Geopolitics

Marandi says no appetite in Iran for talks; claims US broke prior MOU

Breaking Points · Professor Marandi: GULF Will BURN If US Attacks Iran Infrastructure · July 23, 2026

Breaking Points

Professor Marandi: GULF Will BURN If US Attacks Iran Infrastructure

"No one now is talking about negotiations. Well, the curious thing, sir, I saw that you had said during the memorandum of understanding period, if you could say that there was some sort of understanding is you were mimicking some of the rhetoric of our vice president, say that you were taking the opportunity to reload."

Marandi says debate inside Iran is not about returning to negotiations, but whether Iran should have pressed its military advantage harder earlier in the conflict. He also claims Iranian leaders never expected Washington to honour a previous memorandum of understanding, alleging multiple US violations including sanctions moves, threats, and attempts to create a “parallel corridor” in the Strait of Hormuz. He adds that any future arrangement, in his view, would likely require the US to take steps first and explicitly include Yemen and Gaza.

About this episode

Breaking Points interviews Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran, for an Iranian perspective on US-Iran tensions and shipping disruptions. Asked about a Trump Truth Social post warning Iran would be held responsible for Houthi attacks, Marandi claims Iranian forces recently stopped three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and says Tehran has threatened to retaliate if the US bombs Iranian civilian infrastructure such as bridges, power plants or energy facilities.

Marandi alleges the US previously struck Iranian bridges, tunnels and a desalination plant, and says Iran signalled deterrence by hitting infrastructure in Gulf states (claims not independently verified in the episode). He argues that any wider campaign against Gulf utilities and energy systems during peak summer heat would force mass evacuations and cause prolonged disruption to oil and gas exports, potentially triggering a global depression.

On diplomacy, he says internal debate in Iran is over whether it should have applied greater pressure earlier, not over restarting negotiations. He claims Iranian leaders never believed the US would honour a past memorandum of understanding, listing alleged violations including sanctions actions and moves affecting Hormuz.

The hosts also play a Fox News clip of retired US General Keith Kellogg urging escalation, including “decapitation” strikes and seizing Iranian islands. Marandi dismisses the military logic of the proposal and predicts broader war would bring global economic and migration shocks.

Key takeaways

Marandi says Iran has warned it would retaliate against Gulf states’ critical infrastructure if the US strikes Iranian infrastructure.
He predicts attacks on Gulf utilities and energy systems would force evacuations and disrupt energy supplies for months or years.
Marandi says Iran is not currently debating negotiations; he frames the debate as whether Iran should have hit harder earlier.
He alleges the US violated a prior MOU through sanctions, threats and actions related to the Strait of Hormuz.
A Fox News clip features Keith Kellogg advocating escalation, including leadership targeting and seizing Iranian islands; Marandi calls the idea strategically incoherent.
Marandi claims a broader war would trigger global economic collapse and large-scale displacement.