Video from an interview on Truthwire, with co-host Craig Jardula.
The world is witnessing a dramatic and brutal escalation in West Asia, as the United States and Israel have launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran. From his vantage point in Tehran, Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi, provides a harrowing, on-the-ground account that starkly contrasts with the sanitized narratives often presented in Western media. This is not, as he describes it, a precise military operation targeting strategic assets, but an unprovoked war of aggression that is systematically targeting the very fabric of Iranian civil society and Iran is responding as it is righteously entitled to. The professor states plainly, describing the constant bombing of the capital, “This is what we’re dealing with,” when talking about the bombings daily, the targeting of civilians, hospitals, schools and residential areas. The strikes, which began during what Iran viewed as good-faith negotiations, have laid bare the conviction that for Washington and Tel Aviv, diplomacy was merely a facade for a pre-planned military onslaught—as it has usually been and which Iran learned well from the 12 Day War.
The human toll of the campaign, as recounted from the streets of Tehran, paints a picture of calculated destruction. Professor Marandi details attacks that appear designed to maximize civilian suffering and terrorize the population; aimed of course to freeze them in fear and sow chaos, perfect for a regular regime change operation. He reports on the bombing of a private hospital, the Gandhi hospital, where the infant ward and the IVF unit were “particularly badly damaged,” potentially robbing countless women of the chance to become mothers. He describes the use of the “double-tap” tactic in Ferdowsi Square, where a building was struck, and then, as rescuers and ordinary citizens gathered to help those trapped under the rubble, a second strike was launched, killing the first responders. This pattern of violence, he notes, began on day one with the bombing of an elementary school in the city of Minab, killing approximately 165 young children, mostly girls. These actions, Professor Mirandí argues, are not collateral damage but a core feature of a war designed to break a nation by attacking its most vulnerable, as was done in Gaza for over two years.
Yet despite all the terror and targeted attacks that break international law and human rights, according to the professor’s analysis, this strategy of terror is failing to achieve its primary objective of inciting an internal collapse. Defying the narratives pushed by pundits who speak of a populace eager for regime change, Professor Marandi describes a nation united in defiance and willing to be Martyred defending their home. He points to the massive gatherings across Tehran, where millions have taken to the streets under the constant threat of airstrikes to commemorate their slain leaders and chant in support of their government. He cites Western polling from the University of Maryland which has consistently shown that a strong majority of Iranians support the Islamic Republic, even if they desire economic improvements or don’t one hundred percent agree with the government—Washington and Israel’s actions have further united Iranians. The professor argues that the image of a rebellious populace, eagerly awaiting liberation, is dangerous fiction manufactured by a ruling class of oligarchs to justify war, resource plunder, and “access Iranian resources,” much like the campaigns waged against Venezuela and Cuba.
Despite suffering the loss of senior officials, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian state and its military apparatus the IRGC continue to function effectively. Professor Marandi emphasizes that leadership positions will be filled according to the country’s constitution, and that the armed forces are far from defeated. He reports that Iran is actively retaliating, firing missiles at Israeli territory every hour or two and striking US assets in the Persian Gulf. The military’s preemptive strategy of building deep underground missile and drone bases has ensured its capacity to strike back remains intact. Iran has been preparing for this for decades and they are not a young nation, nor will they give into pressure. While the assassinations are a blow, the institutional resilience of the Islamic Republic ensures that the chain of command, as a new Ayatollah, a younger Mojtaba Ali Khamenei has been named. The will to resist remains unbroken, transforming the conflict from a supposed “decapitation strike” into a protracted war of attrition that Iran has long been prepping for and is already winning in battle.
This resilience brings with it a profound and escalating global risk, centered on the strategic chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz. Professor Marandi explains that Iran has effectively closed the strait, through which a quarter of the world’s energy supply passes, striking any tanker that attempts to defy the order with American encouragement. The result is a rapidly escalating energy crisis, as oil prices have already surged, and the professor warns that if the fighting intensifies, leading to the destruction of tankers and oil installations, the world could be plunged into a global economic depression. This, he contends, is the consequence of a U.S. “war of choice” that Iran never wanted and was actively trying to avoid through negotiations which Washington and Israel did not respect. The economic pain will be felt by ordinary Americans and people across the globe, even if the true cost, as with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, takes time to fully materialize.
Ultimately, Marandi’s analysis points to a war that will end in strategic defeat for the United States and Israel. He draws a sharp distinction between this conflict and America’s previous misadventures, arguing that “Iran is not Iraq, Iran is not Afghanistan, Iran is not even Vietnam.” The unique sensitivity of the Persian Gulf means that the repercussions of this war will be immediate, global, and devastating. For the professor, there is no path back to negotiations with an American regime he describes as “rogue,” one that bombs civilians, kidnaps heads of state, and has a history of betraying diplomatic agreements. As the bombs continue to fall on Tehran, the message from the streets is one of steadfast resistance. The war is exacting a horrific price, but the conviction from within the heart of the conflict is that Iran will not break, and that the aggressors will ultimately find themselves mired in a crisis far beyond their control.
