MSNBC's Tehran bureau chief Ali Arouzi, who on Tuesday evening recklessly repeated Iranian state media claims that 30 American soldiers were killed during Tuesday night's missile attack, was at it again on Wednesday on MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson where he declared, contrary to all evidence, that Ayatollah Khamenei was getting exactly what he wanted.
After declaring that Iran's goal is to eject the U.S. from the Middle East, Arouzi hyped how Iranians responded to Qasem Soleimani's death citing "celebrations in some towns, Hallie, celebrating the attack last night" and that "There was a wide cross-section of this country that wanted retribution for the death of Qasem Soleimani. I mean, we saw a million people possibly come out into the streets of Iran for his funeral. There was a stampede in his hometown where 78 people died, so passions were running high and they wanted is only sort of revenge for it."
How many of those people were genuinely there to mourn Soleimani is something we may never know, but it is known that authoritarian regimes will often force people to "mourn" in public so they can feed people like Arouzi these talking points.
Despite the fact that the regime probably just suffered its greatest setback in decades, Arouzi declared that things couldn't be better for the regime: " Also, the Ayatollah Khamenei is getting what he wants. He's paid a very high price in losing his right hand man, the guy that's visualized all of the strategies he's wanted in this region. But it's also expedited the fact that America seems on the losing a strong foot hold here in this wider region and in the Middle East."
Except, there's no evidence of that. The United States is still in the Middle East and for all the talk about Iraq, the Iranian-friendly prime minister is in the unusual place of having not yet stepped down, despite resigning. As for the talk about the Iraqi parliament, the vote to expel U.S. troops was largely symbolic and was boycotted by Sunni and Kurdish members of parliament.
Here is a transcript for the January show:
MSNBC
MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson
10:05 AM ET
ALI AROUZI: Even the minister of defense here in this country just gave a presser a short while ago and he said the next move is up to America. What happens next is up to America. But the ideology hasn't changed. They want to get rid of America from this region. It's -- all walks -- people from all walks of life are saying that and there have been celebrations in some towns, Hallie, celebrating the attack last night. There was a wide cross-section of this country that wanted retribution for the death of Qasem Soleimani. I mean, we saw a million people possibly come out into the streets of Iran for his funeral. There was a stampede in his hometown where 78 people died, so passions were running high and they wanted is only sort of revenge for it. But today, I think Iran is feeling victorious and they're waiting to see what the next move from the United States is. Also, the Ayatollah Khamenei is getting what he wants. He's paid a very high price in losing his right hand man, the guy that's visualized all of the strategies he's wanted in this region. But it's also expedited the fact that America seems on the losing a strong foot hold here in this wider region and in the Middle East.
