PBD Podcast
"Khomeini Became A MONSTER" - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Founder CONFESSES How They Destroyed Iran | PBD Podcast | Ep. 548
Fri, 14 Feb 2025
The founder of Iran’s most feared military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), sits down with Patrick Bet-David to EXPOSE what really happened behind closed doors during the 1979 Iranian revolution.Mohsen Sazegara, a former insider, reveals how the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps transformed from its original mission into a global power player—linked to Hezbollah, Hamas, and international conflicts.------📺 VOTE ON TRUMP'S FIRST 100 DAYS: https://bit.ly/4gXLioq👕 GET THE LATEST VT MERCH: https://bit.ly/3BZbD6l📕 PBD'S BOOK "THE ACADEMY": https://bit.ly/41rtEV4📰 VTNEWS.AI: https://bit.ly/3OExClZ🎙️ FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SPOTIFY: https://bit.ly/4g57zR2🎙️ FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON ITUNES: https://bit.ly/4g1bXAh🎙️ FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON ALL PLATFORMS: https://bit.ly/4eXQl6A📱 CONNECT ON MINNECT: https://bit.ly/4ikyEkC👔 BET-DAVID CONSULTING: https://bit.ly/3ZjWhB7🎓 VALUETAINMENT UNIVERSITY: https://bit.ly/3BfA5Qw📺 JOIN THE CHANNEL: https://bit.ly/4g5C6Or💬 TEXT US: Text “PODCAST” to 310-340-1132 to get the latest updates in real-time!ABOUT US:Patrick Bet-David is the founder and CEO of Valuetainment Media. He is the author of the #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller “Your Next Five Moves” (Simon & Schuster) and a father of 2 boys and 2 girls. He currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Chapter 1: What is the IRGC and why is it described as a monster?
First of all, this IRGC is a monster.
You're the co-founder of it with Khomeini. How many people think it's directly and indirectly killed?
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.
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.
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?
Mohsen, Mohsen, that smile on your face is cracking. You may be a good poker player.
No, I'm not.
That smile is cracking. I got like so many questions. I think two hours is not enough. But let me ask this question from you. If you know the name Mohsen Sazegara, today's interview is going to upset you a lot because you're probably Iranian and you know the fact that he's the founder of IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
He started it in 1979 with Khomeini, never done a two-hour long-form podcast, finally agreed to do this interview. When you're talking about Hezbollah, Houthis, Hamas, any of those proxy wars, any of those proxy troops that they have in the Middle East that's causing chaos all over the place, he's the founder of that organization.
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Chapter 2: How did Mohsen Sazegara co-found the IRGC with Khomeini?
These are things that I'm very much tied to, events that I saw. And as a father, I'd like to one day go back and show my kids and say, your father was born here. That's not possible in today's regime. We talk about sanctions. We talk about Israel. We talked about why the fall happened in 1979. Like I said, the second half is extremely heated.
I think 45 minutes of the second half is extremely heated, that we actually get to things. One of the parts was about the fact that Trump came up. Brainwashing came up. He was not a fan of me using the word brainwashing. But I respect the fact that he was willing to sit down and have a long-form interview. Nothing was off the table. There was nothing he said you can't talk about. Nothing.
I asked any and every question I wanted to ask. And if the issue of Iran and the Middle East is something you're interested in, you're about to hear it from the founder of of the organization called IRGC that's caused all the chaos in the Middle East since 1979. With that being said, enjoy this podcast, this interview with Mohsen Sazegara.
Okay, so I have a very interesting guest with me here today. If you were to go online, Rob, and you just type in on Google, IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. If you type that on Google, you will see to the right where it says Founders. And if you go to founders, you'll see Khomeini and you will see my guest who's sitting in our podcast set right now, Mohsen Sazegara.
Mohsen, it's great to have you on the podcast today. Thank you, Pat, for having me. Of course. So now when you look at this and you see around the world when people think about Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and you're the founder of it,
And when we think about being a founder of something that, you know, tied to funding, you know, starting Hezbollah, tied to supporting Houthis, tied to jihad, tied to we can go so many different places. Like the average person goes to a place of saying this start of this organization, 1979, right after the revolution of February, three months later with, you know, you and Khomeini.
Potentially it could be the cost of millions of people's lives. That's, the average person says, that's what happened. For you, what is the backstory to you and Khomeini starting IRGC?
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.
77, 78?
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Chapter 3: What was the turning point for the Iranian revolution's success?
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.
Is that kind of like VOA? Not VOA, but NPR? Would that be comparable to NPR in the U.S. ?
No, that's governmental. I mean that it's owned by the government.
Yours wasn't owned by the government or you were working with somebody that was owned by the government?
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.
Yeah. So you're there, and technically you would be, while you're there and you guys are creating IRGC, how much time are you spending with Khomeini?
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.
Who were some of the higher-ups in the room? that later on became leaders? Who were some of the people in the room with you and Khomeini?
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.
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Chapter 4: How did the assassination of Iranian leaders unfold?
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.
This is Massoud Kashmiri, right? And he assassinated President Rajoyi and Prime Minister Bahonar. And again, what is your impression of what happened? Did you have knowledge of this taking place, this assassination attempt?
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...
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.
I just sent you but please continue Yeah, so you're on the fourth floor. You're on the phone. You hear the explosion you go in cannot believe what's going on I'm gonna give you a visual so the audience can also see what it looks like, please continue.
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.
How far are you away from that room when the bombing happened?
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.
You're in the same building on fourth floor? Yeah, yeah. While this explosion, while the bomb is dropped by a colleague of yours? Yeah.
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Chapter 5: Why did Mohsen Sazegara become disillusioned with the regime?
And some are saying that he died last year, 2023, or he died two years ago, in 2023.
I don't think so.
You think he's still alive? Yeah. But you haven't spoken to him?
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.
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.
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.
How does this guy stay alive for 44 years? I mean, it's not hard. You have to eat something. You have to live somewhere.
No, maybe they have changed his name and surgery and all that stuff. Under protection.
Beheshti, what was Beheshti's connection to KGB?
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Chapter 6: What led to Mohsen Sazegara's imprisonment and hunger strike?
So you think Eisenhower was a dummy? No, he was not. So what did Eisenhower say at the end of his... Let's put it this way.
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.
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.
So I'm going to give you...
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.
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.
You think they played the game like... I can't say like you, of course. When I don't see any documents.
Do you think CIA is capable of creating a coup in Iran to replace Mossadegh and put Shah in? On those days, yes, but not now. Oh, stop it. They can't do that. You can't be that naive. Can you go back to the 1954 oil consortium agreement, Rob? Just go to the link. I just want you to see this here real quick. So this is the agreement. Can you go a little bit lower? Keep going lower. Right there.
Terms. The dispute was finalized with the incorporation of a 25-year international oil consortium agreement in 1954. 53 is Mossadegh. Shah comes in. 25 plus 1954 is 79, dividing the...
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Chapter 7: How has the IRGC evolved into a global power player?
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