In an April 26, 2024 show on Iran's Ofogh TV, Tehran University professor Foad Izadi, who is a leading Iranian regime mouthpiece, discussed the protest encampments on U.S. university campuses. Noting that the Iranians like what they are seeing, he nevertheless underlined that "it should not end with this." These students are "our people," he said, adding that they are the ones "who will have to take to the streets in support of Iran." Iran, he said, could repeat in the U.S. what it did in Lebanon, but on a larger scale, because the "Hizbullah-style" groups in the U.S. are "much larger" than they were in Lebanon. He also stressed that America is the Great Satan and Iran's main enemy, but that "we have hope" – apparently of overcoming it.
Prof. Izadi is considered one of Iran's two main experts on the U.S. According to undated information on the website of the University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy, he is completing an externship there, and holds a master's and a bachelor's from the University of Houston. He appears regularly on Iran's Press TV and other channels explaining Iran to the West, and on Iranian TV explaining the U.S. to Iranians.
MEMRI TV has published a number of clips from Iranian TV of Prof. Izadi's commentary on seminal events in the U.S. in recent years. In addition to the current protests in the U.S. and West over the Israel-Hamas war, he has commented on the March 2023 renewal of Saudi-Iran relations; given an interview to China's official Arabic-language broadcaster CGTN; mocked the U.S. over what he perceived as a coup d'etat in the U.S. on January 6, 2021; urged Iranians to burn more American flags in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020; hypothesized that COVID-19 was manufactured in the U.S., or at least that some Americans reported symptoms before it officially spread to the U.S.; and, in February 2020, focused on the Iranian presence in Iraq and that people who gain power there must be "acceptable to us" in Iran.
Below are excerpts of statements by Prof. Izadi from MEMRI TV clips.
Prof. Foad Izadi: We Like What We Are Seeing On U.S. College Campuses; These Are Our People, They Will Support Iran In Case Of Confrontation With The U.S.; Iran Can Repeat In America What It Did In Lebanon – April 26, 2024
To view the April 26, 2024 clip of Prof. Izadi's statements on the student protests in the U.S. click here or below:
Below are excerpts from his statements:
Foad Izadi: "Sooner or later, this kind of support for the Zionist regime by the American regime will diminish. It might not stop completely, but its diminishing is important. This is why the demonstrations [in U.S. campuses] are important. What we in the Islamic Republic should do is…We are watching the demonstrations and we like what we see, but it should not end with this.
[...]
"If not for the Islamic Republic the case of the Palestinian idea would have been closed years ago. The idea of resistance belongs to Iran, but on the operational level, when it comes to recruiting connections and building networks, the [Iranian] state has not been involved in sufficient level. These [American students] are our people. If tensions between America and Iran rise tomorrow or the day after, these are the peoples who will have to take to the streets to support Iran.
[...]
"Personally, I think that the potential to repeat in the U.S. what Iran did in Lebanon is much higher. Our Hizbullah-style groups in America are much larger than what we have in Lebanon. America is the Great Satan and our enemy, but we have hope in these areas."
Foad Izadi: "Iran Is The Only Country" Supporting The Palestinians Through Military Aid "And Will Continue To Do That; The U.S. Is In Decline, "Iran – March 12, 2023
Foad Izadi, at the time an associate professor at the University of Tehran's Faculty of World Studies, said in a March 12, 2023 panel at the 14th Al-Jazeera Forum in Doha, Qatar that that month's renewal of Saudi-Iranian diplomatic relations, brokered by China, is an indication that the region is moving beyond "domination" by the U.S. He added that the Palestinian cause needs to be supported through military aid," not just by rhetoric and money, and that "Iran is the only country that is doing that, and Iran will continue to do that." He also said that the "good news" is that the West, and particularly the U.S., is in decline.
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below:
Below are excerpts from his statements:
"I think what happened in Beijing a couple of days ago shows that [reducing tension] is possible. It also shows that we are moving beyond a region that is dominated by the U.S.. There is no reason for Iran not to have good relations with Saudi Arabia, the same relations that Iran has with Qatar, Oman, Algeria, and many other countries.
"So I think we are turning a page on Iran's foreign policy. Not worrying about the West, [but] continuing to confront Israel. Israel is an apartheid state.
"The Palestinian cause needs to be supported — not just rhetorically, not just with money — the Palestinian cause needs to be supported through military aid. Iran is the only country that is doing that, and Iran will continue to do that. It is our responsibility and we are proud of it.
"So overall, I think we are basically moving beyond this, and the good news is that the West is in decline, especially the United States."
Foad Izadi On Official Chinese TV: Iran Has A Large Number Of Ballistic Missiles In South Lebanon – April 15, 2021
Foad Izadi said in an interview that aired April 15, 2021 that Iran's large number of accurate and powerful ballistic missiles based in south Lebanon can target Israel. He was speaking with China's official Arabic language broadcaster CGTN.
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below:
Below are his statements:
Foad Izadi: "Iran's ballistic missiles are accurate and powerful. Iran has a large number of missiles in South Lebanon. One of the reasons the Netanyahu threatens to attack Iran but never does is that he knows that Israel would be hit by missile attacks from South Lebanon. Therefore, Iran has measure it can take to defend itself. I know that Israel knows this full well."
Foad Azadi Laughs At Live Broadcast Of January 6 Capitol Events: "The Americans Were, And Still Are, Experts In Coups D'etat Anywhere In The World... Now They Are Experiencing What They Have Done In Other Countries."
On Iranian TV with another Iranian political commentator, Foad Izadi laughed at and mocked the January 6, Capitol events.
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below:
Below are his statements.
Foad Izadi: "The Americans were, and still are, experts in coups d'etat anywhere in the world. They took advantage of such protests to shake the government structure [in those places]. Our Iranian people do not forget Tehran of 1953 and the coup that the Americans conducted in Iran. Now they are experiencing what they have done in other countries."
Foad Izadi: We Should Burn More American Flags In Solidarity With The Americans Who Are Burning Flags, Tearing Down Statues – July 18, 2020
Against the backdrop of the ongoing Black Lives Matter riots in the U.S., Prof. Foad Izadi said in a July 18, 2020 interview on Iran's Ofogh TV that people should burn more American flags, because this will help establish solidarity with American protesters who are tearing down statues and burning flags over there. He said that these protestors should be Iran's "target audience" if Iran wants to start operating in the U.S.
Below are his statements:
Foad Izadi: "I think that more people should burn [American] flags. We aren't burning enough [American] flags. We need to prioritize our target audience if we want to start acting in America. So far, we haven't done anything serious. In order to start acting, we need to define our target audience. Our initial target audience are [Americans] who have also been hurt by America – those who are tearing down statues and burning flags. When they see that Iran is also burning [American] flags – and they may have learned to do this because they saw us doing it – then it creates relations and solidarity between us. It could be that burning American flags will hurt some Americans, but even they will ask: 'What have we done to Iran to cause it to do such a thing?' This is why people should burn American flags. There is no problem with this."
Foad Izadi: COVID-19 May Have Originated In The U.S. Like The 1918-1920 Spanish Flu Did – March 31, 2020
Foad Izadi said in a March 31, 2020 episode of Iranian filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh's show on Iran's Ofogh TV that he does not know whether COVID-19 was manufactured in the U.S. but that some Americans reported symptoms before the virus officially spread to the U.S. This, he said, along with President Trump's statement that 40,000 Americans had died of the flu in the previous year, could indicate that the coronavirus started in the U.S. and from there spread to China and other parts of the world. This, he said, is what had happened with the 1918-1920 Spanish flu pandemic, which he claimed had originated in Kansas but was given its name because of a U.S.-Spain conflict and because the U.S.'s propaganda had been more effective than Spain's.
To view this clip, click here or below:
Below are his statements:
Foad Izadi: "The question about whether America created [the coronavirus] requires a certain kind of expertise, I do not know. With that being said, there's a point or two here. If it isn't man-made, and if it spread in society naturally, then which country got the disease first is an important detail. It appears – you know, some of our friends are in America. Since December, we have been asking some of them how they are doing. They told us that people were getting sick with a disease that nobody had had before."
Interviewer: "Before January."
Foad Izadi: "Right. This was before it became a serious matter even in China.
[...]
Foad Izadi: "You know that there have been such cases in the past. One hundred years ago, there was a flu called the Spanish Flu."
Interviewer: "In 1918."
Foad Izadi: "Right. It was first transferred to humans in Kansas. They say that this flu infected humans at a pig farm in Kansas. The reason it was called "the Spanish flu" was because there was a conflict between America and Spain. The U.S. had better propaganda, and Spain wasn't doing so well, so this is the name that [the disease] as given. [The Spanish flu] infected a lot of people in Spain, like today's [virus]. Spain has the second-highest infection rate in Europe, but the truth is that the problem had been created in America, and that the [Spanish Flu] had started in America. It may be that [the coronavirus] also started in America before being transferred to China and spreading. You probably remember that when this all started, Trump said in a speech that last year, 40,000 people died from the flu. It could be that some of them [died] from coronavirus, but were listed as having died from the flu.
[...]
Foad Izadi: "It seems that what we are seeing, both in terms of the number of deaths and the number of infected people, the virus has suddenly started [to spread] quickly in America... The reason for this may be that this is an American virus that started in America before spreading to China and other places."
Foad Izadi: Today, People Who Reach Power In Iraq Must Be Acceptable To Iran; It Is Cheaper For Us To Be In Iraq Than To Allow A Leader Like Saddam To Rise Up – February 13, 2020'
Foad Izadi said in a February 13, 2020 interview on Khorasan Razavi TV (Iran) that one of the indications that a country is strong is its ability to prevent threats from reaching its borders. Giving the example of Iran's presence in Iraq, Dr. Izadi elaborated that it is cheaper for Iran to maintain a presence in Iraq than it is for it to allow another leader like Saddam Hussein to come to power. He said: "Today, people who reach power in Iraq must be acceptable to us."
To view this clip, click here or below:
Below are his statements:
Dr. Foad Izadi: "If you go to the book market and gather books of strategic studies, you will see that they all have chapters about the regional influence of countries. Why? There are threats all over the world. If you let such a threat reach your border, it is too late. What is a strong country? One of the indicators of strength is a country's ability to prevent the threat from reaching its border. This, too, comes with a price. There was a time when we had no influence in Iraq, and a creature like Saddam took power there and fought us for eight years. Which was higher – the cost of war or the cost of what we are now doing in Iraq? We are now paying a price in Iraq, but the benefit of this expense is that we do not have to worry that someone like Saddam will rise to power there. Today, people who reach power in Iraq must be acceptable to us."
