Iran's Lion & Sun Revolution: The Days That Changed Iran Forever

Transcript

Welcome And Who Daria Safai Is

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome everyone to Successful Iranians. We've been out for a little while, but we have got an absolute cracker. And one of the most important conversations, and that is the one and only Daria Safai. How are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Hi, I'm fine. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me on your program.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

You're most welcome. So, for those that might not know of Daria, if you've been under a rock, because a lot of her stuff does go viral. She's very active when it comes to all things Iran on multiple platforms. She's an Iranian-born human rights activist and member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for the New Flemish Alliance. She became the first Iranian immigrant elected to the Belgian parliament in 2019 and serves as the delegation leader to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Safai fled Iran in 1999 after being imprisoned and tortured for participating in student protests. After arriving in Belgium, she became a dentist and started the famous campaign demanding that women in Iran be allowed to attend sporting events. As an MP, she's a vocal critic of the Islamic Republic and also big supporter of the Crown Prince, Kereza Pallavi. The Shah, as I say, and many Iranians do. Have I done injustice with that overview?

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Yes, it's a good introduction. Yeah, thank you. And uh yes, we still are working hard to realize all of them, all of the goals of what you have named.

UK Labels IRGC A Terror Group

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Yeah. So what are we talking about today? We're talking about Iran, we're talking about the Lion of Sun revolution. I'm half British, half Iranian. So just as we were going on air, the United Kingdom has prescribed the IRGC as a terrorist organization. What's your force now on that breaking news?

SPEAKER_00 1:53

So is that did it happen right now, today?

SPEAKER_01 1:56

They last five minutes. It's breaking news.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

That's good because I'm asking myself, why did they wait what did they wait so long to realize something which is obvious to the whole world? And of course, that's a good news because yeah, they are a terrorist organization which destabilizes everywhere in the world, especially in the region, and all those problems come to Europe, and we should solve everything. So it's a good uh sign that they are finally sending because we cannot name it other than a terrorist organization. Good to see good to hear.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

Yeah, it's been a long time in the making. The EU got there before the United Kingdom. They've been talking about it for a while, they didn't do it. Some people say it's because of many aspects. The Foreign Office said, well, you know, it might be counterproductive, we still gotta deal with these guys, etc. And there was a lot of pressure on to finally do that, with Starmer coming to the end of his tenure as PM. They have a coincidence. Then also, Daria, some breaking, it's a lot of breaking news actually before we go into the the the heart and soul of what we're gonna talk about. That Anne Whittakom, I don't know if you know her, the the British politician that was murdered, some breaking news that counter-terrorism are now being involved in that investigation. So you have counter-terrorism that are now involved, not gonna I'm not saying the two things are connected, not saying that, but so they're now involved, and then we have that breaking news the IRGC prescribed, apparently because of a lot of threats and stuff that's going on in the United Kingdom. We had the whole thing with Iran International, didn't we? They had to move their headquarters, right?

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Right.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

So your thoughts on that, on and everything the feeling is

Europe’s Appeasement And Terror Plots

SPEAKER_01 3:46

seeing. And are you seeing a similar thing in Belgium?

SPEAKER_00 3:48

You know, this is a trend that Europe has shown, unfortunately, that they think that just lasting forever conversations and diplomacy, what they name it, with the Islamic Republic of Iran, could have given any solution. They are trying start for 47 years, and that's not only in UK. Uh unfortunately, the United Kingdom is one of the last uh countries who has fortunately recognized uh IRGC on terrorists. But this some this is something which goes on and on such a long time that Europe is sort of afraid of taking uh measures against this regime. And in place they have always chosen for appeasements, which never had given any results, and we will we will we will not have any result, although that we are obvious and clear with this regime, that you cannot play with Europe. Of course, as you named, there are several terrorist attacks that they have done on the soil of Europe. I mean, I'm not talking only about the region which is in a fire because of the Islamic Republic of Iran. I'm talking about the soil of Europe, which has had several terrorist attacks. I can name you several ones, like uh they have even tried to have an attack in Paris in 2018, which the terrorist Asadolla Asadi, which was captured even by the police and intelligence services, unfortunately has been released after several times and given back to the Iranian regime. This is just very unfortunate events that have happened in Europe. But still I am seeing a better evolution because now the evolution is that the Europe is the countries of Europe are they are aware of what what sort of danger the Iranian regime is, not only for Iranian people. This is not a happening which is far from my country show. No, this is what's going on here. And even the terrorist attack, if we name that, even above that, everything which is going on in the Middle East is our direct problem in Europe. Because some of the people don't see it as a problem which is directly our problem, a war which is directly our Europeans' war, because they don't want to believe it, but still they know very good that the Shahid drones that the Iranian regime gave to Ukraine and made gave to Russia and made Russia so uh powerful against uh the infrastructures of Ukrainian people and governments that was that came from the Iranian regime. Europe knows such a long time that closing Babal Mandab door because of Houthis has cost them a lot of shipping and economic problems. They know that the uh Strait of Hormuz, this is a big problem for Europe. They know that the price of oil and gas is a big problem for Europe. Even the migration, if you name how many people from the Middle East should have left their country, Syria, Iraq, um, Afghanistan, because of the wars that the Iranian regime made in their countries, because the proxy wars that they are fighting against Europe again. So you name it, and this is how we should look at the uh conflict in the Middle East. And I hope that the eyes are open because we have lost a lot of years, a lot of uh years of non-action. It is time for action now. And we see that nowadays the Iranian regime has made a list of 13 people of 13 leaders of European and American countries on the terror list. And you know, if you look at that, I mean, why should we, the Western countries, bear such a thing? This is the time that we should all give our hands together and we are strong, and we should just show them that we don't accept such a thing.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Powerfully put, I mean, you're a true Iranian lioness in everything that you do. And I think it's that Winston Churchill quote, isn't it? An appeaser is someone who feeds a crocodile, hoping that the crocodile will eat them last. And it's been a lot of that to go in the mix. And before we go further, I want to say and mention an important thing that happened and a shocking thing, and that was the passing of Lindsay Graham, who is a big advocate for Iran against this regime. Uh, he was on that list

Lindsay Graham’s Death And Suspicions

SPEAKER_01 8:43

as well that they had done on social media, whatever their channels. I know there were some pictures of you, uh, I think with Lindsay Graham. So I just wanted to hear your thoughts about what happened yesterday, which I found truly shocking.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

We have lost a very big man for the history of Iran, because we, the Iranian people, we have fought such a long time. It was a very lonely fight against those monsters of Ayatollahs. But finally, you see someone who gets you. You see someone powerful like uh Senator Lindsay Graham, which honors, honors your fight, which stands for you, which supports you, which is very powerful in American uh society and politics and near to the president, and uses his voice for the truth, for the right side of the history. The I cannot say there is any biggest honor for someone to stand with the right side of the history and he did it. He did it. Great, he was a great man. His loss is a very, very big loss for Iranian people. We, Iranian people, we looked at him like we said uh he has a name of Uncle Lindsay. It shows how uh how emotional our bonds they were together. And we lost him, unfortunately. And the only thing that I can ask the American government, and I think they are doing the right thing to do, the observation and investigation of what happened. He was a man, he was healthy. We didn't see any problem. He went to Ukraine to stand with them and to make some important points against Russia, and he was good, and he came back, and then we lost him. So it should come a very strong investigation on the reason of his death, and we should just see what went on. But anyway, something very important. We lost a dear friend, and we will never forget. We will let our children hear about him, our grandchildren. We will give him a very special place in our history, Persian history of Persians. We will name streets on his name and honor in the future of Iran. Once our Iran is free, we will always remember him as a dear friend.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Yeah, he was called Amur Lindsay, wasn't he? Uncle Linzi.

SPEAKER_00 11:19

Yeah, uh Lindsay is a very, very powerful word for uh dear friend, but he was more than that. He was a strong man who fought for the freedom, isn't it? Beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Yeah, he was uh he had charisma, he had guts over 30 years in the Senate. And it's one of the few times when I heard Trump, apart from his family, he seemed a bit choked up in terms of he classed him as a member of his family. Historically, they had their roller coaster relationship at one point, and then they got really close, they were golfing buddies, etc. And he he was uh he's described it as so so sad in terms of what happened. Initial examination is that something to do with aortic kind of heart function. I think his parents died quite young, etc. But like you said, there are others saying, let's see, let's think examine that fully because of the trip and everything that's going on around and all the threats.

Lion And Sun Revolution And Massacre

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Now, the Lion and Sun revolution. So there were Iranians before January the 8th and 9th, and there are Iranians after January the 8th. Right. Where some people say over 42,000, some people say way more. They were slaughtered by the Islamic Republic after millions upon millions went out onto the streets after the call on Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, showing their incredible bravery, showing what they want, the real Iran, the true law. They want the Shah, not the Ayatollah, Iran, not the Islamic Republic. And then we had that massacre, the second worst massacre in modern history since Rwanda. And six months. And then after that, President Trump, help is coming, tweets, etc. There was some frustration. Where is the hell? Because of lives were on the line. And then we had the war against the Islamic Republic with the US and Israel and Harmony being taken out. Let's talk about the Lion and Sun Revolution and then unpack the other stuff and your thoughts on it.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

The Lion and Sun Revolution is the most beautiful revolution against the tyranny of Ayajolas and Islamists. So one of the most beautiful revolution ever happened because those people were so brave and millions of people. It was not just some hundreds, thousands of people. No, there were really millions of people across Iran, which they knew that saying Javit Shah is a very dangerous talk to this regime because the regime is afraid of having an alternative. They were always happy that the Iranian, which are against this regime, they don't have any choice, any option, any alternative, or they are divided. But this time they were not divided. There were millions of people that they had. We know what is the alternative. Let's try this. We want to go back to our beautiful identity and history. We want to make Iran alive again. You know, John, moments like in 2014-15, when I went to the stadiums of outside Iran to just bring the awareness to the whole world that Iranian women cannot go to their own stadiums inside Iran. I had always the flag of Hassan and the Lion. But at that moment, even the Iranian, not all of them, not a lot of them, they they knew what is this flag. But this revolution, that's the most beautiful name for it, revolution of lion and sun, they were aware of their identity. They were aware of if we want to win this war, we should go back to our roots. And our roots is being Persian, being a great civilization in the history, and our lion and sun is the symbol of it. And our uh system of having a king to save this country is what it is written in Shahnameh. We have always had kings. There were some who were good, there were some who were less good, but we our fight for taking back our country is on the name in the name of our history. And they were so brave. And they showed the whole world that they are united in this, and they want really to make it a finish. And they were successful. At some points, we saw millions of people who thought this is the solution, Javicha, and we go for it. But unfortunately, the regime saw the power of the people and saw that they are a lot. So, what did they do? They, I cannot say how heartless, because they even they didn't have any heart, but they killed children, young people, men, women, people who has been waited at home, people who just wanted to have a good life and prosper country. They can't. They they should have. This is their right. They killed them. The first this is this is the first interview that I gave about those feelings of those days. The first videos, they blocked our internet, that the world don't see what for a massacre they have done. They blocked it. We didn't know even what's going on. After some days when the internet were still connected, the first film that they came, we didn't believe it. We thought this cannot be true. You cannot use gun machines against people with bare hands. You could not. This is this cannot be true. I I thought even it was AI films, but then it was one, two, more, more. And then they were our beloved young people inside the bags, the black bags. What they have done with us, what they have done with us, it's only a second holocaust. You think we will we can even forget those days in our hundredth and thousandth history? We will one day be a history in the future. We will never let our uh next generation forget those massacres because we have lost a lot of blood for having the freedom which we will have, we will bring to Iran. And that's why it's the best description for Iranian people. We have changed. We cannot live anymore like what we have had before 8 and 9 January. We cannot be normal again because this trays us, this makes us, this loss is something which we should use, this anger we should use and write history. And we are right in it. It's not finished, it won't finish until we are done, until Iran is taken back. And you know, we are powerful. I know that the Iranian people they believe in their power because in these six months, some of the people they say we are nowhere. We we didn't move anything, nothing has moved, everything is is is the same. No, it's not. We, powerful Persian people, has shown the world that this is not only our fight. You should engage yourself, not for Iranian people, not only for Iranian people, but for your own future, for your own countries in Europe and Western countries, America, Canada. Just engage yourself with this war because the Iranian regime is not only the one who kills Iranian people, they are here to end and kill the civilization, European and Western civilization. And that's what is going on nowadays. So for the people who are believing in it, I just have one word. We will stick together, we believe in it because we can make it happen. Look, what we have done, President Trump said help is on the way. Of course, help coming from America was not possible in some days. We were frustrated, but we still believed we are going to fight. Even the world won't help us. We are going to fight. And after we brought those powers to use against the Iranian regime. And look, where is Khamenei? Where is Ayatollah Khamenei who killed our children? We didn't even know they should have waited four months to just have a ceremony for him. I mean, this is our power and we believe in it. And that's why we are here to fight this fight until it's done. We are going to make it happen. We are going to free our country from those monsters.

SPEAKER_01 20:29

Yeah.

Propaganda Crowds And Legacy Media

SPEAKER_01 20:30

And did you see though that that funeral ceremony where a lot of AI was utilized to make out there were so many people onto the streets, etc.? Because they've always done this. Renter crowds, for one, throughout the inception of the Islamic Republic. They used to cultivate the media, the legacy media, because there was no social media. So they've put articles in New York Times, Times of the UK, etc. And they'd dominate the narrative. And they've been trying to do it now. Because I think they've got over 50,000 people called their cyber army on social media to really hit the channels. Did you see all of those clips?

SPEAKER_00 21:10

I tried to follow the ceremony because it was also for me interesting to see how they how afraid they were just for burying him. And they should have made, they should have asked the permission of America. Can we just bury him finally on this day? Would you please not attack us? How miserable they are, that they are asking the great Satan permission of coming on the streets. So they have done it. Of course, I followed it, and just I saw that they have opened the borders of neighbor countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and let everyone come inside to have some people on the streets. But although they were not such a big crowd, Iran itself is a Of 90 million people. I was really disgusted by some of the journalists, uh, European journalists, like NameMet, BBC, or some uh bloggers or some uh influencers. Yeah. Right. I was just disgusted by things that they say they they bring it on a very like it was everything was fine, beautiful, lots of people were crying for the Khamenei. This is just lying to in in the uh mainstream media. This is just lying. They were not a lot of people, they were even most of them not Iranian, and Iran has 90 million. Are you happy to see like 50,000 Afghans, Pakistani, Iraq, and some of the crazy Iranian and some of the Iranian who should just have been there because otherwise they couldn't go at work next day? Do you are you happy? Are you naming it a glorious ceremony? It's not. And we know it. We are 90 million Iranian, hand in hand, united together. We will never let the world to make the lines abroad. So I am here, I explain everything. You are here, you explain everything. And we have we have the Western countries, some of most of them, they are interested in real news, not the fake news of those BBC, CNN or whatever they are. And that's what we are doing. We are telling them that a big country with 90 million people, seeing there like 50,000 or 100,000 people, it's saying nothing, no one, no one goes there because every Iranian, even the people who some of them are working for the government, they know that they have killed our young, innocent children. No one wants them, no one is crazy to want the poverty. We Iranian, we have most the most richest rich country in the whole world. We have oil, we have gas. One of the highest amounts of gas and oil is in our country, but we live in Iran, inside Iran in poverty. Do you think do uh CNN really think that Iranian people are happy with the ayatollahs? Could it be possible? They don't have even something to eat. They were some some some of them they were happy to have some rice and some oil from the government. This is not what we Iranian we deserve. Iranian deserve the best because they are rich and they are culturally civilized, culturally rich. We can make our country great again. And that's why we don't want ayatollahs. It should be obvious for any mainstream media who had tried to bring the Iranian regime in the good daylight, it's not possible. No one believes those kind of lying because we know that the ayatollahs are monsters. They have just given nothing than misery, and we know that our identity, uh, what we were before Ayatollahs, before Islam, that's what we want to go back to. And we will. So they should they can try whatever they want, no one believes them, and we continue our our uh fight until at the end.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

Yeah, powerful words. I mean, legacy media is dead in a lot of ways. You get mu a lot of the breaking news on social media, for example, X, formerly known as Twitter, and when it comes to these media networks, yeah, IOTLBBC and Sky News and CNN, when it came to the Lion of Sun revolution, very slow, only till uh they were really compelled to report on it, and then they're always they they would describe it as like uh protests, or they would just completely either downplay it, or oh, we need to be sure, you know, journalism, integrity, etc. But when it comes to them and their narrative, they're never slow on that. They they they get invited there, they can report it there. Sky News, bloat disgrace, Sky News. You know, whatever happened to Sky News with Dominic Waghall going in there, and he was you know, reporting about that, and it was a tragedy in terms of the schoolgirls, but who's ruled that on? The Islamic Republic, in terms of what they've caused and what they've put Iranians through. You know, eight-year war, over half million dead, have killed and tortured in terms of Iranians inside Iran. No one has tortured them more, no one has killed more in terms of the Islamic Republic. And then we have the the Lion of the Sun Revolution and what happened there. But yet, legacy media conveniently or disgracefully kind of blurs the lines or or kind of plays lip service to it. And that's been the problem. And and thank God for social media, because where citizen journalism has come through, you know, people like yourself who are active and and really putting the word out, otherwise a lot of people would be ignorant to it because most people live in their micro bubbles, don't they? You know, in terms of their families, bills, they don't have skin in the game. A lot a lot tune in and listen to these legacy media. And now, because of social media, they they can listen to, well, okay, actually, that's not what the truth, this is more the truth, and educate themselves. So the reality is we've had the Lion Sun Revolution. Can you believe me? That was what, six months ago?

SPEAKER_00 27:36

It is, it is uh six months ago already, right?

SPEAKER_01 27:40

And uh we then have had the war. Where do you think that war was becoming more challenging or was going a little bit

Why The War Slowed And What Changed

SPEAKER_01 27:49

not in the direction of where a lot of Iranians were wanting it to go? Because it started off so powerfully, so strong in terms of wildwork harmony, etc. And I feel like middle of March, type April period, there was it seemed to be a change of something. And then before we knew it, ceasefire talks, etc. Was it simply the economic terrorism of the new nuke of Stray of Hall Moose being used that put pressure ultimately the memorandum of misunderstanding?

SPEAKER_00 28:19

There were different factors, uh reasons to name that it was not so easy, but we have never thought that it will be so easy, neither. I mean, look, if you are a politician like we should we are, you know that it's a very it's a traject which is not easy. Look, this monster regime has used for this for 47 years the the money of oil and gas and everything he earned, even on drugs, they exported drugs everywhere in the world. They used it for making Hamas, Hezbollah, Putis, Hashtar Shabi, Fatemiun, Zainabyun, every proxy military forces that you name are supported and paid by those monsters to make such a great army around Iran, even to defend themselves. And this is a non-symmetric war. This is not symmetric war. Look, they attack their own neighbors. Uh Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, even Qatar and Oman who helped them, they have been attacked. Uh why are they doing why are they attacking apartment apartments and and uh just people, citizens of uh those Arabic countries? Because this is an asymmetric war. They want to put pressure on every country to at the end to accept to kneel down and accept a sort of wishy-washy, not okay agreement. But even that they won't accept it. Even uh kneeling for them is not enough because they are ideologically Islamists. They know one thing, they only win if the whole Western countries are just ruined and for this reason they can also attack the Muslim countries around Iran. No worries. They have paid 47 years, every cent and real money that they have earned for making missiles, putting that under nuclear adventure. So they have missiles which reach Europe right now. They have made drones given to Russia, best technology actually, and very cheap. They have very cheap things that can that can uh satirize the the air uh force and the air uh defense, and they can some of them reach the infrastructures in Ukraine. So 47 years of happening, of helping all those terrorist actions, and what did the Western countries they do? Sitting, looking, sometimes turning the eyes that we don't see even what's going on, and appeasement and talking and wasting the time for diplomacy. Of course, if you let those monsters become bigger, they become so big that they come and they want to eat you. That's a mistake that the Western country has done for 47 years. We cannot solve it in three months, and that's why I am not sad because it didn't end. It's not ended yet. The way it goes on, they are weakened, they are really weakened with those attacks of America and Israel. They have lost a lot, so they are weakened, but still they are not done. But we should just use this opportunities. Now that all the neighbor countries are united with the world, they know that this is not a country to talk about. You want to talk about it. We are civilized people in Europe and Western countries. We want to solve the problems with diplomacy, but they don't want it. And that now is known in the whole world. So the world is searching a solution. A solution, the solution is not only bombardment, is not only attacked by an airplane, it asks much more. And that's where the whole world should be ready. Look, at the in the history of the Western countries, once Hitler was trying to expand their uh the his power and to go and take other countries, and that fascism were everywhere just uh like uh poison. What the European countries ask America, their ally, they asked help. America at first was not really convinced that this is the war of America as well, until Pearl Harbor happened, and it changed the mindset of maybe this is also our war. In Europe itself, we have Chamberlain Agreement, which was appeasement with Hitler. It gave them the choice and the chance. The Hitler made one himself from himself a monster bigger and stronger until the whole world thought this is the time that we should give our hands together, because otherwise this monster cannot end, and our peace will always be threatened. We should fight this fight together. So at that moment, even at that moment, everyone thought their own interests. We Iranian people, of course, I am Iranian-European, but the Iranian people, they are not asking Europe and American help for the interest of only interest of Iranian people. They said, just think about your own interests. Is it not? Isn't it the time to give our hand together? The Iranian people inside Iran are the best allies of the Western countries outside Iran and make it happen. Just finish the job. And finishing the job, it asks more political will, more political togetherness. And that's what Europe should do with America and Canada and every Western countries. Even if it's needed to have boots on the ground, we should just finish this job. Because this, even if we don't do it right now, we can lose in the future. We should never lift the sanctions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. If we just ease the sanctions, they use the money that they earn from oil and gas for making their proxies, missiles, and everything again strong. We should never give them the chance. Just let's stick together, all Western countries, and use our power to finish the job and finish this regime. And Iranian people are always alongside their uh their uh allies in Europe and America.

SPEAKER_01 35:10

Yeah, I mean, a lot of Iranians were very despondent when it came to that MOU. That's what they were last year with the 12-day conflict with Israel and the ceasefire. And they were thinking, what's going on here? And it looked horrific on paper, the the actual MOU. It's like, what's going on here? This is so not Trump-esque. This is uh it looks like a bit of a capitulation, the memorandum of misunderstanding, as I call it. And you think, why? Why? And the the sense of disappointment was massive. And of course, you know, have we been betrayed? Have we been thrown under the bus? You know, what happened to about, you know, we will tell you a moment to come out onto the streets at the right time. That's what I think Trump said, President Trump, etc. And then others people said, no, it's 4D chess, it's 5D chess. Um you've got to look at it that way. You know, people said, you know, what can you do with the the oil prices, the gas prices were going up, then it affects the guilt rates, which then affects your mortgages, your credit card rates, etc. And there was real pain coming in because that Straya 4 News contains 20% of the world's fertilizers, it contains the oil supply, it doesn't for US, and surprisingly for the United Kingdom, it doesn't either, because we get most of our oil from the North Sea, but it does for jet fuel. And then you think to yourself, but they said they were gonna close the Straya 4 News, and they did it. They said it was gonna be regional, and they did it. So, where was the plan in not dealing with that? Because to have a regime which for them, survival is winning. Survival is winning, it always has been to buy time, to buy time, and to survive. That that and he mentioned the Nazis. Anyone should look at a documentary on the BBC called The Rise of the Nazis. There's a lot of parallels in terms of the Islamic Republic and what they do and how they go about things. So you think to yourself, with all that in mind, the Strait of Hormuz being allowed to be weaponized as an economic nuke, where they're we're cocky, arrogant, kind of we won, we defeated the US, we defeated Israel, ha ha ha, we we survive another day, we're the biggest, we're the baddest, and then these jihadis, etc., you know, again, all fanboy about it. And then I saw a turn in the last few weeks where some of those are saying, Oh no, maybe not, maybe we got outplayed, you know, maybe Abbas Delaya, which is the foreign secretary at Agarchi, and Calabaf, the parliamentary speaker, they betrayed us, and you got this hardline element by Saeed Jalili, the hardline kind of guy who was running for president uh beforehand, etc. And and the Bahidi, if there ever was a face of evil, he would be one of them. Just check it out, folks. See what you think. And they were more the power who were then going against the so-called elements, Yagarabaf, Abbas, etc., the foreign secretary, because they've always played this narrative, you know, softer uh hard or less hard, the white turban or the black turban. The reformers were the marketing department, your Zarifs, your Rouhanis, who was the ex-president, etc., you know, more softly spoken, more smiley smiley, you know, but they were the biggest portrayers of Iran. Because I'd always have a scumbag any day of the week, because I'm at least I'm dealing with that. You know, I know what I'm getting. Rather than that one, like those Khatani in 1997, I think, won the election when Christiane Amanpo, God, Christiane Almanpo, what a bloody disgrace she is going in with CNN all happy as Larry with their interview, etc. Very silent when it came to Lion Sun Revolution, Hater, the Paladin derangement syndrome as well, etc. So to cut a long story short, you have all these elements where now some of the harder, they're all Islamic Republic folks, regardless. There is no kind of reformer nonsense. People tried it in 2009 with the Green Movement, Musabi, Garubi, etc. And what they got was Nedar Sultani, and they tried evolution, but people want revolution. And you've got all of that in mind, and now those harder elements are saying, no, maybe we shouldn't have done that, and they betrayed us. So there's a little bit maybe of a split going on. What's your thoughts on all that?

MOU As A Pause And Regime Reality

SPEAKER_00 39:28

I think, first of all, it's very important to know that this MOU is something very, very weak. There is nothing inside it. It was a sort of exit strategy because President Trump was not ready for continuing it for any reason. It's like there is an election, there is nothing. I I at that moment I thought this is just a button of pause. I mean, we are going to stop just temporarily until election is done, football is done, until we get ready for the next step. And of course, even that, the Iranian regime made that not easy for them because the what they are doesn't permit them to stop this fight. America is always, has always been great Satan. And signing even just that, nothing MOU was difficult for the Iranian regime. But they thought, okay, we should be a little bit clever, just let's buy some time. Even that, it's not easy. Inside the Iranian regime, there are two powers who are always fighting with each other. But they have also a lot of things in common. The thing that they have in common is some of them they say, just let's be clever, buy some times and attack them, or make ourselves ready for the next attack. And some of them they are ideologically so hard-lined that they say, no, we cannot, because this is against our principle. Even, even just uh temporally, we cannot accept it. That's the only thing. But the whole thing, and if you know Iranian regime, I'm not sure that every politician knows the Iranian regime as well, because the politicians in in uh in the world, they come, they stay four years, and then is the next. I mean, democracy is something very powerful that gives you the uh tools to decide on that four years. And after that, there is someone else. And most of the time, most of the time, you have left wing and then riding and again left wing and again riding because some of the things they didn't do it good, we want to do it better, and then it's it goes further and further. So the thing is, I'm not sure that even President Trump knew well what's going on in the Iranian regime because 47 years of we are against America won't change because they are have they have been at this uh attack of America. They won't change. President Trump has once said that the regime has been changed. I have done, I brought some other people, but I'm so sorry, it's not possible. It's not right. This is not how regime change it means. Regime which has the same ideology has the same ideology. You can just kill one father and bring one son or even someone else. But the ideology of Islamic Republic and the reason, the reason that they made revolutionary guard of Islamic Republic still stays unmoved. And the reason that they have created Revolutionary Guard is to export this revolution, Islamic revolution, to the whole world and fight against the whole world, especially Western countries. Of course, they are allies with Russia and China and North Korea, but fighting the Western civilization until it's finished and ruined. Like exactly like Israel. Of course, a very important point is this is temporary. It will go, it will pass because it's not possible to reach any solution with this regime. This is ideologically in a way that they want to annihilate uh Western countries. So let's talk about what is the next step. Let's get ready in politics as a politician in Europe, as a politician in a NATO parliament. I am doing this job. What is the next step? We know all that we won't have any accord, any uh agreement which is good for the Western countries. And if we have a bad agreement, we give them the time to again make themselves ready and strong, and we won't do it. So, what is the next step? And I'll tell you, we will find a way because we are Western countries. We are still strong if we believe in it, and we believe it. And let's see what's going to happen after the election. And let's hope that everything is ready for the next step. And I'm sure that we should just take these measures. And I am such a long time in the Western politics. I think there has been never such a readiness in the Western countries to talk about something serious in the future. So that's a good sign. Let's work together.

SPEAKER_01 44:27

Yeah. It's important points because people don't often understand the makeup of this regime and the IRGC. Basically, when the 1979 Islamic Republic came into play after Mohammed Reza Pala with the Shah of Iran and that coup d'etat, that cult, anyway, that came into power, the Islamic Republic revolution. They didn't trust what was called the Artesh, still called the Artesh, the army. It was the fifth most powerful army in the world under the Shah. At that time, under the Shah, we had the fifth most powerful army in the world. We had 70 realms to the dollar in terms of currency. We had people being educated abroad. They'd have bursaries and grants from the Shah. We had the right to vote before even that of Switzerland in 1964. We had secular laws coming into play. We had protection of rights, women in terms of parental rights when the divorce cases have happened. We had railways, we had infrastructure, we had roads, we had poverty reduced, we had literacy rates up, etc. We had uh the national income going up around about 67, five 67 times in the reign of Mahali Reza Bali Shah. And then this Islamic republic comes into play. Pretty much what you're seeing, folks, in terms of useful idiots, socialists and Marxists combining together, allowing this prism where they seem to have this combination of radical Islamists and socialist Marxists. They come together like burrs of a feather in terms of this mutuality. You have university professors saying that Hezbollah is an important part of the progressive left, you know, ridiculous, imbecilic statements, etc., that's gone on. And we see that in terms of what we're witnessing in major cities, whether it be New York, whether it be London, whether it'd be other cities, etc. And that's what happened in the 1970s because it was called to be lefty a little bit. And unfortunately, that generation, not all, the majority were against the regime, but it's only a minority need to have a revolution. I think Harvard did the study, you need about 3.5% of a population at its peak that would make a revolution guaranteed, right? And these Islamists were well organized. You had the PLO, you had Gaddafi of Libya, you had those forces that were training and helping these Islamists to come in and to take over. And then you had the issue of the West because 1970, rise of oil prices, which were then putting pressures on Western economies. The US was very much relying on oil back in the day. And Iran was becoming a powerful country. It was on course to become the South Korea of the Middle East. It's now North Korea, well, on the line, on the road to being North Korea of the Middle East. And it was going to be in the top five most prosperous countries on earth. And the Shah was very pleased about that because he loved Iran. He was Iran first. And Palies are the face of modern Iran. So when people think, oh, monarchy is an old system, it's antiquated, why do you want that? etc. and all that. There is no history without monarchy in Iran. It's the country of Cyrus the Great, right? It's the country of kings, etc. And the reality is their Islamic Republic never trusted the army, so they created the IRGC, and the IRGC is there to preserve the Islamic Republic. It's not there for Iran. And then it has a foreign force called the Qur's force, which is there about trans uh being able to push out the rebel, the Islamic Republic, to other countries like Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen. They had the figure of Soleimani. People will know what happened with Trump's first time in terms of taking him out. So to, in a roundabout kind of fashion, and to close on this, is that the IRGC has never been Iran. It's been an occupation of Iran, along with this regime. A lot of which, when you look at their backgrounds, you know, in terms of who they are, where they're from, it said, hate Iran, hate all things about being Iranian, wanted to ban Nerus, wanted to ban all of the identity, and their constituents aren't the constituents of Tehran, Espahan, Shiraz, Kurdistan, Iran, Balutistan, Iran, etc. It's it's Yemen, it's Iraq, it's Syria, it's Lebanon, it's those kind of entities. So Iranians have been fighting this fight for 47 years, and people like you, brave people like you out there fighting the fight. But now, after October the 7th, which I think in hit when history looks back, will be the fatal mistake of Khamani, who I think ended up bringing down this regime and the support of Hamas and what went on what went on before then. They didn't play it like what happened with 9-11 when they were kind of sly, etc., to to make sure that they weren't targeted to the US. But a big decision has to be made because I don't think airstrikes is going to be enough. I I personally, this is just a personal view, there has to be some kind of ground game in order to end this regime. Those are your thoughts.

Why Sanctions And Pressure Must Hold

SPEAKER_00 49:24

Of course, airstrikes are not enough. And I think we should have known it before. And we knew it. I mean, it's not that that we thought like this regime will change us. How is it possible? This is a regime which is which has a very strong network inside of it. It's not dependent only on one person, and as you told, IRGC is the occupier of the regime. Of course, the leader of uh the the supreme leader of all those regimes, that regime and IRGC was Kamené, but Kamenet has also 20 years of Kamené Jr. beside him, who has learned everything. And by the way, even if you lose both Kamenes, system is there. And it is a system, it's not one man dependent, although one man decides every time. So airstrikes are not enough. That's right. And the next step, which I have talked about, is let's see what we can do with boots on the ground. It should not be uh, you know, the moment that you decide to fight against Hitler, that was also boots on the ground. And I don't say it easily because unfortunately, unfortunately, it is in some way in Europe, it's uh taboo talking about. Why? Of course, war is not what we have chosen. This is a war who they have begun against us. If you don't see, if you don't with lie and defend your country, you will lose your country in the future. Then you know that you invest in defense not for nothing. It's not a decoration who you are buying so expensive. You know, in politics, as a politician in the Committee of Defense and Foreign Affairs in the Belgian parliament, I know that we invest a lot in our defense system, not only in my country, Belgium, but also in whole Europe. Because we have seen that we can easily be attacked by Putin, by Iranian regime. Our interest in the Strait of Hormis has been attacked, in Bob al Mandab has been attacked. This is our interest, our economy. And we have seen how the Iranian regime helped Russia against us. So if we still don't believe that this is our war and we should just finish the work, then we are not okay. We are not right. And if you invest such a long uh such a uh such an amount of money on your defense, just as a decoration, just please don't do it because it doesn't serve your children and our children in Europe. If you are doing it, if you are making it, it's just very important to know that we should use it for defending our children in the future. It's our job to do it. You know, the most frustrated time of my life was the moment that I was angry of my parents, and I told them and I asked them, and I said, you were free in the time of Shah. You had the freedom to dance, to be a woman, to go to work, to not not be a second citizen. We Iranian, we had the right to vote before before Belgium it had, before lots of Western countries has the right to work vote as a woman. We had it. We had all those things, and I asked my parents, why didn't you preserve them for us? We were the future, we were not yet born, but we will, we, we, we, we are going to come. And you didn't preserve our rights. That's why our children will also ask the same question in the future if we are not aware of what we should do today. And what we should do today is preserving their lives for the future, preserving their economy, their country. In the Western country, the people they are talking about a lot, they're talking about the social security, which is beautiful to have. But what can you do with your social security if you are in the war against Russia, against the Iranian regime who has missiles to rich Brussels? What can you do for your happiness if you have money, but you should just fight a war against those monsters? So a lot of people they say we don't want to invest so much on our defense. We don't want a war. You you are searching a war. I'm not. I'm a peaceful woman who my peace has been taken from me, not only inside Iran, and also here in Europe. As a European, still I am not free to say whatever I want because the Islamic regime threats me to kill me. Two weeks ago I had a call from our police to be careful because the Iranian regime wants to kidnap you. That's not first time. So this is how they make Europe unsafe. How they make our interests paying the risk, just be ready because next step asks more. And if we are not to take the next step, which can also mean boots on the ground. If it's necessary to open the Strait of Homers, we should do it. If it's necessary to avoid Islamists here in the heart of Europe attacking us, attacking European, un-European soil, that's the price we should pay. I don't say we will, because hopefully we can just have a way. Maybe also the regime is also so weak that maybe we can also finish it easier. But if it's necessary to bring boots on the ground, we should just do it. And otherwise, we don't deserve freedom because we don't know the cost and uh the importance of freedom. Who doesn't acknowledge the importance of freedom can lose it at any second.

Boots On The Ground And Europe’s Safety

SPEAKER_00 55:44

And I don't want to say what it's going to happen, because I think the European and the Westerners they are very clever. They know what we will be what will be the future of the world if the Iranian regime has nuclear weapons. I should not explain what will happen. Nuclear weapons having missiles, having missiles who can go further than 4,000 kilometers. I should not explain what it means for the whole world. So at any cost, we should avoid, we should not let this regime have nuclear weapons, missiles, making proxies strong again and earning money, especially earning money to make all those things happen. Let's begin with just blockading the Strait of Armors for the Iranian regime. They cannot sell oil because that money goes only for the terrorism, and we cannot let it happen.

SPEAKER_01 56:42

Yeah, I mean, as we come more towards the end of the podcast, how are they gonna overcome the regime putting up the prices again of the oil markets? Because they were saying that was thinking goes to $200, and they know this is a real weak point for the West, then the economies, etc. They can't be what we did before, right? In terms of this war, because then the same things will play out again, the prices will go up, again, there's pressure, etc. They'll do it to a point, then at the request of Pakistan, part two, or whatever, will come into play. So there has to be something else during this time you would have thought to combat what has gone on in terms of how they play their card with all of this economic terrorism, which was their Trump, excuse the pun, was their Trump card.

SPEAKER_00 57:32

I think at the end, very important thing is that because they have talked also to lift some of the sanctions or to ease some of the other sanctions, this is a very wrong decision. Because we know all that they will not they will not accept to stop enrichment of nuclear weapons, stop their missiles programs, and stop their proxies. So, as we know that, letting them selling oil and gas is just investing on our killers. I mean, you give them money to attack us. That's so ridiculous. You cannot do it. As the Western countries, it can cost whatever it costs, but we cannot invest our own killing uh machine. I can't we cannot do it. This is just insane. Just let them be blocked in the hell that they made for the whole world and then decide how to finish the job because this job should be finished. And I guarantee the world, because it's unfortunate to see that some of the people are not, they are talking about let's see. Some of the people are talking about, Daya, I aren't you afraid of having uh to change a dictator with another dictator. We are so afraid that we, after this regime, we will have still the dictator of the Shah, first of all. Iranian people, they know what they want. Trust them and respect them. They know that they want a free country who they can decide for their own country and their children, and they will manage to have it. If they have called the name of Reza Pahlabi, Prince Reza Pahlabi was for a reason, because they trust him. He has the legitimacy to make this transition happen. Prince Rizal Pahlabi has told the world several times that my job finishes at the moment that Iran is free. And after that, the Iranian people decide if they see any future or anything from me or not. So this is an obvious explanation of how we are going toward a democracy. If the people of Iran they want to have him as a king, this is the choice of the people of Iran. It doesn't mean that he will be a dictator. We will be a constitutional king monarchy. A constitutional monarchy, like a lot of European countries. What is it wrong with it? And still, for those who are insisting that we are lying and who are insisting that we will 100% have another monarchist dictator, Iranian people, they know that no dictator is worse than this regime. This killer machine. This machine that for just a little bit hair kills the women. I cannot explain what is well, we don't have anything in Iran, don't have any right. For the first time that I learned what it is, what it is to be a woman, it was in the Western country in Belgium. So please don't talk to Iranian people like they are none they are crazy people. They know very well what they want. And don't worry too much for Iranian people or having another dictator. Because even the next system, even you're afraid that it will be a dictator, which it won't be. It will be the friend of Europe, it will be the friend of the whole world, it will be a prosperous which which uh its oil and gas will go to the people in place of terrorism. They are from nature another sort of regime. And we will have a democracy, we will have a very beautiful country in the future, which will be the best ally and the best friend of the West, because that's how we, the Iranian people in the future, we can build this beautiful country with so much potential, which will be a best

Reza Pahlavi And A Post Regime Future

SPEAKER_00 1:01:42

investment goal in the future for the Western countries. We can trade with each other, we can make everything great again, not only for Iranian, also for the Western countries. And I am sure that we are going to make it happen. We need each other, we stick together in this fight, and this fight will not take a very long time. We will just make it happen together.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:07

100%. And it's people like you that will build our future in Iran, and because it's what Iran needs, individuals like you, area. Because the reality is Iran is a rich country, rich in resources, as you said, second largest reserves of gas in the world, fourth largest reserves of oil, lithium, etc., you name it. But its greatest resource is his human resource, highly educated population, and a population. The GCC, most of which are expats. Only 10% of the UA population is actually MRITs, etc. And he goes on the same to Qatar. And back in the 1970s, Iran had double the GDP of Saudi Arabia. It's a trillion-dollar economy, economically with benefits, it's trading with the world. Iranians want to have a passport to be proud of, want to travel the world, are so Western oriented in terms of their mindset. They want to have all these bins, they want to be free again, they want to have a boyfriend and girlfriend, they want to travel again, they want to feel Iranian again, they want to be Iran again. And it's benefits in so many ways. And the reality is we're at a cross point. And history will judge what goes on because this is a moment in time, as it was a moment in time before. And the consequences are severe because, as the regime has shown, you have a Iran that's forward-looking, open looking, etc. People say, Oh, you'll just be a puppet of the US and Israel, etc., and all that kind of stuff that they come out with. Well, they're a puppet of Russia and China, right? We live in interconnected world. No one's going to be a puppet. The Shah was making Iran on the course of being an independent country, but Rome wasn't built in a day. He ruled with authority and was authoritative. And you need that. But the transition was going to be, it was going to be like Spain with King Carlos and what happened and how he got rid of the regime there with Franco, etc. Spain wouldn't be Spain, right, without that happening and his intervention. And we have an incredible figure. Iranians are our jihadis. We're not going to have a Syria kind of ex-Al-Qaeda, right? We're afraid of civilization. We have the Crown Prince Reza Padavi, who the people want. And it's a choice and moment in time. And it's a choice and moment in time that will be great for the world because when the Shah went, as he said, Allah Reza Padov, the Shah of Iran, that the gates of hell would open. And it did. The creation of Hezbollah, we had Hamas, they create mayhem, chaos, and everywhere that they go. Because the three pillars, folks, of the Islamic Republic is death to America, death to Israel, the hijab. It has it's never been a government, it's been a constant revolutionary state that needs to be in this constant revolutionary state. It doesn't care about the interest of Iranians and Iran. So sometimes people think, oh, he's all the way far away. What does the benefit mean? But if we had that attitude in the 1940s, we wouldn't be here like we are today. And it has happened throughout history. What goes on in the Middle East has a big effect. So as we land on the end of this podcast, where do you think we'll be at the end of the year? At the end of this year.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:12

It's difficult to know when is exactly uh what is going to happen exactly. But I think if you compare just something easy, if you compare this year with last year, you know that we have done um unbelievable a lot of progress in the last year. Of course, it has been a very, very difficult year. Um we have lost a lot of people. We didn't even we didn't even see it coming. But it still it made us very strong because now we know we don't have any option. There is no option for us. We are going until the end. And I think I cannot say what will we be at the end of this year. It depends on the elections all around the world, in America, in Israel. We have a lot of elections. But I know something that at the end, we the Iranian people, we will make it happen. We will find always our raid, like we have found it. The message, the most important message is believe in it. Because I believe in it. We believe in it. With me, millions of Iranian people inside Iran believe in it. But just don't forget, to the people who are watching this from inside, they should know that we will be their voices and we will make that way happen. And for us, we the aspara in outside, we trust our people inside because we are all in this together. We fight together and we bring the most important energy that we have on this war because it should be finished. At the end of this year, or at the beginning of the next year, or wherever in the future, very short future. I see this, and we will fight for it until the end.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:07

That's a beautiful way to

Where To Follow Daria And Final Message

SPEAKER_01 1:07:08

end. And uh yeah, pioneer Iran, long live Iran, and you for your time spent on the podcast. Where could people reach out to you? What's your socials, etc., on how to best follow you because you're so active and you do so much.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:23

Everything that we we do is just our duty to do because our people have given their lives. So that's why I am also really active to say I love my country, Iran, and I know that you love Iran as well, and we love it, we will fight it until the end. Wherever you want, you can contact me on the social medias, what you prefer. I'm always in touch with the people who are giving everything for one goal: freedom. Freedom in Iran, freedom for the whole world, and payan de Iran.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:59

Absolutely. So that's Daria Safai. She's on Instagram, on Twitter, give her a follow, etc. And let's all support each other. Remember the Rumi quote alone, you're a drop in the ocean. Together, we become the ocean. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:13

My pleasure, dear. Have a good day, and we'll