00:00adopted new sanctions on Iran's revolutionary guard cause.
00:05Foreign ministers also expected to place the powerful paramilitary group behind the recent
00:08bloody crackdown.
00:10On the bloc's terror list, ahead of the gathering in Brussels earlier today.
00:15The EU's top diplomat told reporters that if you act like a terrorist, you should be treated
00:19like one.
00:20Take a listen.
00:25On the list.
00:26And I also expect that we agree on listing.
00:30The Iran Revolutionary Guard on the terrorist list.
00:33This will put them on the same.
00:35Same footing with Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Daesh.
00:40To act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as a terrorist.
00:44It is clear.
00:45What we see, the death toll in the protests that were...
00:50in Iran and the means that were taken by the regime are...
00:55really, really severe.
00:56So that's why we are also...
01:00sending a clear message that if you are suppressing people...
01:05it has a price and you will be also sanctioned for this.
01:10We can now bring in Tara Kangar Liu, a global affairs journalist and author of...
01:15The Heartbeat of Iran.
01:16Thank you very much for joining us on the program today.
01:19What are Iranian...
01:20making of the fact that Donald Trump very quickly pivoted from threatening military action
01:24in Iran to...
01:25protect protesters and now wanting to secure this nuclear deal?
01:30Absolutely.
01:31And also, by the way, still threatening a military action...
01:35because that seems not to be off the table.
01:38The internet blackout continues...
01:40intact in Iran.
01:41But slowly, people are getting online through VPN...
01:45and other modes.
01:46And I've been speaking with many Iranians from different parts of the country...
01:50and unfortunately, all of them are in the state of mourning.
01:55And a woman today who has been active in 2009 protests...
02:00and since then, in every single other anti-government protest, told me this morning...
02:05that we're waiting hopelessly and helplessly...
02:09but we don't even...
02:10know what we're waiting for.
02:11And another woman who also participated in these rounds of protests...
02:15told me...
02:16we are all in a state of coma...
02:18and we don't know if...
02:20and when we're going to get out of it.
02:22And really, that's the state of...
02:25the current mood and reality on the ground for millions of Iranians who...
02:30are shocked by the thousands of numbers of those killed people...
02:35who are in detention and have been arrested...
02:38and the thousands injured.
02:39So...
02:40that is...
02:41that seems to be...
02:43what Donald Trump...
02:45is missing...
02:46because he...
02:47gave a promise...
02:48to the Iranian people...
02:49that...
02:50were going to help you...
02:51but now he's pivoting...
02:52to potentially negotiate with the Islamic...
02:55regime...
02:56or...
02:57hit...
02:58militarily...
02:59which we don't even know what that's going to...
03:00to look like...
03:01where is he going to hit...
03:02who is he going to hit...
03:04and how is this...
03:05all going to have...
03:06an impact...
03:07on this nation...
03:09that is in mourning.
03:10That's true...
03:11because just last year...
03:12Donald Trump...
03:13when he did carry out those strikes...
03:15on nuclear sites in Iran...
03:17he claimed to have obliterated those nuclear sites...
03:20so it seems...
03:21funny...
03:22that just a couple of months later...
03:23he wants to strike a nuclear deal...
03:25I want to talk about sanctioning...
03:26which is something that the EU is doing...
03:28because we know that they are going to...
03:30sanction...
03:31certain individuals...
03:32and potentially put the IRGC...
03:33on the terror list...
03:34really...
03:35statistically...
03:36what will this change?
03:39That's an excellent...
03:40question...
03:41I'm not a sanctions expert...
03:42and there are many experts out there...
03:44but having covered...
03:45Iran for 15 years...
03:47and other countries around the world...
03:49under sanctions...
03:50I would say...
03:51sanctioning countries...
03:52is lazy policy making...
03:54and as we have...
03:55seen...
03:56over the years...
03:57in Iran in particular...
03:58sanctions have in...
03:59some ways...
04:00even emboldened...
04:01the most...
04:02hardline...
04:03factions...
04:04of the...
04:05Islamic regime...
04:06and in many ways...
04:08more than one...
04:09have enriched...
04:10many...
04:11many...
04:12groups...
04:13and people...
04:14and individuals...
04:15in Iran...
04:16and...
04:15those...
04:16directly affected...
04:17are ordinary people...
04:18who...
04:19are isolated...
04:20and...
04:20who...
04:21have...
04:22been...
04:23choked...
04:24by their own...
04:25government...
04:26but also...
04:27by...
04:28by the sanctions...
04:29and...
04:30by the sanctions...
04:31and...
04:32by the sanctions...
04:33and...
04:34by the sanctions...
04:35are living...
04:36under...
04:37the poverty line...
04:38over 51%...
04:39of the Iranians...
04:40are living...
04:40below...
04:41poverty...
04:42Iran's...
04:43stock market...
04:44was at its...
04:45lowest...
04:45yesterday...
04:46I spoke with...
04:47another source...
04:48in Iran...
04:49people...
04:50are trying...
04:51to buy...
04:52gold...
04:53uh...
04:54a...
04:55a...
04:56a...
04:57a...
04:58a...
04:59a...
05:00a...
05:01a...
05:02a...
05:03a...
05:04a...
05:05a...
05:06a...
05:07a...
05:08a...
05:09a...
05:10a...
05:11a...
05:12a...
05:13a...
05:14a...
04:50just so that...
04:51you know...
04:52in case of emergency...
04:53people are...
04:54piling up on food items...
04:55just because they don't know...
04:55what's going to happen the next day. So sanctions over the years have proven not to.
05:00We can the Islamic regime, but in some cases, even further emboldening them.
05:05And amassing large sums of money for
05:10the regime.
05:11People in Iran, just a couple of weeks ago, maybe even
05:15last month took to the streets because of the state of Iran's economy, which has been
05:20down by these sanctions. But given the scale of the recent crack,
05:25you yourself said people in the country are telling you they're in a
05:29comatic state.
05:30And the fact that there's no unified opposition, do you think
05:35given that the economic realities will, say, the same or potentially even get worse, will they?
05:40Dare go to the streets again?
05:44You know, Iran...
05:45Iranians went on the streets with bare hands.
05:47They had nothing except their will.
05:50And they were completely quashed in the most brutal way.
05:55That we saw. And yes, there is no unifying opposition.
06:00Unfortunately, some of Iran's brightest who can be the country's future leaders.
06:05Political activists, lawyers, human rights activists, they're in prison because...
06:10Any form of dissent in Iran have been choked by the Iranian government.
06:14And then...
06:15And then you have opposition figures abroad in the United States, including...
06:20The former monarch's son, Reza Pahlavi, who came...
06:25He came out a few weeks ago and said, you know, Iranians, come on the streets.
06:29We are here to support...
06:30I'm here to support you.
06:31I'm here to support you.
06:32And I remember actually reading one of his posts...
06:35Where he said, I am planning to return to Iran.
06:37And again, this same woman...
06:40That emphasized that we're in a state of coma.
06:42She said, you know, we want...
06:45We want a figure to come and support us as we transition through this regime because...
06:50We no longer want the Islamic regime.
06:52But these promises have been...
06:55That's futile.
06:56We don't see anything tangible coming from Washington or from...
07:00You know, in this case, Reza Pahlavi.
07:02Where is this promise going?
07:04Is he...
07:05Asking us to come on the streets because people don't have anything else to give.
07:09We have been killed.
07:10Brutally.
07:11We don't have anything in our hands.
07:13And so, again, that...
07:15That underscores the state of limbo, the state of hopelessness and helplessness.
07:20Because the voices coming out of Washington, whether it be from the opposition...
07:25The figures or the president of the United States are contradictory.
07:28But what do you make of...
07:30Donald Trump's posturing now, the fact that this second armada has gone to the region...
07:34Now he won't...
07:35...wants the Iranians to negotiate.
07:37Do you think they will even soften their turn?
07:40given that the military threat from Washington is very real.
07:45Absolutely. And, you know, again, I covered the region closely.
07:50And this is reminding me once again of this famous saying that, you know, countries don't have friends.
07:54They have.
07:55So people in Iran don't believe that the president of the United States actually cares.
08:00And many of them are saying, you know, whatever happens, it's it's to the benefit.
08:05The benefit of the United States and their interests.
08:07And we're the ones left alone once again.
08:10And that's a sentiment on the ground.
08:12And so we'll see what happens.
08:15Whether it's a deal, it's yet to be seen.
08:20Rubio, yesterday, secretary of state, by the way, in a Senate hearing, I think this is extremely important.
08:24He said.
08:25He said, after the supreme leader of Iran, when he's when, you know, he's.
08:30Nobody can give an answer to what will come next.
08:34So.
08:35I don't even think the United States government right now knows what their policy is.
08:40And what they're planning to do with the current regime in Iran.
08:44And again.
08:45People are the only victims in all of this.
08:48Tara Kangarlou.
08:50We're going to leave it there.
08:50Thank you for joining us on the program today.
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