Hello, my name is Edmund DeMarce. I’m the editor of the Trends Journal. I’m here today with Mohammad Murandi from the University of Tehran. Professor Murandi, thank you for joining the Trends Journal. Thank you very much for inviting me. We’ll get right into it. The big news, at least here in the US, pertaining to Iran was Trump’s announcement on Friday. He met with leaders from Azerbaijan and Armenia about opening up a corridor through the caucus, and Iran was unhappy with that. Or at least according to one top adviser to the Supreme Leader, his adviser said he thinks Donald Trump thinks the caucus is a piece of real estate.

He can lease for 99 years. This adviser said the passage will not become a gateway for Trump’s mercenaries. It will become their graveyard. In your view, is that the general consensus in Iran or in Tehran? About this agreement that Trump announced, and was it the breakthrough that the White House tried to present it as? We’ll have to wait and see. It’s still a bit too early. The Iranians want the details, and the Iranians have said many times that a road between the two sides of the Republic of Azerbaijan that would pass through Armenia is not a problem for Iran.

What is a problem, and what will be completely unacceptable to Iran, is if Armenian sovereignty is relinquished, and if Iran’s path to the capital of Armenia, and through Armenia to Georgia, the Black Sea, Russia, if that is impeded in any way or form by a third party, that would be completely unacceptable, and Iran will make sure that doesn’t happen, which means also that that could lead to military intervention if necessary. There are two things really here. One is the possibility that there will be a road that connects east to west Armenia, and connects the two pieces of Azerbaijan.

That is something that is not Iran’s problem. It’s not a problem for Iran. That’s a sovereign right for Armenia to cooperate with the Republic of Azerbaijan. But again, if that territory means that there’s a part of Armenia that’s controlled by a third party, let’s say the Americans, that will be completely unacceptable, and it will not happen. I saw some commentators from Iran mention, or at least liken it to Russia’s problem with the US and Ukraine, how NATO was on Russia’s doorstep. In some interviews I’ve seen, Iranians had the same concern. Is that a legitimate concern in the Iranian leadership? Yes, if the southern part of Armenia is relinquished, the sovereignty for a period of time to the Americans or anyone else, then I think that the government in Armenia should expect a response from Iran that would not be dissimilar to that of Russia.

I mean, not for the whole of Armenia, but that territory will be controlled by Iran or Armenia. Iran will not allow the third party to control southern Armenia, whether it’s the United States, whether it’s the Republic of Azerbaijan, whether it’s anyone else. It would mean more. But again, I stress that if this is just a road that connects east to west, and some private company is in charge of building it and running it, that is not a problem for Iran. That’s the sovereign right of the Republic of Armenia. But the Republic of Armenia will not be allowed to relinquish its sovereignty for any period of time in the eyes of the Iranians.

Now, I know we have a very limited amount of time. I’d like to just hear your opinion now on where we stand between Iran and the U.S. and its nuclear program and Trump. Trump was at the White House on Wednesday, and it seemed like he really didn’t have great things to say about Iran. He said it’s a very evil place. And then he said something that was very strange, and I thought it hinted at regime change. He said he believes the situation will look very different in Iran in the coming years. Do you see that as Trump returning to his comments on regime change? And why is he still calling Iran evil if he wants to restart nuclear negotiations, possibly? I think it’s clear in the eyes of the Iranians and most of the world who is evil.

The Trump regime is the driving force behind the Holocaust in Gaza. For the Iranians, the United States, under Trump, is no different than Nazi Germany. And so for him to call Iran evil, I think, is a medal of honor. Obviously, the United States, under Trump, with a political establishment in the United States, would like to undermine Iran, overthrow the government, tear apart the country. But that’s not going to happen. The United States already tried that with the Israeli regime. During the Israeli regime’s 12-day war of aggression against Iran. And if you recall, and your viewers recall, Trump back then called for unconditional surrender.

And ultimately, we had Netanyahu on his knees begging Trump to get him out of trouble. We know this because Steve Bannon, who is a highly influential person, said so much. He said that the last two, three days were very bad for the Israeli regime, and Trump saved Netanyahu and the regime. So I think that this 12-day war of aggression proved that Iran is much stronger than what the United States and the Israeli regime anticipated. And I think in the years ahead, the side that will be increasingly weak and on the decline is the empire.

And sadly, the United States, the government of the United States is doing harm to the American people. It’s destroying the middle class in the United States by carrying out these endless wars and a genocidal war in Gaza. But I think ultimately, in the years ahead, it will be Trump that will be remembered as the president who destroyed the empire. And Iran will be very much where it is today. Professor, I’d like to hear your opinion. I heard an interview, I think it was with ABC News, top diplomat from Iran. He mentioned that he was in touch with Witkoff since the 12-day war.

He didn’t really go into detail about what they spoke, but it seems like the relationship is not completely destroyed between those two, at least. I wanted to know your opinion on the relationship between the US and Iran. Before the US bombed those nuclear sites, there were reports that the administration informed Tehran that those bombs were coming. And then Iran also told the administration before it attacked the base in Qatar. I was curious, is the relationship between the US and Iran strangely better than what the public thinks? Because if they’re doing all these behind-the-scenes communications, telling each other, hey, we’re about to bomb your nuclear sites, it’s not the best thing that Iran wants to hear.

But the US, isn’t that showing some sort of mutual respect? And is that a pretty good point of departure for both countries? The negotiations going forward? Trump is seen as the enemy, and he is the enemy of Iran. We consider him to be someone who is almost impossible to do any deal with, because he has not only targeted or coordinated Iranians throughout his presidency, both during the first term and this term, but he has supported and helped carry out a Holocaust in Gaza. And he has also been deceptive at the negotiating table with Iran.

He moved the goal post, and then he turned out to be completely dishonest and deceptive. And as we were negotiating, indirectly of course, the United States was helping the Israeli regime to prepare to launch a blitzkrieg attack against Iran. So I think that makes any meaningful or substantial long-term agreement between Iran and the United States almost impossible. Iran did not inform the United States. Iran informed the government of Qatar, because the US base is in that country. And obviously, the regime in Doha informed its overlords in Washington that Iran was going to carry out that attack.

The United States, as far as I understand, did inform the Iranians more or less beforehand. That’s my understanding, not directly, probably indirectly or through a message. But that does not change anything. That was an act of war. And although I think the United States hurt itself more than Iran, because the amounts of damage that they really caused, it’s unclear. It may not be nearly as much as what they claim it to be, because the key installations are deep underground. On the ground, there’s nothing of great importance. But more importantly, Iran has technology, and it has the industrial base to produce whatever it needs for its nuclear program.

And it has quick cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. And that is a very important card for Iran to be able to use. And it gives Iran the power of having a policy of ambiguity for now. So I think, basically, what Trump has done is that he has inadvertently strengthened Iran’s hand. And my last question to you, Professor, because I know you’re on the go here. Yeah, who just got his occupation of Gaza City passed through that his work cabinet, the Trump administration pretty much is giving Israel a free hand on Gaza. What do you what’s your take on how that’s going to unfold? Other countries that are traditionally allies of Israel have come out and said, this is the wrong move.

We should be working for a ceasefire and flood the zone with humanitarian aid. They even mentioned a two-state solution. How do you see this unfolding in Gaza and the future of Netanyahu’s government? Well, every day that this genocide continues is terrible news for the West, the collective West, and for regional regimes that are in the Western camp, because they are being exposed to the world and to their own people. In the region, the Erdogan regime, the CC government, the government of Jordan, the UAE, and others, the Moroccan government or regime, all of them, among others, have been exposed as accomplices because they continue to cooperate with the regime.

They either in the case of the Republic of Azerbaijan, they send oil through Turkey to help with the genocide, the Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, they’re all doing business as usual. So history will remember the role that they played in not just remaining quiet, but effectively or being indifferent to the plight of the Palestinian people, but in assisting Netanyahu effectively, despite rhetoric of the criticism, verbal criticism, which is useless, but assisting Netanyahu in carrying out this Holocaust. And the collective West is discredited permanently. The world no longer believes a word that the West says about human rights or human dignity or human honor or anything like that, because the West is complicit and the West is collaborating in this Holocaust.

So every day that goes by, these entities are all further exposed. And those who are helping the Palestinian people, whether it’s Iran or Yemen or Hezbollah or anyone else, they are seen in the eyes of the world, the region and future generations as and the broader resistance, meaning people across the world who are protesting against the current state of affairs. They will all be vindicated and they will be seen as heroes. That’s one side. That’s one issue. The second, of course, will be the assault itself. This will only increase the number of casualties.

And the regime, which has already been destroyed in the eyes of public opinion in the West as well in Europe and in the United States, we see the mood is changing dramatically. And I think that the regime underestimates the importance of this shift. The world despises the regime. And this will not be forgotten. This is not a two week genocide. It’s not a two month genocide. It is almost a two year genocide now, and it will probably be longer than two years. And now it’s going to get even more bloody. And so the regime is not going to survive.

You cannot survive as a regime. Israelis cannot survive as a regime in the long run after what is done to the Palestinian people. In the past, they were able to use the Holocaust as a shield to allow it to abuse Palestinians, ethnically cleanse Palestinians, slaughter Palestinians. But now they’ve gone far beyond anything that they’ve done before. And they’re doing it in front of the eyes of the world. So they may have success in slaughtering many children. They may succeed in slaughtering women and innocent men and other vulnerable people. But that will come at a price that I think the regime will not be able to afford.

Professor Miranda, thank you so much for joining me in The Trends Journal. Have a great rest of your day. Thank you very much. [tr:trw].

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