June 12, 2025 • 9 mins
Ali Safavi is a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
A sociologist by training, Safavi studied and taught at UCLA, California State University Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan. He was an active participant in the anti-Shah student movement in the 1970s in the United States and has been deeply engaged in Iranian affairs ever since.
Safavi has lectured and written extensively on Iran, Iraq, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and Middle Eastern politics. He has appeared in interviews on networks such as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, BBC, Sky TV, Newsmax, and France 24. His articles and commentary have been published in leading outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Boston Herald, The Washington Times, and The Financial Times.
Trump Draws Nuclear Red Line; Iran out of time
President Donald Trump has formally rejected Iran’s latest counterproposal in ongoing nuclear negotiations, calling it “just not acceptable.” Back in March, Trump gave Tehran two months to reach a deal. The hourglass is empty, but these are high stakes. The question now facing U.S. policymakers, and the world, is what comes next?
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Episode Transcript
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(00:08):
We are joined by Ali Savavi. He has been on before.
He is a member of the NCRI parliament and he is in exile.
He is an expert on Iran affairs.And there's some there's some
contention. And the news report today seems
to indicate that there's something afoot.
The Defense Department have removed some personnel from
(00:31):
American bases in Iraq. Israel is reportedly ready to
launch against Iran, which promises strikes on retaliatory
strikes on US bases. And this stems from the fact
that talks over uranium enrichment have sort of
stumbled. Can you give us an update on
what you know on your end about what might be going down this
(00:52):
weekend? Well.
First of all, thank you very much for being on your show,
Jim. When it comes to developments
both in Iran and in the region. Obviously, being here in Europe
is difficult to say anything specifically as to whether the
(01:12):
reports that we have seen in themedia are correct and as to
whether something were really transpired.
But what I can say is that it ismy earnest hope that the Iranian
regime finally realizes that theinternational community is not
going to stand by and allow it to continue a game of cat and
(01:37):
mouse in island deception that it has pursued over the past 30
years ever since its nuclear weapons program was uncovered by
the NCRI. Certainly there's a tremendous
concern internationally, evidenced by the comprehensive
May 31st, 2025 report by the International Atomic Energy
(02:01):
Agency, which basically said that Iran is in violation of its
NPT obligations. And obviously, nobody welcomes
any kind sort of conflict in that part of the region, given
the repercussions it will have for everyone, the people of
Iran, the region, and the wider world.
(02:22):
But I think, quite frankly, thatthe Iranian regime must be held
accountable for its many years of obfuscating and the cheating
regarding its nuclear weapons program and basically doing what
the world demands, which is the total disinformance of its
(02:44):
purpose. Program.
Ending enrichment, allowing IAEAinspectors to go into all the
suspect sites, whether military or nuclear, and basically remove
all the enriched uranium from its soil because, quite frankly,
the Iranian people are not interested in this program.
(03:05):
Iran doesn't need nuclear energy.
Iran has 300 years of untapped oil and gas reserves.
And quite frankly, the regime has spent more than $2 trillion
of Iranian national wealth on this program, which is, by by
the way, far more than the entire oil revenues of Iran
(03:28):
since 1979, the revolution. Well, that's a lot.
You've covered a lot. Do you think that Israel is,
let's assume the worst and that Israel does take aggressive
action against the sites, the nuclear sites in Iran, which is,
I guess, is what their plan is? Do you see any kind of domino
(03:49):
effect? Where do you think most of the
Middle East will sit? What do you think they'll just
sit this out and let Israel do what it needs to do?
Or do you think that there will be, again, you know, maybe
influences from China and elsewhere?
Do you see this being a tinderbox?
Well, I think quite frankly thattwo things I think must be said
(04:11):
here. One, as to whether there will
actually be a strike or not, we have to wait and see and but
obviously everybody is concernedabout its ramifications.
But what can be said is that allthe countries in the region,
Iran's neighbors, are concerned about the hospital weapons
(04:33):
program. They have been ever since it was
revealed by the Iranian resistance.
And I think all of them also, ifthey were to give advice to the
regime, would tell, tell it, look, give up this program.
It has no use domestically. And of course, it's only a
(04:54):
threat to the rest of the world,to the rest of the region.
And everybody knows, quite frankly, that the Iranian
regime, with insistence on pursuing this weapons program,
is to exert this hegemony. But more importantly, it is
using it as a shield, as a life insurance, if you will, against
(05:15):
its own people, because it viewsit as the only strategic
guarantee for survival. Because that the regime does
have the experience of what happened in Libya.
It's So what happened in Iraq and it saw what happened in
Syria. So it news that now with the
(05:35):
digital setbacks it has suffered, with the fall of
Assad, the decapitation of the Hezbollah, the attacks on the
Houthis, that the only way out of the current crisis for it and
to prolong and deserve its rule is to hold on to the nuclear
weapons program at all costs. And of course, that puts the
(05:56):
people at Iran at risk. It puts the region at risk and
naturally it will affect the international community as a
whole. We should mention that my guest,
Ali Savavi is a sociologist by training.
He studied at UCLA in California, also the University
of Michigan. And you've been an active
(06:17):
participant in Anti Shah studentmovement of the 70s.
And then of course, you relocated to the United States.
Do I remember correctly that youlost a brother also in Iran?
Yes, indeed, indeed. And you know, I mean, talking
about the loss of my brother, I'm, I'm glad you mentioned that
because just yesterday, the Iranian regime grotesquely
(06:41):
executed an Iranian dissident bythe name of Mujahid Kurkur, a 42
year old man falsely accused of of killing a nine year old boy
during the 2022 uprising. Whereas the parents of the kid,
Keon Field Palak Field Palak, say that it was the security
(07:05):
forces that opened fire on a carher family was driving.
And she was he was killed instantly and the father was
gravely wounded. And the mother said publicly at
his funeral that it was the the police officers who shot him.
But the regime executed this mannevertheless.
And actually since the beginningof this year 2025, no less than
(07:30):
376 people have been executed inIran, 47 were hanged in the 1st
10 days of June. And actually, during the 10
months or so that position on the so-called moderate has been
president and some 13139 people have been hanged, including more
(07:53):
than 40 women, which goes to show that hand in hand with its
nuclear intelligence, by threatening the region, the
mullahs are a great danger to their own citizens, which is why
we, as the Iranian resistance, have said several things.
One, it said several things, one, that all the 6.
(08:17):
Security Council resolutions must be reactivated through the
snapback mechanism. 2. All enrichment activity must be
halted in Iran 3. The entire nuclear program must
be dismantled. 4th. The Iranian regime nuclear
dossier must be referred to the UN Security Council and under
(08:38):
Chapter 7 of the UN Charter. But ultimately, we believe that
the end to the Iranian regime's threats, both to its own
citizens, to the region and to the world, will come about only
when this regime is overthrown. And of course, the Iranian
people and the resistance are capable, willing to pay the
(09:00):
price and bring that about. And so if I were to advise the
international community, the US,Europeans, others, as to what is
the best way to go about this, Ibelieve the dichotomy is not
either a deal or a war. There's a third option, which is
to invest in Iran's rightful owners, the people of Iran and
(09:23):
the resistance to bring about change and of course, and this
traumatic 46 year rule of the mullahs that has costed
thousands of lives, if not millions, and has brought
nothing but misery and destituteto the people of Iran.
We all hope for what you've stated, we, we hope for the
people of Iran that this will have a good outcome.
And we'll see you again soon here on America TODAY.
(09:45):
Thank you so much.
We are joined by Ali Savavi. He has been on before.
He is a member of the NCRI parliament and he is in exile.
He is an expert on Iran affairs.And there's some there's some
contention. And the news report today seems
to indicate that there's something afoot.
The Defense Department have removed some personnel from
(00:31):
American bases in Iraq. Israel is reportedly ready to
launch against Iran, which promises strikes on retaliatory
strikes on US bases. And this stems from the fact
that talks over uranium enrichment have sort of
stumbled. Can you give us an update on
what you know on your end about what might be going down this
(00:52):
weekend? Well.
First of all, thank you very much for being on your show,
Jim. When it comes to developments
both in Iran and in the region. Obviously, being here in Europe
is difficult to say anything specifically as to whether the
(01:12):
reports that we have seen in themedia are correct and as to
whether something were really transpired.
But what I can say is that it ismy earnest hope that the Iranian
regime finally realizes that theinternational community is not
going to stand by and allow it to continue a game of cat and
(01:37):
mouse in island deception that it has pursued over the past 30
years ever since its nuclear weapons program was uncovered by
the NCRI. Certainly there's a tremendous
concern internationally, evidenced by the comprehensive
May 31st, 2025 report by the International Atomic Energy
(02:01):
Agency, which basically said that Iran is in violation of its
NPT obligations. And obviously, nobody welcomes
any kind sort of conflict in that part of the region, given
the repercussions it will have for everyone, the people of
Iran, the region, and the wider world.
(02:22):
But I think, quite frankly, thatthe Iranian regime must be held
accountable for its many years of obfuscating and the cheating
regarding its nuclear weapons program and basically doing what
the world demands, which is the total disinformance of its
(02:44):
purpose. Program.
Ending enrichment, allowing IAEAinspectors to go into all the
suspect sites, whether military or nuclear, and basically remove
all the enriched uranium from its soil because, quite frankly,
the Iranian people are not interested in this program.
(03:05):
Iran doesn't need nuclear energy.
Iran has 300 years of untapped oil and gas reserves.
And quite frankly, the regime has spent more than $2 trillion
of Iranian national wealth on this program, which is, by by
the way, far more than the entire oil revenues of Iran
(03:28):
since 1979, the revolution. Well, that's a lot.
You've covered a lot. Do you think that Israel is,
let's assume the worst and that Israel does take aggressive
action against the sites, the nuclear sites in Iran, which is,
I guess, is what their plan is? Do you see any kind of domino
(03:49):
effect? Where do you think most of the
Middle East will sit? What do you think they'll just
sit this out and let Israel do what it needs to do?
Or do you think that there will be, again, you know, maybe
influences from China and elsewhere?
Do you see this being a tinderbox?
Well, I think quite frankly thattwo things I think must be said
(04:11):
here. One, as to whether there will
actually be a strike or not, we have to wait and see and but
obviously everybody is concernedabout its ramifications.
But what can be said is that allthe countries in the region,
Iran's neighbors, are concerned about the hospital weapons
(04:33):
program. They have been ever since it was
revealed by the Iranian resistance.
And I think all of them also, ifthey were to give advice to the
regime, would tell, tell it, look, give up this program.
It has no use domestically. And of course, it's only a
(04:54):
threat to the rest of the world,to the rest of the region.
And everybody knows, quite frankly, that the Iranian
regime, with insistence on pursuing this weapons program,
is to exert this hegemony. But more importantly, it is
using it as a shield, as a life insurance, if you will, against
(05:15):
its own people, because it viewsit as the only strategic
guarantee for survival. Because that the regime does
have the experience of what happened in Libya.
It's So what happened in Iraq and it saw what happened in
Syria. So it news that now with the
(05:35):
digital setbacks it has suffered, with the fall of
Assad, the decapitation of the Hezbollah, the attacks on the
Houthis, that the only way out of the current crisis for it and
to prolong and deserve its rule is to hold on to the nuclear
weapons program at all costs. And of course, that puts the
(05:56):
people at Iran at risk. It puts the region at risk and
naturally it will affect the international community as a
whole. We should mention that my guest,
Ali Savavi is a sociologist by training.
He studied at UCLA in California, also the University
of Michigan. And you've been an active
(06:17):
participant in Anti Shah studentmovement of the 70s.
And then of course, you relocated to the United States.
Do I remember correctly that youlost a brother also in Iran?
Yes, indeed, indeed. And you know, I mean, talking
about the loss of my brother, I'm, I'm glad you mentioned that
because just yesterday, the Iranian regime grotesquely
(06:41):
executed an Iranian dissident bythe name of Mujahid Kurkur, a 42
year old man falsely accused of of killing a nine year old boy
during the 2022 uprising. Whereas the parents of the kid,
Keon Field Palak Field Palak, say that it was the security
(07:05):
forces that opened fire on a carher family was driving.
And she was he was killed instantly and the father was
gravely wounded. And the mother said publicly at
his funeral that it was the the police officers who shot him.
But the regime executed this mannevertheless.
And actually since the beginningof this year 2025, no less than
(07:30):
376 people have been executed inIran, 47 were hanged in the 1st
10 days of June. And actually, during the 10
months or so that position on the so-called moderate has been
president and some 13139 people have been hanged, including more
(07:53):
than 40 women, which goes to show that hand in hand with its
nuclear intelligence, by threatening the region, the
mullahs are a great danger to their own citizens, which is why
we, as the Iranian resistance, have said several things.
One, it said several things, one, that all the 6.
(08:17):
Security Council resolutions must be reactivated through the
snapback mechanism. 2. All enrichment activity must be
halted in Iran 3. The entire nuclear program must
be dismantled. 4th. The Iranian regime nuclear
dossier must be referred to the UN Security Council and under
(08:38):
Chapter 7 of the UN Charter. But ultimately, we believe that
the end to the Iranian regime's threats, both to its own
citizens, to the region and to the world, will come about only
when this regime is overthrown. And of course, the Iranian
people and the resistance are capable, willing to pay the
(09:00):
price and bring that about. And so if I were to advise the
international community, the US,Europeans, others, as to what is
the best way to go about this, Ibelieve the dichotomy is not
either a deal or a war. There's a third option, which is
to invest in Iran's rightful owners, the people of Iran and
(09:23):
the resistance to bring about change and of course, and this
traumatic 46 year rule of the mullahs that has costed
thousands of lives, if not millions, and has brought
nothing but misery and destituteto the people of Iran.
We all hope for what you've stated, we, we hope for the
people of Iran that this will have a good outcome.
And we'll see you again soon here on America TODAY.
(09:45):
Thank you so much.
Host
JIM WATKINS
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