On Monday, while marveling over the “massive crowds” that “filled the streets of Tehran” following the U.S. killing of Iran’s leading terrorist Qasem Soleimani, NBC’s Today show hyped the notion that the authoritarian regime was under “pressure” to “retaliate in a big way” by killing Americans.
“Breaking overnight, massive crowds filled the streets of Tehran for the funeral of Iran’s top general killed in that U.S. drone strike, with new warnings of dark days ahead for America,” co-host Savannah Guthrie proclaimed at the top of the broadcast.
Spewing more Iranian propaganda minutes later, chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel gushed: “Iranian state television says that millions of people, in fact, have come out all across Iran to mourn Qasem Soleimani, the top general killed by the United States, while his successor has made a solemn oath for revenge.”
Noting the government-backed demonstrations “bringing Iran’s supreme leader to tears,” Engel declared: “Cities across Iran are now seas of black.” He then teed up a soundbite of NBC News Tehran bureau chief Ali Arouzi who recounted: “Extraordinary scenes of grief and anger, punctuated with chants of revenge and ‘Death to America.’”
Later in the morning, on MSNBC, Engel claimed that the U.S. turned Soleimani “into a martyr, if not a saint.”
NBC's @RichardEngel claims U.S. turned Soleimani "into a martyr, if not a saint" pic.twitter.com/ScfBWPVsAU
— Kyle Drennen (@kjdrennen) January 6, 2020
In a discussion with retired Navy Admiral James Stavridis later on the Today show, Guthrie referenced Engel’s reporting on “millions of people crowding this funeral procession” and wondered: “How much pressure are the leaders in Iran under to retaliate and retaliate in a big way?”
Stavridis, who was on Hillary Clinton’s short list for vice president, replied: “They’re under massive pressure. And as you heard, this is a level of demonstration we haven’t seen since the great revolution, if you will, in Iran....We’ve never seen demonstrations like that. This is a big deal in Tehran, obviously.”
After Guthrie asked him how Iran may respond, Stavridis actually provided a potential target list of Americans:
What the Iranians are going to do, Savannah, is look at that spectrum of violence that will run from attacking a U.S. Warship at sea in the Arabian Gulf to using those proxy forces you mentioned, perhaps in Afghanistan, against our troops there, perhaps in Iraq against our troops. They might go after an embassy. Most chillingly, I think, they might go after a senior U.S. military or diplomatic individual, sort of saying, “Well, you killed Soleimani, so we General ‘X’ in Europe,” for example, where they have significant capability.
On Friday’s Today show, fill-in co-host and Nightly News anchor Lester Holt similarly turned to Stavridis for analysis and suggested that the death of a terrorist like Soleimani actually created a “more dangerous world.”
As bad as the coverage was on NBC’s morning show, ABC’s Good Morning America featured a truly atrocious report from chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz, who seemed moved by the “powerful” mourning of the “revered” Soleimani.
Here is a transcript of the January 6 coverage on the Today show:
7:00 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Breaking overnight, massive crowds filled the streets of Tehran for the funeral of Iran’s top general killed in that U.S. drone strike, with new warnings of dark days ahead for America. The two nations exchange escalating threats.
(...)
7:03 AM ET
RICHARD ENGEL: And I wish I had better news for you. Iranian state television says that millions of people, in fact, have come out all across Iran to mourn Qasem Soleimani, the top general killed by the United States, while his successor has made a solemn oath for revenge.
Funeral processions unlike anything seen in decades are continuing this morning, bringing Iran’s supreme leader to tears, as he vows to avenge his top general, Qasem Soleimani, killed by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. Cities across Iran are now seas of black. Our Tehran bureau chief Ali Arouzi.
ALI AROUZI: Extraordinary scenes of grief and anger, punctuated with chants of revenge and “Death to America.” This is the largest funeral gathering since the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic in 1989.
(...)
7:09 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Let’s bring in retired four-star U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis. He served as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, he’s now an NBC News analyst. Admiral, good morning, it’s good to see you this morning.
JAMES STAVRIDIS: Same here, Savannah.
GUTHRIE: Let’s look at some of these images this morning coming in from Tehran and what Richard Engel reported was millions of people crowding this funeral procession. How much pressure are the leaders in Iran under to retaliate and retaliate in a big way?
STAVRIDIS: They’re under massive pressure. And as you heard, this is a level of demonstration we haven’t seen since the great revolution, if you will, in Iran. And by the way, let’s say hypothetically there are a million people marching in Tehran. On a population-adjusted basis, Savannah, compared to the United States, that would be like eight million people demonstrating in Washington, D.C. We’ve never seen demonstrations like that. This is a big deal in Tehran, obviously.
GUTHRIE: And so what do you expect the Iranian leaders to do? Because there’s obviously a menu of options, there are what they call asymmetrical warfare, they have proxies, people that they can have some deniability. And meanwhile, you have our president saying, “If you hit us, we’re going to hit back and we have 52 places to do it,” some of them culturally important to the Iranians.
STAVRIDIS: Let’s start by saying the U.S. Military will not attack cultural centers. That would be a violation of the laws of war. I cannot see that happening. What the Iranians are going to do, Savannah, is look at that spectrum of violence that will run from attacking a U.S. Warship at sea in the Arabian Gulf to using those proxy forces you mentioned, perhaps in Afghanistan, against our troops there, perhaps in Iraq against our troops. They might go after an embassy. Most chillingly, I think, they might go after a senior U.S. military or diplomatic individual, sort of saying, “Well, you killed Soleimani, so we General ‘X’ in Europe,” for example, where they have significant capability.
GUTHRIE: And the consequences of that are just hard to even fathom. Let me talk to you about the Iraqi parliament, it voted to expel U.S. troops. Is this likely to happen and what does that mean for our efforts there, particularly against ISIS, which is the real remaining objective there?
STAVRIDIS: Yeah, I have a friend who once said the only law of history is the law of unintended consequences. And that’s what we’re seeing here, Savannah. Our troops are almost certainly going to have to leave Iraq. Unintended consequence. Our fight against the Islamic State is going to be seriously degraded as a result. Unintended consequence. Israel may come under attack from Hezbollah rockets. Unintended consequence. And I would argue, as you look around the world, look what’s happening today in Venezuela where Maduro, a dictator, is imposing his will over the democratically elected leader, Juan Guido. Why is he doing that? Because of these distractions. Unintended consequence.
GUTHRIE: Wow, Admiral Stavridis, you certainly have the context that’s interesting to hear this morning. Thank you very much. We really appreciate your perspective.
STAVRIDIS: Welcome back.
GUTHRIE: Thank you.
