Patrick Bet-David CONFRONTS John Kiriakou

The discussion begins with a clip from a podcast where the speaker, John, makes several claims about Patrick Bet-David, the host. John identifies Patrick as a "hardcore Zionist" and a "1000% backer" of Reza Pahlavi's return to Iran. He also attributes a statement to Patrick, claiming that 94% of Iranian people support the overthrow of the regime, a statement Patrick denies ever making. John further criticizes "monarchists" online for making up statistics and spreading misinformation, such as the claim that Iran only became Muslim a hundred years ago. He expresses skepticism about the widespread support for the Shah, given his brutal rule and overthrow by his own people. Patrick addresses these points one by one. First, regarding the "hardcore Zionist" claim, Patrick explains that the perception might stem from his interview with Benjamin Netanyahu and his previous comments about Reza Pahlavi. He clarifies that he had Pahlavi on his show twice, but Pahlavi later asked for help and then never responded, leading Patrick to make critical remarks about him. Patrick states that Pahlavi is "irrelevant" and a "clown." He mentions that Pahlavi, his wife, and daughter had followed him on social media but unfollowed him after he criticized the monarchists. Patrick contrasts Pahlavi's lack of action with leaders like Trump, Milei, and Bukele, who are willing to "do the legwork" and "pay the price." He displays a 15-foot painting of Pahlavi's father in his home, emphasizing that his criticism is directed at Reza Pahlavi, not the family lineage, because Pahlavi has spoken for 47 years about freeing Iran without achieving it. Patrick also reveals that an unnamed "big name" influencer warned him to "be careful" with Patrick because he "comes out swinging on Israel." John apologizes for being wrong about Patrick being Jewish and for spreading that misinformation. Next, Patrick addresses the 94% figure regarding support for regime overthrow. He questions when he ever said this and uses AI language models (Grok and ChatGPT) to research the percentage of Iranians who do not support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or the current regime. The AI models provide various poll results, indicating that around 80% to 92% of Iranians do not support the IRGC or express dissatisfaction with the regime. A leaked internal Iranian government poll from 2025 (commissioned by the presidency) found that 92% of Iranians hate the regime, including Supreme Leader Khamenei and the IRGC. Another poll from Gammon (Netherlands) indicated that only 13% to 14% have confidence in the IRGC, leaving 86% without confidence. It also noted that 70% to 80% favor regime change or major transformation, and 70% agree with designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization. These numbers, while not exactly 94%, align with the sentiment of widespread opposition, suggesting that the figure Patrick was attributed might have been a misremembered approximation of these statistics. John acknowledges that he was wrong and apologizes for perpetuating an untruth. Finally, Patrick brings up an interview he conducted with Mohsen Sazegara, a co-founder of the IRGC. Sazegara, initially suspicious, agreed to the podcast, despite having never appeared on any other. During the interview, Sazegara debunked the long-held propaganda claim that the Shah killed 100,000 political prisoners, stating the actual number was around 3,000 to 3,500. Sazegara, who was instrumental in the revolution's propaganda, also admitted that the Shah's personality was better than Khomeini's and that the Shah's efforts towards modernizing Iran were superior to the Islamic Republic. This revelation from a key figure in the IRGC is presented as significant evidence against the historical narratives spread by the regime. Patrick then expresses concern about a "very influential," "heavyweight guy" who he believes is creating division and spreading rumors behind closed doors, potentially the same person who misinformed John about Patrick. He suggests this individual is "the head of the snake" causing issues in relationships. John agrees that they might be talking about the same person and reiterates his apology for the inaccuracies he spread. The segment concludes with John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer, inviting listeners to connect with him on MNECT to discuss various topics related to the CIA, FBI, DOD, torture, and international renditions.