With new developments breaking on that front, we take you live to Tel Aviv and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren. Ambassador, thank you for joining us.
According to Iran’s state media, the senior Iranian cleric Javadi Amoli says that shedding the blood of Israelis and Trump is what is required of, quote, devout Shiite Muslims. How do you interpret this? Is this a new kind of holy war?
Good to be with you, Liz. No, there is actually nothing new about this. We have been hearing the same messages out of Iran since 1979.
This is a regime that, literally every day since then, 47 years ago, has sworn to destroy the State of Israel and, not just sworn it, has tried to carry out those plots by killing Israelis and killing Jews around the world, including in South America. So there is really nothing new about calling for a holy war to kill my people.
Yes, it has been one thing after another over the past decades. But as we look at what is happening at different embassies across the Middle East, they are targets. We know we have lost servicemen who happened to be in Qatar. Obviously, it is a very touch‑and‑go situation, and some people see this as potentially awakening lone wolves and sleeper cells.
We have to be very vigilant. We know that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terror in the world.
And it supports terror against multiple targets, not just Israelis and Jews, but also Americans. They have tried to assassinate senior American officials such as Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, and even the President of the United States. And I want to tell you that when I was ambassador, they tried…
