Iranian professor defends death to America chants as anti-empire not anti-American people
"Death to America and Iran, and I may have said this on your show before is shouldn't be taken literally. It's like saying Yankee go home doesn't mean that anyone who carries a US passport should leave the country. When they say death to America, they mean death to the US empire and they mean death to this oppressive regime which slaughters our children."
About this episode
Piers Morgan interviewed former Israeli Prime Ministers Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak in separate segments, both delivering devastating critiques of Benjamin Netanyahu's government as Israel faces constitutional crisis and international isolation. Barak accused Netanyahu of declaring war on Israel itself through fascistic policies and warned the prime minister may refuse to recognize election results if he loses power. Both former leaders called Netanyahu's Iran war strategy catastrophic, with Barak alleging Netanyahu convinced President Trump to attack Iran based on childish fantasies that the regime would immediately collapse, damaging U.S.-Israel relations when the plan failed. The interviews revealed deep alarm among Israeli establishment figures about Netanyahu's defiance of Supreme Court rulings, which they characterized as an assault on democracy requiring street mobilization to defend. In a contentious exchange, Barak defended his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, claiming American elite society had normalized Epstein after his conviction and insisting he never witnessed improper behavior. Morgan also interviewed Tehran University professor Mohammad Marandi, who defended massive pro-regime funeral demonstrations and explained death to America chants as opposition to empire rather than literal threats. The episode captured the extraordinary domestic and international pressures now surrounding Netanyahu, with even former allies publicly calling for his removal and warning Israel's democratic foundations are under existential threat from within.
Key takeaways
- Former Israeli PM Ehud Barak accused Netanyahu of declaring war on Israel itself and warned he may refuse to accept election results if he loses power.
- Barak alleged Netanyahu convinced Trump to attack Iran based on childish fantasy the regime would collapse, lacking any serious strategic planning for aftermath.
- Both former Israeli prime ministers called Netanyahu's defiance of Supreme Court rulings an unprecedented assault on Israeli democracy requiring public uprising.
- Barak claimed Netanyahu's Iran war has been absolute failure with no military objectives achieved despite IDF successes, damaging Israel's international standing.
- Ehud Barak defended continued relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after pedophile conviction, claiming American elite society had accepted Epstein and he witnessed no improper behavior.
- Tehran University professor Mohammad Marandi claimed millions attended Ayatollah funeral proving regime legitimacy and defended death to America chants as anti-empire sentiment.
- Former Israeli leaders warned Netanyahu's extremist coalition partners Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have made Israel globally unpopular through genocidal rhetoric and West Bank settler violence.