Podcast Summary: "Will End In DISASTER!” Will Trump Strike Iran?

Podcast: Piers Morgan Uncensored
Host: Piers Morgan
Episode Date: January 13, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dissects the escalating crisis in Iran amid mass protests and a violent regime crackdown. Piers Morgan assembles a diverse panel—former Governor Mike Huckabee, Cenk Uygur (The Young Turks), Goldie Gamari (ex-MP), Chuck Todd (journalist), Rob O’Neill (ex-Navy SEAL), Mohammad Marandi (Tehran University professor), and comedian Omid Djalili—to debate whether US President Donald Trump is poised to strike Iran, the possible outcomes, and the real drivers of regime change or foreign intervention. The discussion explores US/Israeli motivations, the risks of military action, the legacy of foreign interventions, and the real sentiments of the Iranian people.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Position and Options on Iran

• Piers Morgan sets the scene: Since the last broadcast, Trump has authorized multiple military actions globally, including airstrikes on Islamists and a Delta Force mission, signaling a readiness to "help" Iran’s protesters (00:57).
• Trump’s Message: “Iranian patriots, keep protesting... they will pay a big price. I've canceled all meetings with Iranian officials... Help is on its way. Make Iran great again.” (04:00)
• Uncertainty of Response: Mike Huckabee, Trump’s ambassador to Israel, says, “All options are on the table,” including both military and economic measures, but refuses to specify details (07:28).

2. The Panel Debate: Foreign Interests, Propaganda, and Dangers of Intervention

• Cenk Uygur’s Critique:
  • Accuses Israel of pushing for regime change and influencing US policy: “Israel wants regime change in Iran. They've wanted it for 20 years... everything [Mike Huckabee] just said to you was propaganda for Israel.” (00:13, 17:29)
  • Warns, “If you bomb them... they will rally around the flag... I guarantee you this will end in disaster if Israel forces us to get involved.” (17:45)
  • Urges against “repeating the Iraq war disaster” and imposing a puppet regime.
• Goldie Gamari’s Rebuttal:
  • Insists the uprising is homegrown: “Iranians right now are literally risking their lives out there and they are saying this is the final battle. Pahlavi will return... we used to be a constitutional monarchy just like England. That is what we are fighting for.” (20:34)
• Chuck Todd’s Analysis:
  • Notes regime desperation: “There’s not drinking water in Tehran... the level of desperation... is at a level we haven’t been able to fully understand... this is coming.” (23:56)
  • Questions the pace: “This regime will fall, but it may not be until this time next year.” (25:00)
• Rob O’Neill’s Military Perspective: Expresses support for Iranian people but is wary of US ground intervention: "We definitely don't want boots on the ground... all we're getting is people screaming at each other. If you're a regime that's turning off the Internet, it's a telltale sign of what's going on." (46:36)

3. Inside Iran: Competing Narratives

• Mohammad Marandi (Regime-aligned):
  • Insists the protests were infiltrated by foreign agents and turned violent: “We had currency manipulation... peaceful protests among business people... then we had infiltration and we had violent rioters... Mossad is on the ground with the rioters.” (31:23)
  • Claims millions turned out for pro-regime rallies, dismisses reports of mass killings as Western fabrications (34:23).
• Challenge by Panelists:
  • Goldie Gamari and others dispute footage/timelines—“That footage is from [General] Soleimani’s funeral in 2020. That is 100% propaganda.” (36:47)
  • Piers: “When a regime shuts off the Internet, what it’s really doing is... so that we can’t see what we’re doing.” (39:51)
  • Marandi: “That is an utterly dishonest take. The numbers are fabricated… you are just like journalists who talked about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.” (40:45)

4. What Should America Do? Division on Policy

• Mike Huckabee (Pro-Trump):
  • Repeats the “peace through strength” mantra, draws analogy to the fall of the Berlin Wall: “There may come a time very soon when some police... say, I’m not going to kill my neighbors... then it’s game over.” (11:12)
  • Refutes isolationist criticism: “America first. Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean America only. We’re not isolationist… President Trump did not get us into a protracted war...” (13:25)
• Cenk Uygur’s Opposition: “If you bomb them... the regime is going to use that to rally the Iranian people to their side... deeply counterproductive.” (47:57)
• Chuck Todd’s Moderation: “Finding a way to support these protesters is something we should be leaning into… That doesn’t mean you do it with tanks.” (51:46)

5. The Protests and the Fate of the Regime

• Momentum and Hope:
  • Goldie Gamari: Outlines a transition plan to democracy with exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi; “We’re not asking for boots on the ground... we’ll determine the form of our democracy by a national referendum.” (52:59)
  • She emphasizes unity and determination: “It’s either liberty or death.” (54:50)
  • Omid Djalili: “Estimates are between 2,000 to 12,000 people being killed in two days... something incredible; we're looking at something seismic.” (61:05)
  • Chuck Todd: “Maybe the current president [of Iran] could be their Gorbachev?” (67:18)

6. The Information War: Internet Shutdowns and Narratives

• Fog of (Info) War: Regime shut down the internet; this is seen as an attempt to hide mass repression.
• First Hand Reports: Omid Djalili shares stories of friends’ families killed, bodies withheld unless their deaths are blamed on protesters—“That kind of propaganda is being pushed.” (62:23)
• Muted International Solidarity: Hollywood and global leaders have been slow to publicly support Iranian protesters, with Djalili and Morgan calling this out as “othering” of the Iranian people (60:20, 60:42).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“When a regime shuts off the Internet, what it’s really doing is... so we can kill them, and the rest of the world can’t see what we’re doing.”
– Piers Morgan (39:51)

“If Trump carries out an attack on Iran, Iranian retaliation will be massive.”
– Mohammad Morandi (38:00 / 44:42)

“All this bullshit about how the Iranian people would like to be bombed... I guarantee you this will end in disaster...”
– Cenk Uygur (17:45 / 47:17)

“Iranians are literally risking their lives out there and they are saying this is the final battle. Pahlavi will return... we used to be a constitutional monarchy just like England.”
– Goldie Gamari (20:34)

“We have a regime that funds terrorism... the whole modus operandi and aim is to destroy Israel... and that’s fact. Iranians know. That’s the thing that we are pushing back against.”
– Omid Djalili (64:16)

“No boots on the ground... this, again, has to come back to the Iranian people... all we're getting is people screaming at each other.”
– Rob O’Neill (46:36)

“America first. Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean America only. We’re not isolationist...”
– Mike Huckabee (13:25)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Trump’s Recent Actions & Statement: 00:57–04:22
• Mike Huckabee Interview: 03:43–15:12
• Panel Debate Launch: 15:15
• Cenk Uygur on War, Israel, and Propaganda: 16:28–19:27, 47:17
• Goldie Gamari’s Rebuttal and Advocacy for Monarchy: 19:39–22:10, 52:59
• Chuck Todd on Regime Collapse and Aid: 23:56–26:14
• Rob O’Neill’s Military Perspective: 27:03–29:07, 46:36, 57:44
• Mohammad Marandi’s Regime Defense: 31:23–43:42
• Panel’s Response to Marandi: 43:40–47:03
• Closing Panel Arguments (Risks of War, Protest Spirit): 47:17–54:50
• Omid Djalili Interview: 59:25–69:33

Tone & Language

The episode is heated, often adversarial, with sharp exchanges and frequent interruptions.

• Cenk Uygur and Goldie Gamari in particular clash fiercely over who speaks for the Iranian people and the dangers of foreign intervention.
• Piers Morgan challenges both regime narratives and panelist hyperbole, while maintaining urgency and skepticism.
• Omid Djalili ends the show with heartfelt advocacy for the Iranian people’s agency, injecting humanity and emotional resonance.

Concluding Insight

The episode reflects the complexity, passion, and international stakes of the Iranian uprising. The guest lineup embodies the broader ideological struggle over foreign intervention, regime change, moral clarity versus realpolitik, and the limits of Western influence. As Iran’s fate hangs in the balance, all agree: what happens next could reshape not just the Middle East, but the world order.