Iran Attack Imminent?; ICE Widens its Terror Campaign w/ Trita Parsi | MR Live

Trita Parsi argues that US sanctions have deliberately created a desperate economic situation in Iran, contributing to the radicalization of protests. The intent behind these sanctions, from the perspective of some US policymakers, was to make conditions so dire that people would risk their lives in violent protests, eliminating other avenues for change.

Parsi states, 'Their calculation... was you have to create such a desperate situation that people feel that they are better off risking their lives going out on the streets protesting and perhaps even using violence than allowing for any other type of process to take place to have change.'

Contrary to the stated goal of supporting Iranian protesters, US and Israeli public threats of intervention or support for opposition figures like the former Shah's son often backfire. These actions allow the Iranian regime to frame internal dissent as foreign interference, leading to a consolidation of support, even from institutions like the traditional army which previously refused to suppress protests.

Parsi notes, 'For the first time, the army has come out and said that they're going to be involved in taking out what they called foreign interference and foreign terrorist cells inside the country. So instead of seeing that Trump's threat cause defections within the regime, we're actually seeing a consolidation.'

ICE agents are actively engaged in racially profiling individuals, particularly non-white people, in public spaces like parking lots and gas stations, demanding identification without probable cause. Multiple incidents in Minnesota demonstrate ICE agents assaulting American citizens who attempt to record their actions, highlighting a pattern of impunity and a deliberate suppression of oversight.

The hosts describe ICE agents 'walking through parking lots... presumably looking for Uber drivers or Lift drivers... and they're looking for ones that are not white.' Video evidence shows ICE agents tackling and beating a 17-year-old American citizen for swearing at them, and smashing a car window to assault an observer.

Four senior leaders within the Justice Department's unit for investigating police killings resigned due to the administration's failure to investigate the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer. Simultaneously, the FBI is investigating the victim, Renee Good, and her family for 'activist ties,' rather than the officer responsible, suggesting a systemic bias against victims of state violence.

It is reported that 'at least four leaders of a Justice Department unit that investigates police killings have resigned in protest over the administration's handling of the shooting in Minneapolis.' Concurrently, 'the FBI... are investigating the victim... Renee Good and her family to see if they have any activist ties.'

Despite widespread public disapproval of ICE and its increasingly violent tactics, Democratic leadership, specifically Chuck Schumer, is criticized for prioritizing political expediency over using legislative power to defund or impose guardrails on the agency. This inaction allows ICE to operate with a 'slush fund' and expand its 'fascist' operations, directly linking cuts in social programs like healthcare subsidies to increased ICE funding.

AOC states, 'The cuts to your health care are what's paying for this. All that extra money that everybody's paying right now in their premiums... was taken out and given to ICE.' The hosts criticize Schumer for being 'desperate to just pass whatever funding is... the Republicans want to pass in the Senate.'