WEBVTT - Thom with ABC's Jordana Miller 1/14/2026

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<v Speaker 1>Geordana. I was starting to ask you, thank you for

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<v Speaker 1>sticking with us here for a minute. How would you

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<v Speaker 1>describe to the average person walking around the United States

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<v Speaker 1>right now? What is the very latest and what are

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<v Speaker 1>we witnessing in Iran.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, we are witnessing a major wave of protests sweeping

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<v Speaker 2>across Iran. They began in Tehran two weeks ago because

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<v Speaker 2>the currency nosedived there. But they're coming on the backdrop

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<v Speaker 2>of many, many complaints by Iranians.

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<v Speaker 1>Right.

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<v Speaker 2>First of all, there's water shortages, there's rolling blackouts again,

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<v Speaker 2>the economy is terrible, and Iran finds itself in a

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<v Speaker 2>weakened position geopolitically as well. After the war with Iran,

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<v Speaker 2>the war with Israel, right the twelve day war that

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<v Speaker 2>really took out, we could say Delta a serious blow

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<v Speaker 2>to Iran's nuclear program, its ballistic missile program. It also

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<v Speaker 2>saw its proxies, the terror groups, if you will, that

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<v Speaker 2>instead of pouring millions of dollars into their people and

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<v Speaker 2>their country, the Iranian regime pours it into Hamas and

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<v Speaker 2>has Blah, both of those taking a huge hit. So

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<v Speaker 2>the people on the streets of Iran are coming with

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<v Speaker 2>grievances for many years, but in the last two years

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<v Speaker 2>it kind of has reached a tipping point and we

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<v Speaker 2>are seeing tens of thousands of Iranians again across the country.

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<v Speaker 2>But to get some perspective, we can look back at

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen seventy nine and we can say that we're not

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<v Speaker 2>in a moment yet where it looks like the regime

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<v Speaker 2>is about to crumble. Right back in seventy nine, it

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<v Speaker 2>took a year of protests not to bring on the

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<v Speaker 2>shaw and in those months, right in the end, millions

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<v Speaker 2>of Iranians were in the street. Right now, we're not

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<v Speaker 2>seeing those numbers. Unfortunately. What we are seeing is the

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<v Speaker 2>regime cracking down brutally as it has in it over

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<v Speaker 2>the last decade, killing, wantonly shooting and killing protesters in

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<v Speaker 2>the street. As you said, the number is now over

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<v Speaker 2>two thousand by a US group tracking them here in Israel.

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<v Speaker 2>The intelligence services here say the number is higher, somewhere

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<v Speaker 2>between four and five thousand, not twenty five hundred. And

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<v Speaker 2>the big question is what President Trump is going to do.

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<v Speaker 2>He's offered to provide help, He's encouraged protesters to keep

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<v Speaker 2>going on the streets, even to quote unquote takeover institutions,

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<v Speaker 2>which seems to hint at regime change. But what is

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<v Speaker 2>the president going to do? It is a fateful moment.

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<v Speaker 2>There has never been a moment like this. We American

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<v Speaker 2>president is willing to intervene and has threatened to intervene

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<v Speaker 2>even militarily, to stop the protests, to stop the regime's

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<v Speaker 2>brutality and support these protesters who want a democratic, secular

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<v Speaker 2>government right. They don't want a government run by the Ayatola.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, is go ahead? Please go ahead, Jordana.

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<v Speaker 2>I was going to say that, you know, but the

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<v Speaker 2>president is facing It's a really complicated picture, and I think,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, God bless President Trump and his advisors. They

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<v Speaker 2>have a really difficult decision to make. Are they going

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<v Speaker 2>to do something to try to actually topple the regime,

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<v Speaker 2>which runs the risk of a regional war, or are

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<v Speaker 2>they going to do something a little scaled back and

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<v Speaker 2>hit symbolic sites, but that would keep the regime in power.

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<v Speaker 2>Would that be selling short the protesters for America? Perhaps

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<v Speaker 2>President Trump is still interested in getting that nuclear deal

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<v Speaker 2>and you know, and neutering Iran's nuclear ambitions, and that

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<v Speaker 2>would be a plus, even if the regime doesn't change,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, and what's the calculation. Will the Iranian strike

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<v Speaker 2>US basis? Will they hit Israel? It's a lot and

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<v Speaker 2>I know obviously the Israelis are watching closely.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, you know, I'm curious, Jordana, and I'm trying to

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<v Speaker 1>dumb this down a little bit, and thank you for

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<v Speaker 1>doing so. For a lot of us who are here,

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<v Speaker 1>we follow what's going on in Iran. We knew about

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<v Speaker 1>the nuclear sites that President Trump blew up not too

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<v Speaker 1>long ago. But you know, depending on who you believe,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, a sociologist Charles Kurzman says he thinks that

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<v Speaker 1>there were two to three thousand killed during the Revolution

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<v Speaker 1>of nineteen seventy nine. Historian Stephen Tucker has said roughly

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<v Speaker 1>that's about right. A lot of people think there was

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of propaganda with a current Islamic government saying

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<v Speaker 1>as many as sixty thousand were killed. But the bottom

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<v Speaker 1>line is is let's say you split, you know, say

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<v Speaker 1>it's seven or eight thousand, like you said, The bottom

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<v Speaker 1>line is is we are seeing mass killings. Are these

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<v Speaker 1>just from what you're able to gather from people on

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<v Speaker 1>the ground. Are these people that are protesting that are

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<v Speaker 1>getting killed? Are they people who are violently protesting are

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<v Speaker 1>they people who are just anti regime and they're pulling

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<v Speaker 1>them off the streets and executing them. And now they're

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<v Speaker 1>talking about public hangings there.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right. Iran is set to hang a twenty six

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<v Speaker 2>year old that they detained on Thursday night. They put

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<v Speaker 2>him in a kangaroo court, convicted him of offenses against God.

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<v Speaker 2>It sounds almost comical if it weren't so tragically true.

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<v Speaker 2>And he did not have any lawyer, he could not

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<v Speaker 2>appeal his decision, and he is set to be hung

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<v Speaker 2>today publicly in Iran for protesting against the regime. The

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<v Speaker 2>people that are being killed are coming from all kinds

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<v Speaker 2>of different socioeconomic classes in Iran. It's students, it's the

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<v Speaker 2>middle class, it's the older Iranians that have lost faith

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<v Speaker 2>in the leadership of the Ayatola. It's intellectuals, it's artists

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<v Speaker 2>who are often involved in this, and you know, and

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<v Speaker 2>it's women. It's women who are among the most oppressed

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<v Speaker 2>in Iran.

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<v Speaker 1>Right.

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<v Speaker 2>There are all kinds of Sharia laws against you know,

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<v Speaker 2>what they can Iranian laws against what they can wear

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<v Speaker 2>and not wear, and covering their hair, not covering their hair,

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<v Speaker 2>h So this is uh, you know, these are this

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<v Speaker 2>is a you know, we should really give credit to

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<v Speaker 2>the Iranians who are going into the streets and risking

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<v Speaker 2>their lives, hoping, praying that their demonstrations can really bring

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<v Speaker 2>a change to this regime. And I think it's only possible, really, uh,

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<v Speaker 2>if there is some kind of help from the outside. Uh.

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<v Speaker 2>And over time, the regime is not according to the Israelis,

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<v Speaker 2>the regime is not in a moment today where it

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<v Speaker 2>can be bombed out of existence, right. It needs to

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<v Speaker 2>be weakened over time until it falls over, much like

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<v Speaker 2>you know, much like the Syrian victator, right who unfortunately

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<v Speaker 2>in that case it took years. But I think Iran

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<v Speaker 2>is a different case, and getting rid of the Iranian

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<v Speaker 2>regime would change the entire region in the Middle East

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<v Speaker 2>for the better, right, I mean the entire world, right right, Right,

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<v Speaker 2>So this is you know, this is a regime that

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<v Speaker 2>you know, it's not it's not yet on its last legs.

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<v Speaker 2>But this is another important moment that could be wisely

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<v Speaker 2>used to continue to weaken the regime. And I think

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<v Speaker 2>the president has obviously a lot of options on the table,

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<v Speaker 2>right he can he can impose more economic sanctions. He

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<v Speaker 2>can think about targeted assassinations that would weaken the regime.

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<v Speaker 2>He can think about cyber attacks, right right, he can,

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<v Speaker 2>and he can think about limited military strike or if

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<v Speaker 2>if you know, if the assessment is that, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>the regime would really fall in a couple of weeks,

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<v Speaker 2>then you know, if that's the assessment, which it's not,

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<v Speaker 2>that's not the assessment here in Israel, maybe he would

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<v Speaker 2>carry out you know, much wider scale attacks. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>there's still you know, iron still poses a threat to

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<v Speaker 2>the United States according to Europe and to the region.

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<v Speaker 1>Yep, yep, Jordana. I can't thank you enough for your

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<v Speaker 1>time and your expertise, and godspeed over there in Jerusalem.

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<v Speaker 1>We certainly appreciate you taking the time to join us

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<v Speaker 1>here today in Cincinnati.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, we'll talk Sin