Mohammad Marandi, a US-born professor of literature at the University of Tehran, who has been speaking with foreign media online during the war and participated in negotiations last week in Pakistan, told Judge Andrew Napolitano’s podcast that people in the Gulf Arab states should leave now if they expect the conflict to re-escalate. Marandi said if President Trump carries out his threat to bomb Iranian infrastructure “at levels the world has never seen before” unless negotiations resume, Iran will retaliate in kind-targeting power plants, ports, bridges, and desalination facilities in the Gulf Arab states. “Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar-these are all American client regimes. Without their cooperation, the United States could not have carried out this war,” he said. “If Trump carries out his threat to bomb critical infrastructure, Iran will do the same to Israel and to these Gulf regimes.” “If Iran’s critical infrastructure is struck, their critical infrastructure will be struck. People will not be able to live there. ” The Arab Gulf states are especially vulnerable, relying heavily on oil and gas, seaborne shipping, and water desalination to support large cities of millions of people in climate conditions that could never naturally sustain them. “The difference is that if Iran’s power plants are struck, we will suffer-but Iran is not a desert,” Marandi said. “Tehran still has snow on the mountains. These Gulf countries are mostly deserts. If their power plants are struck, people will not be able to live there.” “People should leave these five countries,” he repeated. “It is going to get very hot in the next few weeks. If Iran’s critical infrastructure is struck, their critical infrastructure will be struck. And then, people will not be able to live there.” Marandi also warned that the conflict is already beginning to ripple through global markets and supply chains. “The rising prices of food and fuel are only the beginning,” he warned. “The siege works both ways-shortages of oil, LNG, fertilizers, helium, petrochemicals. This is getting worse by the minute.” “What we’re seeing right now is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “And the world is going to blame the United States, the Israeli regime, and President Trump for this harm.” See his full conversation with Andrew Napolitano:

MOHAMED MARANDI: It is aggression. The whole war is a war of aggression. Iran did not start the war. The Strait of Hormuz was open before the war. Iran was not controlling it and had no ambition to control it before the war. Now, the Strait of Hormuz could be opened if, right now, President Trump were to say that he will end the siege on Iranian ports. The Iranians would open the Strait of Hormuz. But I think the mistake being made in these comments is the idea that the siege will work against Iran. The siege works both ways. The global crisis-the energy crisis-is growing by the minute: shortages of oil, LNG, fertilizers, helium, petrochemicals. This is getting worse by the minute. By shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, they may harm Iranians, but they are harming the entire world. And the world is going to blame the United States, the Israeli regime, and President Trump for this harm. What we’re seeing right now, Judge, is just the tip of the iceberg. The rising prices of food and fuel are only the beginning. ANDREW NAPOLITANO: Professor Marandi, what happens if the Americans stop a ship with two million barrels of oil destined for China? MOHAMED MARANDI: What the Americans-what the people around Trump-don’t seem to realize is that the Persian Gulf is full of ships carrying fuel, many of them supertankers. Iran will confiscate those. Iran will retaliate. Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar-these are all American client regimes. They are all part of this war against Iran. Without their cooperation, the United States could not have carried out this war. So Iran will say: you were part of this war. If you take our tanker, we take yours. This is not a solution. It will only delay any hope of reopening the Strait of Hormuz so the global economy can recover. Even if the Strait were opened today, the situation would get worse before it stabilizes. The way things are going now, we are gradually moving toward an economic depression. If the United States resumes the war-and that is quite possible, they’re preparing-then it will be catastrophic. If Trump carries out his threat to bomb critical infrastructure like power plants, Iran will do the same to Israel and to these family regimes in the Persian Gulf, because they are part of the war. I tweeted yesterday that people in these countries should leave. The ceasefire was about to end, and we were expecting war before Trump for whateveer reason backed down. I said people should leave these five countries because it’s going to get very hot in the Persian Gulf in the next few weeks. If Iran’s critical infrastructure is struck, their critical infrastructure will be struck. People will not be able to live there. ANDREW NAPOLITANO: Here’s what you posted yesterday: Everyone should immediately leave the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Sailors and all ships in the Persian Gulf must also prepare to evacuate their ships. This is especially urgent for ships near the Strait of Hormuz, which will be destroyed first. Time is running out. What did you mean when you said that? MOHAMED MARANDI: When Trump said again that it would be power plant day and bridge day, and that he would destroy Iran, that would mean Iran would strike back. Iran would strike critical infrastructure in Israel and in these countries. The difference is that if Iran’s power plants are struck, we will suffer-but Iran is not a desert country. Tehran still has snow on the mountains. These Gulf countries are deserts. If their power plants are struck, they will not be able to live there during the hot season. If there is all-out war, ships in the Persian Gulf will be targeted. We already saw ships struck in recent days. If there is no U.S. attack, that’s one thing. But if Trump does carry out attacks on Iran’s critical infrastructure, then there will be no oil or gas installations left in the Persian Gulf. Iran will destroy them. These countries would collapse, and people would have to leave very quickly. I think the White House does not appreciate the scale of the crisis it could create for the entire Arabian Peninsula if it carries out these threats. ANDREW NAPOLITANO: Chris informs me that your post-which is on the screen-has 1.9 million views. That’s an extraordinary number.

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