Mohsen Sazegara
Appearances
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
First of all, Dr. Yazdi, Ebrahim Yazdi. Ebrahim Yazdi was a pharmacologist, a professor of Baylor University, and one of the founders of LMI, Liberation Movement of Iran Abroad. the political party of Bazargan. It was founded in the 1960s. But out of Iran, there were three prominent figures for LMI. Yazdi, Sadeh Ghazadeh, and Mustafa Chamran. Mustafa Chamran was in Lebanon in those days.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
He founded Harekat al-Mahroumin with Moussa Sadr and Amal, Affaj-e-Maghavamat-e-Lebnaniyat-e- armed force of Harakat al-Mahroomeen. Qudsadeh lived in France, and Yazdi lived in Houston, Texas. Actually, I was a member of LMI, besides the Muslim Student Association. With Ibrahim Yazdi. Yeah. Got it. LMI was a secret organization because in Iran it was illegal. And we had about totally in the U.S.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
and in Europe maybe 20 members at most. And when I, Yazdi, actually that was Ibrahim Yazdi who brought Khomeini to Paris from Najaf. when Saddam Hussein forced him that you should leave Iraq. You can't stay here and invite the people against Shah. Because Saddam actually signed a peace agreement with Shah in 1975. And so you should leave.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And that was Yazdi who joined him and helped him to come to Paris, a free country, France. And When they reached over there, he called me. I was studying in Chicago, Illinois, and told me that Mohsen, we have brought the Ayatollah here, and we need you. I remember it was 4 o'clock in the afternoon in Chicago. I borrowed $250 from one of the Iranian doctors and bought a ticket.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
In those days, it was only $200. and to Chicago, and 8 o'clock at night, I was in the plane, and the day after, I was in France, and I joined the team. Yazdi later became the foreign minister of Iran, and Qutbzadeh was over there, too. He became foreign minister of Iran as well, but he was executed by the order of Khomeini.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, no, no. Qasem Soleimani, maybe later during the war between Iran and Iraq. That's when he became a figure. Yeah.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, Rafsanjani was in Iran. But he was a key figure for Khomeini. He was almost, amongst the clergy, he was almost the closest person to Khomeini.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah, in Iran. And later, during the revolution and after victory, he was famous amongst Khomeini's friends that he's the favorite of Khomeini. And whatever he says to Khomeini, Khomeini doesn't listen and doesn't say no.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
First of all, I was a Muslim and, you know, in Shi'ism, we have source of emulation. Grand Ayatollah that you follow the religious orders from one of the Grand Ayatollahs. So I followed Khomeini as a source of emulation. Second, everybody believed, including me, that Khomeini is a man of God. He is very pious. He has been with God and, you know, practiced mysticism.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And he's a divine person somehow. Third, I can say that while I was with him in Nefleshatou, he was very smart. Very smart, I have to say. In what way? Like when you say very smart?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
When you talk to him, you know, especially when you talk about some subjects that are new for somebody, from his questions and understanding and get the idea that you are talking, you find out that how smart is that guy. He was very clever. And first of all, listened very carefully, took his hand, looked down and listened very carefully to whatever you wanted to talk to him about.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
My weapon is teaching the students, talking about the constitution of Islamic revolution, mobilizing the people, sending to war fronts to help the classic army of Iran. Everybody believed that Khomeini is a man of God.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And then he asked very politely. good questions, and absorb whatever you said. And he was very decisive. He could make decision just in 10 minutes and stand for that. And in personal relationship, he was very kind. On the contrary to his face in the world that was a grumpy person and that looked very tough at everybody, but against the U.S., against the Shah.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
But in personal relationship, he was very kind. To a person like me, 22, 23 years old, young student, he was talking very mild, very kind, or especially to children when some of the people who came to meet him had small children. He was very kind to them. But later, when we returned to Iran, very seldom I saw him.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
once when I was at the head of radio, and maybe one more time, if I'm not wrong, when I was in heavy industries of Iran. No, two times more. But gradually, I think that he became a monster, too, because he ordered killing the people, execution of the political prisoners in 1988. 4,000 political prisoners were executed by his order just in three months. That's a crime. Why did he do that?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
What was his intentions when he did that? I think that there is a very, very, I have to say, horrible statement from him that says that these guys are the members of the organizations that are against Islam and should be executed. I don't know really how he made such a decision. There are many gestures about that. Maybe his son, Ahmad, wanted to do that, maybe Minister of Intelligence.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
By the way, the members of MKO, Mujahideen-e-Khalq, and communist prisoners, were massacred in Iran prisons in 1988 and several others. He made big mistakes. You know, this is how despotism works. He became a despot. And I think that I can say three big mistakes while he was at the top for 10 years, then he passed away.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
First was hostage-taking, supporting the students who attacked the American embassy. Instead of kicking them out of the embassy, He supported them for hostage-taking, and that was against any international regulation, and changed, you know, started a fight with the U.S. that is still going on. And second, the war between Iran and Iraq.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Although Saddam attacked to Iran, but after one year and a half, he succeeded to kick his forces out of Iran. and liberate our lands. That was the time that he could go for a peace, ceasefire. But he continued the war six years and half more. And we lost 235,000 more lives in the second period of the war. At the first period, we lost about 30,000 lives and we liberated our lands. But
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
At the second part, he continued a useless war. And third is that massacre in prisons and suppressing the opposition very brutally. I can say that leftists of Iran, communists and other leftists and other groups, actually were massacred by the hands of Khomeini and the Islamists who took power.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah, like IRGC, I can say that this IRGC is not that IRGC that we thought that we are creating something in the benefit of the people and defending the country.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yes. I can say that first time that I found out that something is wrong. It's not what we wanted, right? You know, at the first two years of Victory of Revolution, I was so busy with the country and, you know, bomb blasting in prime minister office, for instance, by MKO. I was working with Rajoy, the prime minister, and he became president. But after two, three years, I went to industries of Iran.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I became head of IDRO, Industrial Development and Renovation Organization, the biggest industrial complex of Iran, owned 140 huge manufacturing companies. In industries of Iran, that was 1982 and 1983, for the first time I found out that, okay, this is not what we wanted.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
We didn't expect, we didn't know, better to say, we didn't know that a revolution is how wild, how wild is a revolution and brutality in the nature of revolutions, especially an Islamic revolution that thinks that... It's the hand of the God. So they can put themselves in the sight of God and do whatever they want and do any crime. So on 1983, 1984, I resigned from my position. Yeah.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And resigned from what? Resigned from IRGC? No, no. IRGC, I left it after three months. Five months, yeah. From Industries of Iran. I was head of IDRO. And promised to myself that I should re-study, re-read the books of the founders of this revolution to see what we wanted, why we were against Shah, and why it's going in this way.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
It took about a year that at last I resigned and started to reread. The first book that I reread was Khomeini's book about the rulership of the faqih. This time I was 30 years old. Now I was, you know, not an emotional young revolutionary, leftist young revolutionary. You are or you're not? When I was 30 years old. You are. I was not. You were not. No.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah. When I was 22 years old, like many younger students on those days, the dominant, you know... Not like in the Shah. He's the rich guy.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
The dominant discourse is leftist, revolutionary, ideological aspect of the world just by some... You know, simple lines you try to draw everything to refuse, for instance, all the Western civilization. We will have a new way in front of the humanity by Islamic regime and blah, blah, blah. But then I was 30 years old.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
this time when I started to reread the books of the founders of revolution, like Khomeini, like Dr. Shariati, actually the teacher of the revolution, and the others, this time I found out that, wow, the problem of this revolution is not accidental. It's essential. It's in the theory of this regime. Essential or... Or intentional? No.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
First of all, this IRGC is a monster.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
It's in the theory of this regime, when you are Islamist, when you put yourself in the foot of the, in the shoe of the God, then you can do any crime. Intentionally, you can do any crime. And nothing is, you don't care about human rights. human rights is something that comes from the modern world.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
The modern people, after John Locke and the other thinkers, gradually people, instead of duties in religion, now the people have rights. But in that type of thinking, I mean Islamism, revolutionary, ideological version of Shiism, there is no room for rights of the people. People should obey the leaders, the religion, the religion that is represented by a person at the top.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
So this time, when I found out that, okay, This is something that I don't like it. For this reason, I found out the answer of my question. Why it went wrong? Why it started to kill the people? Why so much brutality? So when I found out the answer that, OK, it goes back to the essence of this revolution,
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And the people gradually, the brutal people, ruthless people, will take the power, including Khomeini himself. That kind person, religious man, became a monster. So I said to myself that, first of all, I should test my, examine my idea. So I started to study religion. history, because history is the laboratory of social sciences theories.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Because my major field was mechanical engineering and physics. But I started to study history, and I tested that idea. And I saw that, yes. It has been repeated in other countries and even in Iran. When we ran the country with religious theories, give and take, we had the same results somehow. Or Middle Ages in Europe, when it was the Catholic Church actually running and had power.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
On 1988, when the war between Iran and Iraq was finished, and from 1986, I was not in key positions, just advisor to some of my friends that were in the cabinet. But after 1988, I said to myself that, OK, enough is enough. I don't work with this regime anymore in any way.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
So I left any position, didn't accept any position, and I went to started publishing magazines, newspapers, and starting a publishing company. All of them were shut down, by the way, by the regime. after a while, and gradually they were, I became a tough opposition. I was imprisoned four times totally by the regime.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
uh uh absentia absentia you were but but the time that you were arrested there did they not prevent you from eating for 70 days where you lost 50 pounds no i i went on a hunger strike while you were in prison yeah last time that i was uh arrested you know they come to your apartment suddenly uh
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
disconnect the telephones and keep you over there and show you just a piece of paper, you are under arrest. And in that piece of paper, I saw that they have the order to arrest my son. He was a university of Tehran student. He was studying economics. My second son was in England. So if he was in Iran, I think that he was arrested too.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
But this time they searched the house for four hours everywhere to take every paper. Even the electricity bills. I said that. I told the guys that, why do you take the electricity bills? What's inside that? By the way, from that time I said that, okay, as a protest for arresting me, I go on hunger strike.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah, I wanted to... Honestly, I didn't want to be killed or to die, but I wanted to resist in front of them and have something in interrogation to bargain, because I was almost famous, and many students knew me. They arrested 800 students, including my son, with me at the same time.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Some of them one month like my son, some of them three months, 100 days, or some of them longer, six months.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, no, because they knew this time and if they arrest me right now, definitely they will not be polite. If they can catch me, definitely they will kill me. But in those days, because that anyway, I was a person that came to Iran with Khomeini and I was one of the founders of IRGC. I was deputy prime minister for a while at the first decade of revolution.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And many of the top people in the Islamic Republic knew me. many of the members of the parliament, and many people in the society. So they knew that at last they should release me after 10 years, say. But so they didn't torture me. But some, I can't say psychological pressure, yes. For instance, one day they said that you're son is in the room.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Because you are blindfolded when they take you to interrogation and sit you in front of the wall and you can't see the room. But they said that your son is here and he has become very slim. We may release him. And they wanted to show to my son that I'm not on hunger strike.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Because I told to my wife, my wife is a doctor, when they arrested me, I told her that from now on, I go on hunger strike and announce it to the world that I'm on hunger strike and day by day count it. So they wanted to anyway, you know, say that this is... I have broken my hunger strike.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
So when they said that your son is in the room, I thought to myself that, okay, if I said that I'm on hunger strike, they may not release him because they will not send him out to say that my dad is not on hunger strike. And if I say send anything, And I say, no, I'm not on hunger strike. I have given a false fact to him. Anyway, I just kept silent.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Or one day they told me that we have arrested your wife as well. While you were in there, they're saying this to you. You know, they wanted to. I had six accusations according to what they put pressure on me. they wanted to tell me that, okay, you have been an agent of the United States. You have been... Because that some of the top senators in the U.S.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
have supported you after arrest, you are an agent of the United States. Second, they wanted to tell me that, okay... One day, one of those two interrogators told me that we know that you are a good entrepreneur and you can make hundreds of factories. Why don't you go for that? We can support you if you agree not to oppose the regime and go out of politics. I said, you know, thank you.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
That's what this was built for. Evin prison actually was built in the 60s by the regime of Shah. And before that, it was a garrison, if I'm not wrong. It was converted to a prison during the Shah. It's the most notorious prison in Iran.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And Muslims as well, right.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Some of them were members of guerrilla groups, yes. Right. Definitely, I think that on those days they were heroes of guerrilla wars, but today they are called terrorists. Maybe he was right, but not torturing them, because he was torturing the political prisoners as well by Sabaki. But no. He stopped doing it. He said in the one interview with Wallace.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
But some of them were not, you know, fighting with Shah with arms. Some of them were writers. Right. Some of them were just opposition, like Bazaar Gun, for instance. Or some of those clerics that were in prison were just only against the Shah. This is what I said to Islamic Republic as well, that... I have nothing but my interviews and my voice and writing the articles. Why should I be arrested?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Okay, I'm in opposition of this regime. I'm against Velayat-e-Faqih. I'm against the leader. But I don't do anything violently, and my weapon is teaching the students. talking about the constitution of Islamic revolution that is wrong. It should be changed. Why should I be arrested?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Totally in different positions in Islamic Republic in one decade. I was in different positions like head of radio or deputy prime minister or deputy minister of heavy industries, head of IDRO or vice minister of planning and budget.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
President.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
To my boss, for instance. When I was deputy prime minister, I worked with Rajoy, the prime minister.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
He was working in our office first, the office of political deputy. But then he was transferred to another office in prime minister office. He was with the intelligence deputy of Rajoy office.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, definitely no. I remember that I was in my office at the fourth floor I heard a bomb blasting, a big noise. And I was talking on phone. I hanged up and I went to the opposite office that had a window to the garden. And I saw that, wow, fire is coming and the smoke is coming up out of the room that I knew was the high national...
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Conceal of security conceal of the country that president and prime minister and minister actually found the clip from Associated Press Rob If you want to pull it up, there's a clip.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah, and I knew that Rajoyi and Bahunar, because Rajoyi became president after the first president of Islamic Republic that left Iran, Bani Saad, Rajoyi was elected as the president. It was only one month. Yeah, exactly.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah. I knew that these guys are in that room. So... I used the stairs coming down to the first floor that that room was to approach the room. Maybe I can rescue.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And when I entered the first floor, there was everything because the electricity was disconnected. It was dark and lots of smoke. I tried to reach the room at the end of the hall, but I couldn't breathe. Later, I found out that I could sit down because the smoke goes up. Anyway, I didn't reach that room. And I came out and went to the level, to the streets.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Maybe I can approach the room from the window from the street. But again, it was not doable. And the fire department reached over there. By the way, Rajoy and Bohunar were killed, and some other people. I remember that the head of the police was killed as well, because he was in elevator and suffocated. Anyway, yeah.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah, not that time. The explosion happened at 3.20 in the afternoon. I remember because the clocks stopped, electrical clocks everywhere. But the day after, and that time until late at night, that night, nobody knew that how many people were in that room, how many were alive, how many were wounded, and how many were killed. It took about
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
killing after killing after killing after killing after killing you should have seen glimpses earlier no this is not what we want gradually i think that he became a monster too if they can catch me definitely they will kill me one of the guys that reported to you killed your boss yeah Do you know what this sounds like? Sounds a little fishy.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
eight hours, nine hours, that at last the list of the people attending that meeting, how many people were seen alive, how many were in hospital. And at the end of the night said that, okay, we have three absent and two bodies that are not recognized because they have been burned.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
These three people were Rajoyi, Bahunar, the president, prime minister, and Kashmiri, who was actually the secretary of those meetings. The day after, when the people gathered in front of the parliament of Iran at the end of, the alley that prime minister office was at the beginning of that alley. At the end of that alley was the parliament of Iran.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And on the other side of the parliament was street that people gathering, thousands of people mourning their bodies. We thought, I have said that we were foolish. We thought that, OK, Kashmiri, nobody doubted about him. He was not a suspect person for us on that time because he was one of the honest people working in that office and very good staff.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Everybody thought that, okay, these three people are killed. And that night, at last, with the dentist and their family, they recognized that these two bodies are for Rajoy and Bahunar. But the third person, we didn't find anything. So we thought that he has been killed. But you didn't know? No. We thought that he has been burned so badly that didn't find anything.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
So we asked some of the clergy in... When I say we, I mean not only me, a group of workers in a prime minister office, that we thought that, okay... We can collect the ashes and a part of his body will be over there. So it can be his body and be mourned by the people and transferring for a funeral and transferring to cemetery. That was the day after at night when I went to a group of our friends.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
We had a gathering together once a week. I was very sad. And when I talked about bomb blasting yesterday and what happened, how Kashmiri was, you know, burned, nothing was earned. I remember one of my friends in that meeting said that Mohsen, what are you talking about? Didn't he have any belt? ring, some metal things. I said, yes. He said that, OK, why didn't you find them?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And besides, he was a biologist, said that a person, say 140 pounds, If he's burned, even in very, very high temperature, at least 15, 30 pounds will remain, especially the bones. So it's not possible that you didn't find anything. I said that, yes, you are right. He laughed and said that maybe he was the guy that put the bomb and fled the room.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
So the day after, I remember that when I went to prime minister office and the committee in that division of intelligence division of the office, started to investigating the bomb blasting. I went early in the morning. That was 7 o'clock in the morning. I knocked at the door that they were talking and investigating. One of them came out, and I told him that it seems that we were wrong.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Kashmiri can be the guy. He said, don't say anything because we have reached the same result and same. idea because we didn't find his car around in any street. And his family is not at his home.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
You know, in Farsi we say that when a problem is solved, then you think it's easy. On that day, the day after explosion and nobody, first of all, was suspicious to Kashmiri. Later was found out that, Oh, he was a secret member of MKO, uh, that, you know, penetrated in the offices. Uh, and, uh,
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
For two months, I was boss of this guy. He worked for one of the offices that was under my...
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah. Do you know what this sounds like? This is the reason that, you know, because there was, you know, internal competition in, you know, powerless, better to say powerless struggle inside the newborn. Were you very ambitious at the time? No. No, I prefer to leave every job to go to, you know, start a political party and publishing papers. But I went to industries.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
That was one of the reasons that I decided not to be in political positions.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Not only us, we thought that he's killed and that ashes from the room contains a part of that. But millions of people who mourned those two bodies and that.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, just my colleagues, because we were busy with our colleagues. And we wanted to make sure that funeral is going very well. And let me tell you something worse, that we thought that, oh, this poor Kashmiri is not a top person. Those two guys are very top people, so we should pay attention that he will be respected like those two president and prime minister as well.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And, you know, these types of scenes are very... Did you ever see him again?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, no, he's, I think, definitely protected by MCOW. Nobody has seen him... Since then? Since then, yeah.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I don't think so.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, nobody. I think that if regime of Iran finds him, definitely will kill him. You know, because two years ago, I think that you are pointing to another person. His name was Kolahi. Kolahi was the person who was in charge of a member of MEK or MKO. He was the person who carried the bomb and bomb blasting in the headquarter of Islamic Republic political party.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Beheshti, head of judiciary power, and 72 people were killed. Some ministers, some members of cabinet, some top officials were killed in that bomb blasting. Kolahi was not found until two years ago. I'm not sure yet that a person was famous as no-name person with another name was assassinated in Netherlands.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And I read that everybody said that, yes, he was Kolahi, that at last regime of Iran found him and killed him in Netherlands. And I think that if regime of Iran finds Massoud Kashmiri, Any place in the world.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, maybe they have changed his name and surgery and all that stuff. Under protection.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Oh, no, I don't think so. He had any relation to KGB. Beishti was one of the top clergy and educated not only in seminary schools but in Germany as well.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
IRGC at the beginning was a very small organization. For instance, totally, I brought about 60 people. Most of them were well-educated, not only in University of Ari Amir, Sharif University today, but from my friends from that university, but some of the members of the MSA, Muslim Student Association, from Europe and the United States.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And at the beginning, IRGC was a very weak organization that was not able to keep its headquarters. Totally, I can say maybe 100, 120 people were working in IRGC. And the idea of IRGC was to keep it small, at most 500 people, professional people, and 50,000 people as the, you know, semi-professional, and mobilizing, training the people for defending the country, maybe 20 million of the people.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
That was the idea of that people army. When I left the guard, as I say, it was about maybe 120 people. So it was not powerful enough to fight in different parts of Iran. Many, you know, some people make mistake between IRGC at the beginning with comité in every mosque. Because...
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
After victory of revolution, people in every neighborhood, in every city, they gathered their weapons and made a garrison, better to say, in every mosque. They called them Komitee Imam. And when the name of Pasdar was invented by ,, they called themselves Pasdar as well. They were the guys that actually attacked to the people's houses or get that capture everything.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
First of all, this IRGC is a monster. And when I look at it, it's... It looks like that you have a child, and then he or she grows up, become a killer, a murderer, or a thug, and somebody that you didn't expect it. IRGC idea actually was the idea of making a people army, like the Army of Switzerland, or Israel, or National Guard in the US.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
After a while, after a few years, those committees were dissolved in the police of Iran. They don't exist anymore.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Oh, many other things. Right now I can say that IRGC, as I said, is a monster. like a dragon with seven heads.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
If you say that Qods Force, for instance, one of those heads is Qods Force, a terrorist organization. If you count the people who have been killed in Syria, for instance, Half a million people were killed in Syria. So 500,000 people. That's just one. One. They were killed by regime of Assad and the help of God's force and IRGC and Russia. all together, or maybe in Lebanon or in Israel.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
The last thing that IRGC was supporting was October 7, what Hamas did in Israel and the consequences of that. Totally about 50,000 people were killed from both sides. Yes, this IRGC is, I can't say that a unique organization. Why? Because it's like a classic army right now, Air Force, Navy, and Ground Force. It's like at the same time a terrorist organization, a branch, Quds Force, outside Iran.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
It's like a KGB now, IRGC intelligence organization. that is two times bigger than Minister of Intelligence of Iran. Last time, by the way, I was arrested by IRGC intelligence. At the same time, it's in mafia types of activities, production of Coptagon, which is famous as jihadist pills, and heroin and smuggling the drugs from Kabul to Caracas.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And at the same time, IRGC is involved in economy of Iran. They are in several huge projects of Iran in the business of smuggling of the oil of Iran to bypassing the sanctions. And... At the same time, they are in atomic project of Iran.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And this is why I say that this is a monster that maybe we don't have such an organization in any other country to be like a Western cartel or KGB at the same time, Red Army at the same time, terrorist organization, Al-Qaeda at the same time, and blah, blah, blah, blah. This is a monster that is working.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And, you know, the leader of Iran, the present leader of Iran, Khamenei, runs this organization dependent to himself. This is not a unified organization. Every part does and report to Khamenei directly. I mean, IRGC intelligence is not reporting to the chief commander of IRGC. Anyway, this is something that I have to say that is not only a danger for the world, but is a danger to Iran as well.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Because as soon as they feel that they don't benefit anymore, they may get the gun and fight with the people, or with each other.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
You can say that? Yeah, I can say that. You know, I believe in democracy right now. And Shah was a military dictator, yes, but he was secular. And he was like the other dictators in Middle East right now. Look at Mohammed bin Salman or King Abdullah or the others in that region of the world. But by the way, he was working.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
He believed in modern world, in modernity, in running the country in the way of joining the modern world. But this regime, I mean, Islamic Republic is a regime that is against modern world. This is one of the main reasons that now Iran has gone backward. And a revolutionary regime and totalitarian regime, I have to say, is much more brutal than a simple dictatorship. So yes, you're right.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Let me put it on this way. I believe in democracy. But if you tell me that, OK, you have only two choices. Forget about democracy. You can't reach democracy. But you have only two choices. First, a military dictator like Shah that is toward the modern world. or an Islamic regime like Islamic Republic of Iran against modern world, which one do you choose? Definitely I choose the first one.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
How many people died?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Inside Iran, in the region, fortunately, we did not have any war during the Shah. That's very powerful what you just said right there. Unless that Shah intervened in Oman, sent the troops to Oman to suppress the communist rebels in Oman. Army of the Shah was fighting over there. But no, Iran was not involved in any war during Mohammad Reza Shah.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
But his father, Reza Shah, came to power after World War I, that Iran was invaded by foreign troops, Russians, Ottomans, British troops. And in that event, totally about one third of Iranian population lost their lives. About the population of Iran was about 8.5 million on those days.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And 2 million lost their lives before Reza Shah, during the period that we had a failed state in Iran, after Constitution Revolution. Because we had a Constitution Revolution 110 years ago, very similar to French Revolution in Iran. People died because of many things. Disease, Spanish flu, typhoid.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
78. 78, okay. Yeah, the autumn of fall of 78, from October to January, that 2nd of February, that Khomeini were over there. I joined him after a week, and I was one of the members of the team of the press, because he had more than 200 interviews during those days, and some other jobs that I did in that house.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah. Anyway, during the Shah, totally, those Pahlavi dynasty, let's say father and son, Reza Shah and Muhammad Reza Shah, Estimation shows about 3,500 people maybe were killed. Some people tried to find out that how many people were executed.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
You was born with the revolution.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
If you're talking about foreign countries, definitely Russia benefited, not Western countries. You know, although Soviet Union on those days, they didn't know the Islamists that were close to get the power. But from November 1978, gradually they found out that, wow, by the hands of the people of Iran, millions of people, and leadership of Islamists, the
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
regime of Shah, who was an ally to West, especially the United States, is going to be overthrown. So they changed their tone and gradually Radio Moscow Farsi started to talking against Shah because they had a good relationship with regime of Shah on 60s.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And based on deterrent policy of Khrushchev, and I have to say good foreign policy of regime of Shah that had good relationship with West and East at the same time, they didn't think about overthrowing the Shah. Maybe to the party was in where Eastern Germany wanted, you know, overthrowing Shah, but that was not the policy of the Soviet Union government.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
But on November 78, gradually they found that, wow, it's something big is happening in Iran. So they changed their tone. And I can say that right after victory of revolution, that they found out that, okay, these guys, the Islamists who took the power, they are against communism and West at the same time. We were the generation that we were against communists and Westerns at the same time.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
But on those days, we felt that we will have a long battle with regime of Shah, like Vietnam War or Algeria. So and we had no understanding of civil resistance, peaceful resistance, although Islamic revolution succeeded with civil resistance tactics, like strikes, like demonstrations, peaceful demonstrations, like giving flowers to the soldiers in the streets.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
You know, people in those days shouted death to U.S. and death to Soviet Union at the same time. They found out that, okay, we should change our policy, they started to approach Iran at the first years of victory of revolution, but by the hands of Eastern Germany, that Iranian had no problem with Germany.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And after decline of communist regime, that they were not communist anymore, and the Putin regime, They approached Iran easier, and gradually I think that they penetrated everywhere in Iran. And I can say that the strategy of Russia, communist Russia or Putin Russia, during the last 46 years was to keep Iran
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
in a distance from Western countries, European countries, and the US, so that none of the Western countries can trust Iran, can come to Iran, invest in Iran, and especially in oil and gas industries of Iran, because Iran is the only country that gas reservoirs of Iran is second in the world after Russia. Or maybe some people believe that maybe more than Russia.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
So Iran should be in a distance from Western allies to make sure that is at the hands of Russia. So if you ask about who benefited from Iran revolution, I say that right now, Russia has benefited more than any country. Iran, let me put it on this way, especially during Khamenei, the present leader, Iran has gradually become a member of the incorporation.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I borrowed the word from Anna Pellbaum's last book. She has written a good book. Its name is Autocracy Inc. She explains that there is an incorporation from dictatorships, autocracy regimes, that all of them are kleptocracies. The leadership, there are about 36, 37 countries, including at the leadership are China and Russia.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And the members are Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, say Belarus, Belarusia and blah, blah, blah. She explains very well that how they unite each other, how they support each other. and how they have only one theory against the liberal democracy of West, especially the United States. And what they do, keeping the dictators in power, helping each other, and their kleptocracy regimes.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Now Iran is in that club. Islamic Republic of Iran is a member of the club of incorporation of or dictatorships under leadership of Russia and China. And definitely, they are benefited from Iran right now. China, for instance. Iran smuggles oil to China because of the US sanctions, sometimes 50% under price. And they don't give to Iran any hard currency.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
They say, oh, no, this is under sanction, US dollar, no. And Iranians should buy Chinese goods with yuan. And even they don't give you their qualified goods. They say, okay, you should take this one instead of that one. And this is how the Chinese actually milk the cow. You ever read the book Committee of 300?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, Pat. I call them, you know, conspiracy theory. It's very common amongst Iranians, by the way, that Karkar and Gilisast, British conspiracy everywhere. Do you think the Shah came in because of CIA? That coup on 1953 was designed by British MI6 and CIA together.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
we thought that, okay, we should mobilize the people for a long battle. But after victory of revolution, nobody expected, by the way, that just in three months, Shah will leave Iran and the revolution succeeds.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Let's, no, can't both of them be true. First of all, first of all. Come on. I tell you why. First of all. Your young leftist is coming out. No, I'm not. But let's put it, let's follow your simple rule. Who benefited? From what? From 1953, bringing back Shah to Iran that fled Iran. And 1979, Khomeini came to power. The first one, after that, U.S. had very good relationship with Iran.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
British, for instance, British embassy in Iran had about 300 staff. And they had lots of, for instance, in industries of Iran, we had lots of contracts with Western companies and blah, blah, blah. But in 1979, when Khomeini returned to Iran, And Islamic regime, gradually, I remember that once while I was in Iran, I talked to one of the British diplomats.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
He said that we have only 27 staff because we don't have any relationship, any commercial relationship with Iran. That's kind of like when, but that's kind of like. Who benefits from Islamic Republic? Russia right now. No, I'll give you who benefits from the... What American company have any contract with you?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And let me, sorry, finish that. The other thing are... Who benefited? When we talk about the... A historical event, we should talk about the facts. I'm going to give you facts, and I want you to push back. So far, for 1953... Yeah. it has been published several documents from foreign ministries, from the intelligence services, including the foreign minister of the United States.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Martin Albright once said that, okay, we apologize from the people of Iran for that coup. Top officials, lots of hundreds of documents have been published so far that shows that, yes, British Secret Service and U.S. Secret Service were involved in that coup. But 1979, now it's after 45 years, 46 years, several documents have been published.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And several memoirs, including President Carter, including the prime ministers of the British government, and many other documents have been released so far. And there is no document that they supported Khomeini. And besides to that, What they got, very wisely, you know, Shah was a very close friend to U.S., to England, to Western countries.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
The tipping point was those people huge demonstration of the people in Tehran and other cities, more than a million and a half. On those days, we claimed two million and a half out of four million population of Tehran. Came to streets on Tosua and Ashura to holidays, Shia holidays, and very peacefully people said that, okay, we don't want Shah. And we said, OK, that's a referendum.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Why should they remove him and replace him with the guys that they didn't know them? And after a while, they became against them. Why should they do that?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Conspiracy theory is attractive because it's like a story and you don't need to do any fact. When a problem is solved, then you think it's easy. Their brain box? Yes. How can it happen?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I don't know how long it was, but 40% the American companies got from that contract for oil of Iran. Okay, so the 1954 oil... And after a while, in the 60s, I guess that Shah actually, that was expired and Shah again announced that the oil of Iran is nationalized.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
You mean that the Western countries removed their allies? brought a regime that they didn't know what they will do, and this regime will go to Russia to power, to make wars in the region. The more war there is. For what? For what? To sell equipment, you say.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
All the equipment that they have sold to Iran, they have sold nothing. Iran bought about $15 billion at the last years of Shah from the United States only. But to Iran, not Britain, not U.S., none of them sold anything to Iran or Western countries. But... To region, say Saudi Arabia, for instance, $65 billion a year, totally say $500 billion, if I'm not, just an estimation.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Is it just for opposing Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran, or Saudi Arabia? Because Saudi Arabia is a good ally to the US and Western countries as well.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And compare it. Suppose that's right. Suppose totally the weapon industries of the United States and Western countries benefit from Islamic Republic and the country, you know, to sell the equipment to other countries. Okay. Suppose it happened. Compare it to the other opportunities that they lost. Iran is 90 million population.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
If Iran was an ally to Western countries, now the huge amount of car manufacturing companies, home ambulances, especially the IT information, and many, many other... I agree. Many, many other companies benefited from relationship with Iran. I think that... Even if we thought that they thought like that. Of course they think like that.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
You think they played the game like... I can't say like you, of course. When I don't see any documents.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Everybody says that we don't want him. And right after the day of victory, I mean, because at the last scene, last days of fighting with regime of Shah, two days, people attacked to garrisons, to police stations, took their guns. And the day after victory of revolution, everybody had gone. And the first priority for the country was how to keep it safe.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
You know... Conspiracy theory is attractive because it's like a story, and you don't need to any fact. You don't need to prove it. Just a story you make, and you don't have any fact for that. This is what I say. You just guess that, for instance, the U.S. has benefited from the wars, for instance, spent $1 trillion in Iraq. by taxpayers of the United States.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
To many companies. To who? Oh, bingo. I understand what you say.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Don't do that. I don't like that. Is it the only arm companies are the only companies in the U.S. ? Are they the only companies that have so much influence on the government of the United States to do whatever they want?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I don't want to go to the U.S. policy because, you know, talking about the – complex of the benefits in Washington and different political parties, different companies. But what I can say only, I can say that the arm dealers, arm companies are not the only companies that benefit and they try to intervene in the politics. What's your point?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I want to say that when you forget about the power of the other companies in the U.S. For instance, oil companies. Iran exported 5.5 million barrels per day at the last years of Shah. And oil companies benefited from that. They lost it.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
For this reason, the idea of a people army for fighting with regime was converted to making a people army, first of all, to secure the country, collect the weapons from the hands of the people. Second, to... To take the guns away from the people. Yeah, yeah. Because during the Shah, people had guns. No, no. People attacked to garrisons. It was prohibited during the Shah, like...
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
It was raised already. Oh, no, but the agreement was coming up. That was not only Shah, that was OPEC. And he was a person that could make deal on the contrary to these guys that got power. That, you know, the oil income of Iran decreased. And, for instance, British companies, British Petroleum, actually benefited from oil of Iran. I mean, when you're talking about the benefits in politics...
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Our manufacturing companies are not the only companies. You can look at the Wall Street 500 and Forbes 500 and the others. The biggest companies are not our manufacturing companies. There are many other companies. On these days, for instance, a person like Elon Musk is the richest person in the world. And they got lots of money from the car manufacturing company or the other branches.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
So if you're talking about the politics of the United States in Washington, don't forget that there are different benefits from different companies. They have their own lobbies and several other things that at the end of the day make the politics in Washington. Anyway, that's the politics of the United States. But I can talk about Iran. That Iran, after victory of revolution, gradually...
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
went to the side of the Russia and now is manipulated by that incorporation of kleptocracies. And Iran is unfortunately against Western countries. and has no relationship with the pioneers of modern technologies, that Iranians need that. We have a 90 million population, young generation.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
sanctions and the other things. Even in the 60s, Iran was not, in the 80s, Iranian 60s, that I was in the industry of Iran, because of the situation of revolutionary regime, none of the companies, Western companies, I was eager to work with Western companies. They didn't come to Iran to invest. For instance, Mercedes Benz was the shareholder of Khawar, our truck manufacturing company.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
They were a shareholder of Edem, the company in Tabriz that produced the engines, diesel engines of the trucks. And we begged them, we insisted that we want to increase the investment. Please come and make more investment. At last they said no. We don't see any future for industries in Iran, and they left Iran at last.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
The real figure was about one million, one million and a half.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah, I have read it. You know... Can you say that a nation, say 30 million out of 35 million, no, 25 million people out of 35 million people, at least, they're brainwashed?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
How can it happen?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I think that this is an insult to the people of Iran. Oh, not at all. Look at the era.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Right now in Iran. It's not like the U.S. The Second Amendment does not exist in Iran. No, there is no Second Amendment.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I have read in some books, but I need more documents.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I have read in at least two books about Putin that Trump was in the business of money laundering.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, I'm not.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I don't know. Stop it.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Would you say it's 60%?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, the soldiers were in garrisons. No ordinary people, even the old women, old men. There were some ridiculous scenes. You could see an old woman taking a machine gun with lots of bullets, taking out of a garrison.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
You ask me a question, I give you my answer. When you are talking about brainwashing, definitely you should have the tools for that. Propaganda. Especially now, we have social media that can create political turbulence. That is a new era, by the way. And mass media. In Iran, during the Shah, the exclusive state-run TV belonged to Shah.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
There was no propaganda for the Islamists who wanted to come to power, except the mosques and the mullahs that they were, you know, and blah, blah, blah. I mean, when you look at a huge event like Islamic revolution, I believe that revolutions are not produced by one person or a group of people, revolutions are a big social events that happen.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
You can go and say, so far it has been written more than 1,000 books in Western countries about Islamic revolution. You can go and find the roots of the idea of Islamism get the power by Muslims to be for constitutional revolution of Iran. From this point of view, Islamic revolution in Iran is a part of a bigger event in the whole region of the Middle East and Islamic countries. Why?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Because after the decline of Ottoman Empire for the first time, Islamic nations found out that, oh, they are under power of colonialism. So they started to, and their confrontation with modern world, they started to say that, OK, what can we do? What should we do? And I think that in mid-'50s Muslim Brotherhood that was founded in Egypt
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And the famous book written by Sayyid Qutb, or Qutb, they call him here, his famous book, 20th Century Ignorance, in that book, Sayyid Qutb says that, okay, why should we try to reach the Western civilization? Mm-hmm. We should get rid of that. That's the ignorance. They are brutals. They are criminals.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
We should go back to genuine Islam that is Islam of the prophet and companions or in Shi'ism, prophet and imams. Then we will have paradise on the earth and we will become powerful again. And we will not be under control of the Western countries. That idea from 50s spread in all the Islamic countries. And so far, that idea of Sayyid al-Khattab is still
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Because, first of all, we had no idea that we can make it legalized like the U.S. Second, the security of the country, there were lots of, because police was absent. They went to their houses and it took time that bring them back to their duties. And many of the, you know, thug people, many of the armed groups, many of the guerrilla groups, communists, Like a two-day party?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
the belief of all the fundamentalists, like ISIS, Daesh, or Al-Qaeda, or Islamic Republic of Iran, that if we go back to Islamic shariat, Islamic faith, the Islam of the prophet and the first years of Islam, then not only we create paradise on the earth, But we become powerful and we can come from the Western civilization. That's one of the roots of Islamic revolution.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Gradually from 50s and 60s, it became a dominant idea. The second part that gradually came to Iran was go back to 60s, for instance, and early 70s. Ideological revolutionary ideas, leftist ideas, that was dominant in intellectuality of not only Iran, but even in the US. I was studying in the US in 1975 till 1978. Especially European countries, you were not intellectual if you were not leftists.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
ideological leftist ideas became dominant. I can borrow the word from Thomas Cone, paradigm. the era of some discourses, that was a revolutionary paradigm. Everybody thought that, OK, if we make a revolution, everything will be solved. That was so powerful idea that Mohammad Reza Shah himself calls his reforms as white revolution.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
If you read his books, he says that I am the true revolutionary, but my revolution is white, but so acceptable the idea of revolution and revolutionary that even Mohammad Reza Shah tries to say that I am the revolutionary. But here's how you can... I mean, these ideas got together, gradually became dominant in intellectuality of the country. Right, right.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And a big mistake, I can say, by Shah that closed all the political parties. In the 70s, he announced only one political party, his political party, Rastakhis, that was a Farsi translation of Al-Ba'ath in Arabic countries, in Iraq and Syria. And he closed any free political activities, but kept the mosques open and gave the way to mullahs.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah. And even I asked when I was in the U.S. in a meeting in Washington Institute, I think that, I don't know, I don't remember, some of the officials, I asked them, why didn't you know that Shah had cancer? That was your ally. He said that we didn't know that until 1978. He succeeded to keep it secret. I mean, maybe... What's your point with that, though?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I want to say that when you look at a big event like Islamic Revolution that comes from a whole society, simple answer to say that people were brainwashed. Or people were, you know, that was a conspiracy of U.S. and intelligence of British MI6. I say that such a big event takes decades to grow up and has roots in many events of the society and many other things.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
For instance, let me tell you, Shah... improve the middle class of Iraq, definitely. By number and by quality of life.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Education and income. Right. Especially in... Exponentially. The numbers of people see it. Especially in 70s, after increase of the oil income. Right, right. And he made big mistakes to inject the oil income to the economy of the country without, you know, and, you know, declining the value of the money of Iran. Anyway... he created lots of expectations from that middle class.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
That middle class could be the power base of Shah, should be. But why they were dissatisfied on 1977-78 and turned against him? Why? Because he created lots of expectations for them. According to a document that I read from SAVAK, when I was head of radio, I found that A very good note, that was a small book written by Savak in November 1978 that explained that why people are against Shah.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Fadoyan party, Fadoyan majority, minority. There were some Maoists and some separatists. Everybody had gone.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
One of the main reasons it says that that was true that middle class should support Shah, but we have created, regime of Shah, we have created lots of expectations for them that no government can satisfy that anymore.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I say this example as an example that how... Different factors, different facts, different roots, ideological, social, economic, all together, illness of Shah, blah, blah, blah, get together, make a revolution. Khomeini was one person. I don't believe that that revolution was created by Khomeini.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
It has no author. I think that that was a teamwork.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah. My voice is at the beginning of the tapes of Khomeini. You know, whenever he talked, first of all, at the first days, he talked every night. And he started to say bullshits, by the way. Like what? Every night he was talking about, you know, when you want to talk every night. He did not have so much ideas to talk every night.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
He was talking about the previous constitution and very boring one. By the way, one of the top clergy, Morteza Motahari, when he came to Neufle Chateau, he recommended him that, Mr. Ayatollah, talk only once a week. And every Sunday he talked about an hour or less. And when we took Masoud Amanian, one of my friends over there was in charge of that, taped him. And we talked.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
took that tape, the mother tape, and my voice was at the beginning of that Sokhan Roni, Imam Khomeini. On every tape? Every tape, yeah. I said that the speech of... Are you serious? You're the first voice in every tape that caused the revolution? Yes.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah, from the people and make the country secure. And second idea was to defend the country if we will be under attack by a foreign country. And those days we thought that the U.S. will attack to Iran. We were wrong. But a year and a half later, Saddam Hussein from Iraq invaded Iran. And that idea worked, mobilizing the people, sending to war fronts to help the classic army of Iran.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah, that was not the only cause of the revolution, but that was my voice over there that I said that Sokhan Rani, Qaweda Azam, Imam Khomeini, Nofle Shato, then the date. And then that one was duplicated one to three. We had a small box tool and produced it one to three, then sent it to Iran by phone.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Because one of the engineers, two engineers actually, in Telecom of Iran, opened the international line every night for one hour. And the mullahs sent it to their friends in Qom. And then in Iran, it was duplicated and distributed amongst the people. Yeah, on those days, the tool was tapes. Cassette tapes and radio, shortwave radio. BBC was listened by the people.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Really?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
You're laughing. No, I say that. I don't like the word of brainwash for a nation. This is what I oppose you. I say that. Not liking it doesn't mean it's not true. People listen to that and make this decision. No, no. When you have majority of people, people listen to the documents. Maybe later, you know, about the President Trump that you say. I'm a historian. So history is nothing but facts.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Yeah, I mean... When you're a historian, I know about the philosophy of history, methodology of history. Yes, the historian can choose the facts and make the story even. But when you say something... Maybe now I say something and have some facts about that. But after a while, at least 35 years later or 50 years later, because that's a generation in history, 35 years.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, I'm not.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And 50 years is the time that we historians say that now a historian can go to an event, join the history. the documents come out, the memoirs come out, many other things that people don't know about that. When they come out and historians go collect them, write it down, then the real event gradually will be appeared, like a submarine that comes out of the water.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
So I mean about the, you mentioned President Trump, is close to Russia or have some relationship with Putin, oligarchy, maybe. I have read it in two books, as I said, written by two researchers, that in 2003, 2004, money laundering was done by President Trump through the housing projects or in Atlantic City or other places. That's just it. You ask me, do you believe? I said, no. Why?
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Because I should wait as a historian. I don't think that right now we don't have, if there were any documents about that, definitely FBI and the other agencies could discover that.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
But if you want to judge, have good judgment and say that is it true or not, I think that you should wait at least 35 years or 50 years from now to everything will be gradually come out and then the future historians can write about that.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
This is what I say about the Islamic Republic as well. Islamic revolution now 46 years ago. Now it is going to join the history. Regime of Shah has joined the history too. And many documents have been published. Memoirs of president of the U.S. or prime minister, foreign minister, and on Iranian side. like Rafsanjani memoirs or Yazdi or the others.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And many documents have been published from foreign ministries of these countries was released. And a part of the secret services have been released.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
to defend the country. And the third idea was if we have two armed forces then there will not be the danger of coup, military coup against the new board regime. Why? Because we had the bitter experience of coup against nationalist government of Dr. Mossadegh in 1953. Because we knew that as soon as possible, we should, you know...
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
By the way, Napoleon, maybe he thought about himself something else. But now after 200 years.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
More than more than even the winners. Winston Churchill is the winner of the war. OK. Yeah. Now we can judge about Churchill, what he has done. many documents have been published, his weaknesses, what he lost in World War I, what he won in World War II. I want to defend the historians, by the way.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Let me say, first of all, Reza Khan or Reza Shah, in my view, was a genius.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
The father, yeah. He was a genius, although he was illiterate and was not educated. But you can see from the history right now that he was a genius. And second, this is what I say about history. Maybe when you are living right now, you have some judgments about Trump, Harris, or in my era, Khomeini, Shah.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
rebuild the army and keep it for the country to defend the country. But at the same time, without that, we will be in danger if we don't have, you know, any idea how to prevent any coup. Anyway, these three ideas altogether ended to write a charter. I was one of the writers of the charter.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
But when it passes 45 years from that era, and I compare Shah with Khomeini, let me say my judgment now. that many documents have come out. For instance, on those days, opposition claimed that 100,000 political prisoners Shah has. There are 100,000 political prisoners in Iran. That was false. It was only 3,000, 3,500. 3,000, a few hundred. Right.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Now that if I compare Shah with Khomeini, definitely I already said, first of all, his personality, Shah, was a better guy than Khomeini, first. Second, what he did for Iran, because that he believed in modernization of Iran, was definitely better than Islamic Republic.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
as I said, that if you tell me that you have only two choices, a military dictator like Shah but want to modernize Iran, and a religious regime like Islamic Republic and a guy like Khomeini or Khamenei, which one do you choose? You have no other option. I say, OK, definitely I choose a military dictator that wants to modernize Iran.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
We found out, now that we go back and look at what happened in Iran, I can say that if Shah was more Democrat, if Shah, let me say something, quote you, when I was in Iran and I went to different universities, I had lots of lectures and classrooms for students. That was one of the reasons that they arrested me. Once in University of Kerman,
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I said to students in auditorium, maybe 1,000 students were over there. I said that if I had my today knowledge at the days of Islamic revolution, which is impossible, but suppose that I had that knowledge and that wisdom.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Then in 1977, when Shah started a little changes in his regime, I definitely recommended him that, Mr. Shah, now that you are going to remove and want to bring to power, this is a reform in your regime. Inject some other things in your reform injection. Open the prisons. Let the political prisoners come out, not the terrorists, but the ordinary opposition. Go for a free election.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Let them run for a free election. He already did it in 1960. And because he knew that he had cancer, I said to students that I was volunteer to write his speech as well, to say to the people that, OK, I'm ill. I wanted to do for you the best, people of Iran. Now I'm dying. This is my son. and the council of monarchy, they run the country. And so open the doors a little bit.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And I said that, do you know what happened if he did that in 1977? Millions of people came to streets and said that, oh, don't go. We forgive you for whatever we have heard about you. He, even until November 1978, he still was not thinking that he can, for instance, talk about Mossadegh or accept until December or January 1978.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I mean, yes, if you are comparing these two regimes, definitely regime of Shah was more successful and had more benefit for the people of Iran. Why? Because they wanted to modernize Iran. What was the big mistake? I think that democratization. You can't have economic development if you don't have any political development, social and cultural development.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And a provisional board of commanders were elected by the government of Basargan, provisional government of Basargan, and the Concile of Revolution that acted on those days like the parliament of Iran. they allocated about $2 million as the first budget. This was for IRGC? Yeah, to start IRGC.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
He was against Israel. Why? I think that the Islamic Revolution was born anti-Israeli because on those days, again, go back to 70s, to be pro-Palestinians, pro-PLO, anti-Israel was something that you were not intellectual or you were not Muslim if you were not anti-Israel. And everybody believed that Israel should be wiped out from the map, even on those days. Khomeini was not the only person.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, U.S. I think was above that.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Western Europe.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
And Western civilization.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Thank you for having me, Pat. Anytime. Thank you. That was a very good discussion. Hope to see you again.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
I was with the guard only three months because in that three months, first of all, I thought that, okay, it has been established. And second, I found out that I don't like these types of jobs. I was not the man of military and intelligence. It was more journalism for you. Yeah.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
So I left the Guard after three months on May 1979, and I went to National Radio and Television of Iran, the job that I liked that. And after a while, I became head of National Radio of Iran.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, that's governmental. I mean that it's owned by the government.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
No, no, no. The National Radio and Television of Iran during the Shah was the exclusive TV and radio station that owned by the government. Like right now. Right now, IRIB, Islamic Republic... broadcast of Iran. This is an exclusive state-run National Radio and Television of Iran. So nobody is permitted to have an independent TV station.
PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
With Khomeini during those days in Neufle Chateau, 110 days totally, I was with him. Totally I can say in that house about 20 other people working in different jobs.