Glenn Diesen interviews Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a Tehran University academic and former advisor to Iran’s nuclear negotiation team, who provides an analysis of Iran’s current domestic and geopolitical situation.
Marandi describes recent violent riots in Iran as stemming from a sudden currency depreciation, which he claims was deliberately manipulated by foreign powers.
”The protests went on peacefully. No one was arrested. No one was hurt. The police did not intervene.” Followed by: ”Suddenly we had these small groups of people… very well disciplined, very well organized, began to infiltrate the protests and began to rioting.”
”Over the past few days, over 100 officers of the law have been murdered. Some of them have been beheaded or burned alive.”
Seyed M. Marandi asserts that what began as peaceful protests was quickly infiltrated by violent elements, allegedly backed by Western and Israeli intelligence agencies, including the CIA, Mossad, and MI6, who orchestrated attacks on security forces, civilians, public property, and even religious sites to destabilise the country and push a regime-change agenda.
”It was a surprise fall and it turns out that it was managed from abroad. In other words, the United States and its western allies put pressure on those places that currency exchange with Iran.”
”Pompeo said, but also Mossad… that they also spoke of their agents being involved in Iran.”
In stark contrast, Marandi highlights massive pro-government rallies held across Iran, which he says demonstrate overwhelming public support for the Islamic Republic, its constitution, and leadership despite economic hardships caused by sanctions. He portrays these events as evidence of the government’s legitimacy and the failure of foreign interference efforts.
”The state has popular support. The constitution is something that a very strong majority of Iranians adhere to.”
The discussion escalates to the broader regional context, where Marandi warns of an impending ”massive war” involving the United States and Israel against Iran.
Seyed M. Marandi emphasises Iran’s military preparedness and readiness to deliver decisive retaliation if directly attacked, framing the situation as a high-stakes confrontation driven by Western aggression and propaganda.
Throughout, Marandi criticises Western media for biased coverage that amplifies opposition narratives while ignoring pro-government sentiment and the role of external actors in fomenting unrest.
He places current events within a historical pattern of sanctions, hybrid warfare, and attempted regime-change operations against Iran.
Overall, the interview presents a perspective from within Iran’s establishment viewpoint, portraying the country as resilient against foreign subversion while bracing for potential large-scale military conflict.
Marandi:
”Every once in a while, every few years, the West, western media, western pundits, think tanks, leaders say that Iran is on the verge of collapse.”
”Iran is prepared for war. And after the protests that we saw today, people are behind the scene. Just like during the 12-day war, these people who carried out the riots, they were not with the people during the 12-day war.”