[SPECIAL] Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi :The View From Tehran!

Bombs fall in Tehran as Professor Seyed Mohamed Marandi speaks with us from an evacuated building, having separated from his family after being warned he may be an Israeli target. The American-born literature professor and former nuclear negotiations advisor delivers a harrowing firsthand account of civilian casualties, media installations under attack, and the reality of living under bombardment. "I continue while Iranian journalists are dying very close to where I am," Marandi reveals, describing how moments before our interview, Iranian radio and television facilities were bombed, killing multiple media workers. Despite security officials advising him to abandon his cell phone for safety, he refuses, believing his voice must counter what he describes as Western caricatures of Iran. The professor systematically challenges prevailing narratives about the conflict. He contends Iran has successfully deployed decoys to mislead Israeli targeting systems, explaining that genuine military sites would show secondary explosions absent in footage of strikes. Marandi categorically denies Iran possesses or seeks nuclear weapons, pointing out that even American intelligence acknowledges Iran hasn't pursued such weapons since at least 2003, despite Netanyahu's decades of claims to the contrary. The conversation turns deeply personal when Morandi reveals he survived two chemical attacks during the Iran-Iraq war, with weapons he says were supplied by Western nations to Saddam Hussein. Most poignantly, Marandi draws a distinction often lost in geopolitical coverage: "Iranians have no dislike whatsoever for American people. Americans who visit Iran can tell you that they are treated with great kindness." His criticism instead targets U.S. policy decisions from the 1953 coup to present-day sanctions. As explosions continue in the background, Marandi's testimony offers a rare perspective from inside a conflict zone, challenging listeners to reconsider entrenched positions about a complex international crisis. What truths might we discover when we listen to voices from all sides?