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<v Speaker 1>I just told our next guest, I think what is

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<v Speaker 1>happening in Iran is far more important in the grand

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<v Speaker 1>scheme of the security of the United States and the

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<v Speaker 1>security of the world.

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<v Speaker 2>Frankly, because what's.

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<v Speaker 1>Happening in Iran the weakening of the regime that has

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<v Speaker 1>oppressed the people of Iran for almost fifty years now,

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<v Speaker 1>the uprising of the people who have taken to the

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<v Speaker 1>streets by the thousands and thousands and thousands, and unlike

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<v Speaker 1>the suburban women in their minivans who are going to

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<v Speaker 1>protest what happened in Minneapolis, there's a real chance that

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<v Speaker 1>if you go onto the streets in Iran, you're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>be killed by the regime. If not during the protest

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<v Speaker 1>that I'm positive they're going to send the guarden to

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<v Speaker 1>find these people later. This is not a thing to

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<v Speaker 1>be taken and entered into lightly. And joining me now

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<v Speaker 1>to talk about it is. He's the Iran program research

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<v Speaker 1>analyst for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Jenatin Sayah,

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<v Speaker 1>welcome to the show.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi, great to be with you. Thank you for covering

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<v Speaker 2>it well.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to give you We were just kind of

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<v Speaker 1>talking off the air about some of your background you

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<v Speaker 1>are intimately involved. You've got arrested in Iran in two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand and nine. First of all, you look like you're

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<v Speaker 1>like eighteen years old, so you must have been nine

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<v Speaker 1>when you got arrested.

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<v Speaker 2>But can we start with that, like, what's your background?

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<v Speaker 3>Sure, I was born and raised in Tehran's Jewish community.

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<v Speaker 3>I was politically active during the two thousand and nine protests.

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<v Speaker 3>I was a teenager then. I'm in my early thirties now.

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<v Speaker 3>But you know, I do appreciate the compliment there. But

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<v Speaker 3>what we see right now is fundamentally different paradigm than

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<v Speaker 3>when it was back in the day. So you're talking

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<v Speaker 3>about a population that is so alienated by this Islamist

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<v Speaker 3>theocracy that they're risking their lives, as you mentioned, by

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<v Speaker 3>the thousands. And it's not just the rural thing. You

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<v Speaker 3>see them in major cities going out and I think

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<v Speaker 3>but really sets this way of apart a fact, aside

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<v Speaker 3>from the fact that the regime's military capacity has been

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<v Speaker 3>destroyed by American Israel, ideologically speaking, they're fundamentally bankrupt. And

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<v Speaker 3>this is in the Iranians people's perspective. The chance that

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<v Speaker 3>they have for absolute freedom, which would be a game

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<v Speaker 3>changer for the world. It would be more significant than

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<v Speaker 3>the collapse of East Berlin.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it's partially because for us, like why do we care? Right?

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<v Speaker 1>This is one of the things that when we look

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<v Speaker 1>back retrospectively at Iran and Afghanistan, like what did that

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<v Speaker 1>do for the United States of America.

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<v Speaker 2>I would argue that.

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<v Speaker 1>As Iran is the largest funder of fundamental Islamic terror

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<v Speaker 1>in the world, they are funding more stuff around the world,

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<v Speaker 1>not just in Iran, not just in Israel, not for

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<v Speaker 1>the Houtis, and they are funding Islamic terror around the

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<v Speaker 1>world if you can cut off the actual head of

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<v Speaker 1>the snake, as they say, that, for me feels like

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<v Speaker 1>it could be world changing.

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<v Speaker 2>Am I overstating it?

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<v Speaker 3>Not at all of anything, You're understating the significance of it. So,

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<v Speaker 3>as you pointed out, of course we know every terrorist

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<v Speaker 3>in the Middle East has have received either funding or

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<v Speaker 3>training from the Islamic Republic. We mostly talk about the

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<v Speaker 3>Shia Milita, which is like Iraqis and Hisbula that have

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<v Speaker 3>been attacking the Americans and Israelis, but also Al Qaieda

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<v Speaker 3>and Taliban. So a lot of US servicemen, almost all

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<v Speaker 3>of them who have been either attacked or killed in

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<v Speaker 3>Iraq and Afghanistan. That was through Iranian Iranian money. Now,

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<v Speaker 3>going beyond the region, you're talking about Iranian drones and

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<v Speaker 3>missiles that have been arming Russia against Ukrainian civil civilian infrastructure.

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<v Speaker 3>In on mainland America, you have the Islamic Republics really

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<v Speaker 3>terror apparatus, funding different networks, trying to assassinate President Trump

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<v Speaker 3>numerous times. You have them trying to kill Americans on

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<v Speaker 3>US soil. You have them leveraging and exploiting any progressive

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<v Speaker 3>civic cause here in America to advance their own agenda.

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<v Speaker 3>They try to influence elections. So anywhere in the world,

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<v Speaker 3>whether you look at East Africa with whatever has happening

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<v Speaker 3>in Sudan and Somalia, there is Iranian footprints there. It's

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<v Speaker 3>in Europe, it's in America. It would really be a

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<v Speaker 3>game changer if this regime were to collapse, given how

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<v Speaker 3>secular and democratic Iran's opposition is.

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<v Speaker 1>So let me ask about the democracy aspect of this.

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<v Speaker 1>Because we've seen the son of the former shaw of Iran,

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<v Speaker 1>he is Prince pap Lavi. He is now making statements

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<v Speaker 1>urging the people of Iran to rise up, and we're

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<v Speaker 1>seeing some video of people saying we want the Shaw back.

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<v Speaker 1>But the Shaw certainly was not a democratic leader, that's

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<v Speaker 1>absolutely I mean, he was a monarch. He ruled with

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<v Speaker 1>an iron fist himself. So there was issues with the

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<v Speaker 1>Shaw's leadership. Is the Shaw a viable answer to prevent

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<v Speaker 1>a vacuum of leadership? Or should the Iranian people or

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<v Speaker 1>are the Iranian people really agitating for democracy and it's

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<v Speaker 1>being hijacked by the Shaw's movement. That's where I'm like,

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<v Speaker 1>where does the Shaw or or the prince fit into this.

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<v Speaker 3>So you're talking about a population in Iran that is

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<v Speaker 3>about sixty percent under the age of thirty, So mostly

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<v Speaker 3>Iranians that are protesting right now have been born under

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<v Speaker 3>the Islamik Republic's rule. And there is absolutely no comparison

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<v Speaker 3>between the repression that the regime does against what the

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<v Speaker 3>Shaw did. The accusations against the former monarch, the path Levi,

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<v Speaker 3>was that he was perhaps too aggressive with certain Islamist factions,

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<v Speaker 3>who were those Islamis factions the ones that are in

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<v Speaker 3>charge right now. So ultimately it was an iron fist

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<v Speaker 3>against those that were against democratic values. Lashaw was not

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<v Speaker 3>putting in prison women's rights activists who wanted to have

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<v Speaker 3>the freedom to choose whatever they want to wear. It

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<v Speaker 3>was specifically going after communist rebels, terrorists and of course

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<v Speaker 3>Islamists in that case. Now, what we see right now,

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<v Speaker 3>of course, with the new wave, is that the Iranian population,

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<v Speaker 3>as I mentioned, is so alienated by its by its

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<v Speaker 3>current leadership, that would look forward for any capacity, any

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<v Speaker 3>leader that would enable it to move towards the next phase.

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<v Speaker 3>And Prince path Lav right now is the only figure

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<v Speaker 3>that we have that would one mobilize the masses and

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<v Speaker 3>who believes in democratic values of allowing women's rights activists

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<v Speaker 3>and what not to flourish. But more importantly, it's important,

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<v Speaker 3>it's key for us to be engaging that opposition because

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<v Speaker 3>that is the only thing that could fill in a

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<v Speaker 3>vacuum until we have elections societyran for Iranians to decide

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<v Speaker 3>whether they want to move forward the constitutional monarchy or

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<v Speaker 3>republic or what form of governance.

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<v Speaker 1>Does this feel different than the last round of protests

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<v Speaker 1>in twenty nineteen, and if so, how it does.

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<v Speaker 3>One angle, as I mentioned is the fact that this

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<v Speaker 3>movement is not leader less. In the past, it was

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<v Speaker 3>a bit more scattered. What unified Iranians was simply the

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<v Speaker 3>end to the regime, But now what unifies Iranians is

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<v Speaker 3>not just regime change, but also what comes after it.

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<v Speaker 3>So if you look at every protest wave anywhere, like

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<v Speaker 3>any protest movement within the last three weeks now, and

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<v Speaker 3>you look at any city, there's always flags of the

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<v Speaker 3>pre revolution, the Sun and the Lion. You see a

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<v Speaker 3>chance of longling the king, and you hear a chance

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<v Speaker 3>of this is the final battle path, leav will return.

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<v Speaker 3>So that is really a game changer. That's the main difference.

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<v Speaker 3>The other difference compared to the previous waves is the

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<v Speaker 3>fact that the regime's image has been shattered because of

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<v Speaker 3>the Twelve Day War. So prior to that, Iranians were

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<v Speaker 3>really deeply afit of this regime because they genuinely believed

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<v Speaker 3>in its capacity, capability, and capacity to counter American and

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<v Speaker 3>Israeli influence. But now we saw that their nuclear program

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<v Speaker 3>and their ballistic missile stockpies were decimated and they couldn't response.

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<v Speaker 3>So you're talking about a fearless population that has a

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<v Speaker 3>leader in mind. That's what sets this wave apart.

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<v Speaker 1>I saw a large billboard that had been painted over

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<v Speaker 1>and it said.

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<v Speaker 2>We are no longer afraid.

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<v Speaker 1>So to your point, I mean, what realistically do the

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<v Speaker 1>Iranian people have to fight with. They are a disarmed population, correct.

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<v Speaker 2>They are.

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<v Speaker 3>That's why external support is really crucial right now. The

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<v Speaker 3>momentum is going on despite the heavy, heavy crackdowns internet shutdowns.

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<v Speaker 3>It has been shot down for about a week now.

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<v Speaker 3>In addition to that, they shut down electricity as well

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<v Speaker 3>as landlines, so they're really blocking full of information to

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<v Speaker 3>and from Iran. But also they're disconnecting Yuranians from each other.

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<v Speaker 3>And yeah, as you mentioned, you know, I Runian civil

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<v Speaker 3>society is not extremists. They're not going to blow themselves

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<v Speaker 3>up like other Islamus in the Middle East. So you know,

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<v Speaker 3>we talked about an educated, educated, and young population going

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<v Speaker 3>to fight this brutal regime that's opening fire on them.

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<v Speaker 3>Not with just automatic weapons, mind you, they're using all

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<v Speaker 3>these proxies that we talked about to suppress protests at home.

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<v Speaker 3>So you have Irockum militias, you have Libanese as well

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<v Speaker 3>to go fight them. And that's why increasingly from the

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<v Speaker 3>ground people are demanding and you know, international support. They're

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<v Speaker 3>asking President Trump to come and, as they say, quote unquote,

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<v Speaker 3>to do the final knockout of this regime that would,

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<v Speaker 3>as we said, be a game changer for the world.

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<v Speaker 1>I really really appreciate your time. Janatin Sayah from the

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<v Speaker 1>Foundation for the Defensive Democracies Around program, thank you so much.

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<v Speaker 1>I appreciate you making time for us today.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you for having me in the insightful question.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, thank you, sir, and we'll continue having a

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<v Speaker 1>conversation about that stuff. I'm wondering if any of you

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<v Speaker 1>and you can text me at five six six nine oh,

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<v Speaker 1>is anybody else following along.

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<v Speaker 2>On X like I am, because that is where you are.

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<v Speaker 1>The revolution is being televised on X, but it's very,

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<v Speaker 1>very difficult to get out information. Text me five sixty

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<v Speaker 1>six and nine O check it out. Let me know

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<v Speaker 1>what you think about it.