Interview of Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Head of the Iqbal Forum, with Hum News Pakistan.

Field developments and missile strikes

Mr. Bagheri, referring to the new wave of U.S. and Israeli attacks on the cities of Tehran and Isfahan, cited reports from news sources, including Russian sources, indicating casualties and significant damage to U.S. and Israeli interests during the third phase of Iran’s responses, which included the launch of heavy ballistic missiles.

Introduction of Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei

In this interview, the issue of leadership succession was discussed as follows:

• Born in 1969 in Mashhad.
• Participated in the Iran-Iraq war at the age of 17.
• 17 years of teaching advanced jurisprudence (fiqh) and attaining the rank of ijtihad.
• Active role in modern fields such as artificial intelligence and housing infrastructure projects.
• Very close relations with military commanders and resistance figures such as General Qassem Soleimani and Hassan Nasrallah.

Iran’s stance toward neighbors and U.S. bases

Bagheri emphasized that Iran’s policy is clear: any country that provides its land or airspace to the enemy will be targeted. He warned regional countries not to allow U.S. bases to be used for attacks on Iran, as such locations would be considered legitimate military targets.

Infrastructure war: water and energy crisis

Given the heavy dependence of Persian Gulf countries on desalination facilities, Bagheri stated that if the war expands to infrastructure, Iran would suffer less damage due to its minimal dependence (2%) on such facilities, while some regional countries rely on them up to 90% and would face severe water crises.

Domestic situation and fuel prices

Despite Israeli attacks on some oil storage facilities around Tehran, fuel distribution has returned to normal. He said that unlike global markets and countries such as Pakistan, fuel and essential goods prices in Iran have not increased due to wartime conditions, and rationing continues at previous prices.

Control over the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has not fully closed the Strait of Hormuz but has imposed strict control over traffic. Accordingly, only ships belonging to the United States, Israel, or their wartime allies are stopped, while vessels from countries such as China and Russia continue their passage without issue.