The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)

06/15/2026

Read analysis: 's Hard State: How Rawalpindi Is Turning Grievance Into Rebellion - Report & audio here https://ow.ly/U1ni50ZbUcZ

06/15/2026

Against Background Of U.S.-Iran Agreement, Articles In Gulf Press Question Iran's Sincerity, Warn Trump Administration Against Abandoning Demands To Dismantle Iran’s Missile Program And Regional Proxies - Report & audio here https://ow.ly/1H8C50ZbTkl

06/15/2026

Iraqi Writer Ghaith Al-Tamimi: There Are a Million Causes in the World, Why Are There Only Rallies for the Palestinian Cause? Why Is Our National Security Dependent on Gaza? This Is Not Our Cause and We Should Not Die for It

Iraqi writer and researcher Ghaith Al-Tamimi said in a June 5, 2026 interview with Mohanned Majeed on YouTube that Iraq’s national security should not depend on whether Israel and Gaza are at war or at peace. He argued that Iraq’s national security has nothing to do with Gaza or Tehran and questioned why Palestine is considered the foremost cause of Arabs and Muslims. Asking whether Palestine is more important than Baghdad, he said that Iraqis are often looked down upon while being expected to sacrifice for the Palestinian cause.

Al-Tamimi asked why Iraqis should die for Gaza or why Lebanon should be destroyed because of Gaza, adding: “Just explain it to me. Why are the Palestinians better than me?” He said that Palestinians are not better than he is and that he would not sacrifice himself for them because their cause is not his cause. He further argued that conflicts in Syria, Sudan, and Yemen have not generated the same global mobilization as the war between Israel and Gaza, which he said has united groups ranging from the global left, Christians, liberals, and nationalists to Salafis, the Muslim Brotherhood, and supporters of Iran’s doctrine of the Rule of the Jurisprudent.

See more here: https://www.memri.org/tv/ghaith-al-tamimi-iraq-gaza-palestinians-better-than-me

06/15/2026

Hizbullah MP Ali Fayyad: The Turkish Ambassador Assured Me Turkey Supports Hizbullah’s Role in Lebanon; Turkey Says Syria Will Not Succumb to U.S.-Israeli Pressure to Confront Hizbullah

Hizbullah MP Ali Fayyad said in a June 10, 2026 appearance on Al-Mayadeen TV that he recently visited the Turkish Embassy in Lebanon and met with the Turkish ambassador. He confirmed that Hizbullah officials have made frequent trips to Turkey to discuss the future of relations between Hizbullah and Turkey, as well as Turkey’s role in the region. Fayyad said that the Turkish ambassador reassured Hizbullah that Turkey is playing a fundamental role in Syria and that Syria would not “succumb” to American and Israeli pressure to act against Hizbullah in Lebanon. He added that he was struck by the level of Turkish support for Hizbullah’s role in Lebanon, saying that as long as there is an Israeli occupation in Lebanon, the “resistance” remains necessary and no one can strip it of its legitimacy.

See more here: https://www.memri.org/tv/lebanon-ali-fayyad-turkey-syria-pressure-hizbullah

06/15/2026

Former Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki: Iran Should Seize a U.S. Base in the Region and Take 100 U.S. Soldiers Hostage; We Are Capable of Conducting a Serious Ground War

Former Iranian foreign minister and current Majles member Manouchehr Mottaki said in a June 11, 2026 appearance on Channel 1 (Iran) that Iran is capable of conducting a “serious” ground war. He said that the numerous U.S. military bases across the region are legitimate targets and that Iran would strike them. Mottaki argued that Iran should go further and seize one of the bases, claiming that Iran has the capability to do so. He added that each of these bases hosts hundreds or even thousands of U.S. “terrorists,” and suggested that Iran could capture 100 American personnel and quickly transfer them to Iran.

See more here: https://www.memri.org/tv/iran-manouchehr-mottaki-seize-us-base-take-americans-hostage

06/15/2026

Iranian Military Analyst Majid Rajabi: Iran’s Nuclear Threshold Doctrine Has Failed; Only Possession of a Nuclear Bomb Can Create Deterrence; Threat of 19,000 People in Israel, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Europe, and America Being Vaporized Would Dissuade Attacks on Iran

Iranian military analyst Majid Rajabi said in a June 9, 2026 episode of Khate Energy on YouTube that it is “vital” for Iran to change its nuclear doctrine and move beyond a strategy of remaining at the threshold of nuclear capability. He said that before the attacks on Iran by what he described as two nuclear powers, the United States and Israel, in June 2025 and March-April 2026, Iranian leaders believed deterrence could be achieved through missiles, UAVs, and the ability to build a nuclear weapon if necessary. Rajabi said that this theory has failed.

Rajabi argued that deterrence requires already possessing a nuclear weapon, not merely the capability to build one. Referring to remarks he attributed to Ali Larijani before his assassination, he said that Iran had previously threatened to move toward a nuclear bomb if attacked, but maintained that this was insufficient. He claimed that the prospect of 19,000 people in Israel, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Europe, and the United States being vaporized would deter these countries from attacking Iran, and stressed that under current circumstances only a nuclear bomb can provide Iran with effective deterrence. He added that such a capability is more important to Iranians than their daily livelihood.

See more here: https://www.memri.org/tv/majid-rajabi-iran-nuclear-doctrine-deterrence-bomb

06/11/2026

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's Dramatic Declarations Of Sovereignty: Lebanon Belongs To The Lebanese, Not To Iran; We Want To Live In Peace And Not Die In Iran's Wars - Report & audio here https://ow.ly/wZgQ50ZaChK

06/11/2026

'Subhan Allah' – 'Allah Be Praised' – What A Coincidence: The U.S. F-15, Apache, And MQ-9 Combat Aircraft Sold To Qatar – With Their Top-Secret Technology & Despite DoD Concerns – Are Same Types Of Aircraft Shot Down By Iran - Report & audio here https://ow.ly/TI5F50ZaBF5

MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian, Urdu-Pashtu, Turkish, Chinese, and Russian media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Mi...

06/11/2026

Former Bahraini Information Minister Sameera Rajab: It Is the Arabian Gulf, Not the Persian Gulf; Iran Occupied Ahwaz and Renamed It; The Only Way to Confront Iran Is through “Brute Force”

Sameera Rajab, former Bahraini minister of information, said in a June 5, 2026 episode of the Arab Cast podcast on YouTube that the Gulf should be called the Arabian Gulf, not the Persian Gulf. She said that until the early 20th century the entire Gulf and all the countries along its shores were Arab, but that Iran occupied the Kingdom of Ahwaz, incorporated it into its territory, and subsequently began calling it the Persian Gulf. Rajab warned against allowing Iran authority over the Strait of Hormuz and argued that the only way to confront Iran is through “brute force.” She said that Saddam Hussein had been right to wage war against Iran and claimed that Iran has always feared the Arabs when they were strong.

See more here: https://www.memri.org/tv/bahrain-sameera-rajab-arab-gulf-persian-gulf-ahwaz-iran

06/11/2026

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi: Jerusalem Will Be Liberated Just Like Damascus, Aleppo, and Nagorno-Karabakh; Allah Will Restore Jerusalem to Our Control under Erdoğan’s Leadership

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said in a speech posted to his X account on June 6, 2026 that Jerusalem will be liberated just as Damascus, Aleppo, and Nagorno-Karabakh were liberated. He expressed confidence that Jerusalem would eventually return to “our” control and said that this outcome would come, in particular, through the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Çiftçi also said that while serving as a governor he regularly prayed to Allah to grant him governorship over Jerusalem, “if only for one day.” His remarks about Jerusalem’s future liberation and Erdoğan’s role in it were met with extended applause from the audience.

See more here: https://www.memri.org/tv/mustafa-ciftci-jerusalem-liberation-erdogan