Description:
Chris sat down with Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi — Professor of English Literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran, and one of Iran's most prominent English-language analysts — in Tehran, during the funeral of Ayatollah Khamenei.
What followed was one of the most frank and wide-ranging conversations about Iran, the war, Western narratives and the future of the resistance that we have ever recorded.
Prof. Marandi was clear: every myth the West has promoted about Iran for decades — corrupt, imploding, morally bankrupt, unpopular, a house of cards — was destroyed in full view of the world during Khamenei's funeral. And the West couldn't hide it this time.
• "All the myths about Iran were nonsense — and they were destroyed. Not that they won't go back to them in a few weeks."
• "I had no doubt we would win the war from day one. Almost everyone I know abroad thought Iran would collapse in days."
• "When we speak about popular legitimacy, the Islamic Republic is more legitimate than any Western government."
• "They are the regimes. Not Iran."
• "The Epstein class, the oligarchy, the Zionists — they won't learn."
• Even under war, siege and sanctions, Iran sent aid to Venezuela — "Who else would do that?"
• The role of Shia Islam and Iranian nationalism — "There is no separation between the two."
• On the Iranian diaspora used by Western media: "Orientalized Orientals. The comprador class. They try to be more American than the Americans."
• On Erdogan: "Trump says he's more obedient to me than my European partners."
• On a future security architecture: Iran's relations with Russia, China and the Global South will expand — but Iran will not bow to any power.
• Putin at SPIEF openly said he was surprised by the outpouring of support for Khamenei — and called it confirmation of Iran's strength.
Recorded in Tehran. During the largest funeral in human history.
Chris sat down with Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi — Professor of English Literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran, and one of Iran's most prominent English-language analysts — in Tehran, during the funeral of Ayatollah Khamenei.
What followed was one of the most frank and wide-ranging conversations about Iran, the war, Western narratives and the future of the resistance that we have ever recorded.
Prof. Marandi was clear: every myth the West has promoted about Iran for decades — corrupt, imploding, morally bankrupt, unpopular, a house of cards — was destroyed in full view of the world during Khamenei's funeral. And the West couldn't hide it this time.
• "All the myths about Iran were nonsense — and they were destroyed. Not that they won't go back to them in a few weeks."
• "I had no doubt we would win the war from day one. Almost everyone I know abroad thought Iran would collapse in days."
• "When we speak about popular legitimacy, the Islamic Republic is more legitimate than any Western government."
• "They are the regimes. Not Iran."
• "The Epstein class, the oligarchy, the Zionists — they won't learn."
• Even under war, siege and sanctions, Iran sent aid to Venezuela — "Who else would do that?"
• The role of Shia Islam and Iranian nationalism — "There is no separation between the two."
• On the Iranian diaspora used by Western media: "Orientalized Orientals. The comprador class. They try to be more American than the Americans."
• On Erdogan: "Trump says he's more obedient to me than my European partners."
• On a future security architecture: Iran's relations with Russia, China and the Global South will expand — but Iran will not bow to any power.
• Putin at SPIEF openly said he was surprised by the outpouring of support for Khamenei — and called it confirmation of Iran's strength.
Recorded in Tehran. During the largest funeral in human history.
