Jan 14, 2026
BREAKING: Reports Reveal U.S. Posturing For Attack On Iran
The United States has begun the process of preparing for attacks on Iran, according to reports. Ana Kasparian discusses on The Young Turks.
- 17 minutes
We were told that the killing in Iran
is stopping and it's stopped and stopping,
and there's no plan for executions
or an execution or executions.
So I've been told that on good authority.
We'll find out about it.
[00:00:15]
I'm sure if it happens,
we'll all be very upset.
Including you will be very upset.
But that's just gotten to me.
Some information
that the killing has stopped,
that the executions have stopped, and
they're not going to have an execution.
[00:00:33]
The statement you just heard from
President Donald Trump took place after
the US government advised personnel at
the US military base in Qatar to evacuate.
And now this is the largest military base
in the Middle East.
[00:00:50]
It has about 10,000 US personnel there.
And, you know,
after that announcement was made,
you hear this statement from Donald Trump.
And some people thought, well,
maybe we're not going to strike Iran.
Maybe the escalating tensions
have finally calmed down.
[00:01:07]
But that does not appear to be the case.
And this isn't the first time
President Trump would be bluffing.
As we all know, he made it seem
as though he was engaging
in nuclear negotiations with Iran
before striking its nuclear sites.
And right now, as this story develops,
it's developing
[00:01:25]
as I'm on air at this moment.
You have Douglas McGregor writing in.
He's he used to be Trump's,
foreign policy adviser.
Unfortunately, he no longer is, but he
has alerted everyone to the fact that six
US tankers have taken off from that US
[00:01:43]
military base from Qatar, toward Iran.
You also have the airspace
over Iran completely cleared.
Apparently, there was a United
Airlines flight, that was supposed to go
from Newark to Israel.
And as it began taking off, it actually
turned back and passengers were informed
[00:02:03]
that the flight was entirely canceled.
That's according to I24 news,
by the way, which is an Israeli outlet.
So at this very moment,
it is not 100% sure.
So I want to be very clear with everybody,
but from the signs that I'm seeing,
[00:02:19]
it does appear that the United States
intends to strike Iran.
Now, the execution that Trump was likely
referring to was that of a 26 year old
by the name of Erfan Soltani, who,
[00:02:36]
was allegedly going to be executed in Iran
today for his part in the demonstrations.
However, later news came out
that Iran was going to delay
or hold off on that execution.
But now I'm wondering if the United
States does aim to strike Iran.
[00:02:52]
You know what happens to that 26 year old?
I have no idea.
And we're in the fog of war. Okay.
We're getting conflicting reports
in regard to the number of people
who have been killed in Iran.
I have no doubt that the number
at this point is in the thousands.
[00:03:07]
But for those who are claiming
that 20,000.
I was on a Piers Morgan panel today.
Woman claimed there were 70 to 80,000
people who have been killed in three days.
I just I'm going to need
some actual evidence for that
[00:03:22]
before I regurgitate it on this show.
But there's no question
that the Iranian regime
has treated the protesters with brutality.
There are some reports
that there are different factions
at war with one another within Iran.
[00:03:39]
We know that some security forces
have also been killed.
We don't know exact numbers, though.
And I don't want to, you know,
make the mistake of simply regurgitating
something that might be propaganda.
Here's what we do know, though.
The New York Times earlier today
was already asking about military assets
[00:03:57]
that the Trump administration
plans to use against Iran.
And here's what they know.
Here's what they found.
If Trump orders military strikes against
Iran, his options are somewhat limited.
Last fall, the Pentagon sent the carrier
Gerald R Ford and other escort warships
from the eastern Mediterranean
[00:04:17]
to the Caribbean.
So remember our hostilities
with Venezuela.
Really, one way hostility toward Venezuela
has led to Trump sending quite a few
of our military assets to the Caribbean.
So that's what they're referring to here.
Even so, they write the Navy has
three missile firing destroyers
[00:04:37]
in the Middle East region now,
including the Roosevelt, which in
recent days has steamed into the Red sea.
Military officials said on Wednesday
the Navy also has at least one
missile firing submarine in the region,
Pentagon officials said.
[00:04:53]
And, if you are under the assumption
that President Donald Trump is very
concerned about the protesters themselves,
even though he aided and abetted
the mass slaughter of innocents,
[00:05:08]
mostly women and children in Gaza.
I just don't know
how you convince yourself of that.
So possible targets,
writes the New York Times.
First strike include Iran's nuclear
program going beyond the US airstrikes
[00:05:25]
that battered it in June and ballistic
missile sites, US officials have said.
So they're going after
Iran's military capabilities,
which have been a priority for Israel.
I don't I don't know
how that helps the protesters, but okay,
[00:05:42]
that's what we're dealing with anyway.
The times reports that any attack,
is at least several days away.
Don't worry, it's several days away.
But again, based on the movements that
we've been seeing just in the last hour,
it does appear that a strike is likely.
[00:05:59]
And again, I don't know the extent
of these military operations that are
likely to be carried out very soon.
Now let's talk a little bit about some
of the other reports that came out prior
to the latest developments,
because I think it's kind of important
to understand some of what's been going on
[00:06:15]
on the ground in Iran.
So Tamir Morad,
who is an Israeli journalist, he actually
works for channel 14 in Israel,
that happens to be a Likud linked outlet,
had posted this,
which was really fascinating
because you got to keep in mind
the Iranian people are not armed, right?
[00:06:32]
So they don't really have any weapons
to protect themselves
or to fight back against the regime.
But there have been around 133.
There could be more security forces
who have been killed.
So the real question is how?
How did they kill him?
[00:06:47]
And, turns out this reporter
might give us some answers.
Israeli reporter.
He writes that we reported tonight
on channel 14, foreign actors are arming
the protesters in Iran with live firearms,
which is the reason for the hundreds
[00:07:03]
of regime personnel killed.
Everyone is free to guess who is
behind it, kind of being cheeky there.
Then there's Tamir Heyman,
who is the former head of the Israeli
military intelligence, literally admitting
that there is a very significant influence
[00:07:19]
operation by the United States in Iran.
And while speaking to an Israeli paper
known as Ma'ariv,
Heyman said the following.
If the question is is there zero
operation right now, the answer is no
because there is already an operation.
[00:07:36]
There is currently a very significant
influence operation by the US, referring
to the current unrest happening in Iran.
By the way, this is a good time to pause
and just say the protesters
who are out there like,
I don't want anyone to think that,
[00:07:51]
oh, this whole protest is totally
manufactured, and the people of Iran
are super happy with the regime.
That is not the case.
And that is not what I
would ever say on this show.
Okay, that's just not rooted
in reality or fact.
Organic protests have occurred.
[00:08:06]
I feel, based on evidence, that I'm
sharing with you that those organic
protests in Iran against the regime
and I've got no love for the regime,
were co-opted by foreign actors.
And I am worried about that
because the people of Iran
[00:08:22]
deserve to decide who leads them.
Period.
They don't deserve a foreign actor
to come in and install a monarch.
They don't deserve a foreign actor to come
in and meddle with their business at all.
Now, I understand that some Iranians
want the U.S.
[00:08:37]
To get involved because of the fact
that it's going to take more
than these protests and demonstrations
to overthrow the regime.
Although the Ayatollah was able to
overthrow the Shah without US involvement.
So anyway.
But let's get to some more details here.
[00:08:53]
Here's more of what Tamir Heyman,
again, the former head of
Israeli military intelligence, had to say.
Simply put, an influence effort
is an effort that operates primarily
in the cyber realm and in the realm
of local disruption and subversion.
[00:09:09]
And there are some.
Then he acknowledged
that US sanctions were the cause.
This is very important were the cause
of the economic issues that in Iran,
in Iran that sparked the initial protests,
which are apparently being exploited
[00:09:25]
by American and Israeli intelligence,
saying there is the attempt, as we heard
tonight from Trump, that this is
a path of negotiation with the Americans,
that this is really the only thing
that can save the Iranian economy,
the lifting of sanctions.
[00:09:41]
So the protests did begin,
and this is how it was initially reported.
It began with anger toward the regime
due to economic frustration.
That economic frustration, was
manufactured, in main part due to the US
implementing sanctions against Iran.
[00:09:58]
So let's also remember
that former Secretary of state and former
CIA director Mike Pompeo said, Happy New
Year to every Iranian in the streets, also
to every Mossad agent walking beside them.
And the Israeli heritage minister
Amichai Eliyahu said, and I'm quoting,
[00:10:16]
when we attacked in Iran during Rising
Lion, we were on its soil and knew
how to lay the groundwork for a strike.
I can assure you that we have some
of our people operating there right now.
So while I want nothing more
than for the Iranian people to be free,
[00:10:33]
I am worried about where their government
is going to end up, what their leadership
will turn out to be, basically.
Because one thing that I do know for sure
is they don't want foreign interference in
regard to what their government becomes.
[00:10:49]
But nonetheless doesn't really matter
what anyone really cares about
or what anybody desires.
Really, the countries with the military
might are going to have their way,
and I think that's going to play out here.
So days ago, Amir Avivi,
who is the founder of the IDF
[00:11:07]
and retired IDF brigadier general,
kind of gave the game away.
I mean, it's kind of amazing
how open, overt they are
when it comes to these issues.
Because The Jerusalem Post
had a conference about six days ago,
and I thought that his statements
were pretty telling.
[00:11:24]
Let's take a look.
Another fight with Iran and Hezbollah
and possibly the Houthis is imminent.
And today, I can say something
we couldn't have said a month ago.
This regime is going down.
There will be no Iranian regime.
[00:11:40]
And this is going to change Entirely,
entirely the future of Israel.
Can you describe us?
It will be an American attack.
It will be an Israeli American attack.
So I think it's going to be
an American led attack
with the assistance of Israel, an Israel
prepared for a preemptive attack.
[00:12:01]
But Israel was preparing
for a preemptive attack
that might have happened even today.
The demonstration started
in a clear message for President Trump.
We are not going to let you
shoot these demonstrators.
We are going to defend them.
[00:12:17]
And indeed, I think that we'll see
in the very near future
a massive American attack, with the help
of Israel and with the demonstrators.
I think this regime stands no chance.
And they will fall.
[00:12:34]
And I can tell you, as I said,
the bigger the win will be,
the greater the golden age of Israel and
the Jewish people will be the day after.
So the individual that Israel hopes
to install in place of the Iranian regime
[00:12:49]
is the former Shah's son,
the Shah that was ousted, of course,
during the Islamic Revolution.
His son's name is Reza Pahlavi, and
Pahlavi was actually recently in Israel,
and has made it abundantly clear that he
intends to be Iran's transitional leader,
[00:13:06]
meaning that, you know, the West is going
to install him and allegedly
he's going to help transition the country
to a democratic process,
which, I don't trust personally.
Typically when someone finds themselves
in an extreme position of power,
[00:13:24]
it is unlikely that they
will just willy nilly give it up.
But I'm hoping to be proven wrong.
I'm hoping to be proven wrong
about all of my predictions on this,
and most importantly, the only people who
actually matter, not the United States.
I mean, obviously I care about the United
States for my own purposes, But in the
[00:13:41]
case and in the context of Iran, the only
people who matter are the people of Iran.
Now, the Washington Post, which put out
a piece today about the warring factions,
you know, within these demonstrations,
talked a little bit about the lack
[00:13:58]
of popularity for Reza Pahlavi.
So about one third of Iranians would
like him to be the transitional leader.
One third absolutely do not want him.
And then the rest are uncertain.
So we'll see how this all plays out.
[00:14:14]
But one thing that I know for sure
is anyone who objects to US involvement in
Iran gets bullied, coerced and threatened.
And I think a perfect example of that
is how Jake Hager was treated when he was
on Piers Morgan's show just yesterday.
[00:14:31]
Let's take a quick look at that.
These protests are legitimate
and have nearly toppled the regime.
That's wonderful.
I don't like this regime.
Let them keep going.
But the minute you bomb them,
first of all, they're going to lose
all credibility on the ground.
The protesters are the regime
is going to love that action.
[00:14:49]
They're going to use that to rally
the Iranian people to their side.
It is going
to be deeply counterproductive.
We have a leader.
We have His Royal Highness, King Pahlavi,
who has, he's heeded the call
of the Iranian people.
[00:15:05]
He is going to be stepping in
as a transitional leader.
She keeps pretending
to speak for the Persian people.
There's been no vote.
She doesn't represent any of them.
It's so some do like the Shah.
I don't dispute that.
I think that they're very,
very mistaken in that.
There's some earnest people
who believe that.
[00:15:21]
And then there's people
who work for Israel who say, yeah, he's
a puppet for Israel, and he should be.
And then Chuck says, oh, well,
the UAE also wants him gone.
And who are you speaking for?
Why do I care about those countries?
I don't care about those countries.
I care about us.
Can I ask one last question, Bob?
You're you're Your military.
[00:15:38]
You are a Seal team six.
No one. Even in Iraq.
How many? How many military?
Hold on. Let me ask you a question.
Let me ask you a question. Hey, Israeli.
- Hold on.
- Shut up.
- Don't talk over each other.
- Israeli.
Don't talk over each other, please.
[00:15:53]
Hey, Rob. Don't worry.
You might have missed that after she
started, I guess threatening him in Farsi.
She's then switched back to English
and said, when the regime is done,
then we're going to come after you guys.
[00:16:09]
Don't worry.
Seems like there's a certain kind
of person that's, rooting for the
installation of a monarch that, you know,
tend to really love messing around
[00:16:25]
with specific threats like that.
It's pathetic.
Anyway, my heart is
with the Iranian people.
They deserve a government
that represents them.
They deserve a government
that they choose and they deserve freedom.
And once we get some clarity on just how
many people have been killed, obviously
[00:16:45]
I'm going to share those numbers with you.
There's just too much fog and too much
contradiction in the way these stories
are being reported right now.
There's over 2000 deaths from the reports
that I trust a little more,
but it's very likely that there could be
more people who have been killed
[00:17:02]
as a result of these demonstrations
and the regime's response to them.
Or on top of that, you know,
there have been some rioters who have
carried out acts of violence as well.
So security forces have been killed.
But once we have more clarity on that,
I'll share those numbers with you.
[00:17:18]
It's just a terrible situation
on the ground.
And as we all know,
Iran shut down its internet,
so it's difficult to get confirmed
actual reporting from the ground.
Every time you ring the bell below,
an angel gets its wings.
Totally not true, but it does
keep you updated on our live shows.
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