's something worth reading. All right. If Alster wrote it, it is definitely worth reading. And if you love it, it's definitely worth reading.

Professor, thank you, my dear friend. All the best to you. Thank you, Judge. Great pleasure. Bye-bye. Coming up this morning, if you're watching us live in 33 minutes at 10 o'clock from Beijing. Maybe he's in Shanghai, maybe he's in Beijing, but we'll find him, Pepe Escobar. And to this afternoon, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson. Judge Napolitano for judging freedom.