Al Mayadeen TV (Beirut) featured a segment in its news program on the letter sent by the IRGC to the American people. The program, the nightly 50-minute “The Great Standoff: Iran and the World,” included excerpts of the contents of the letter, then asked for comment from the two guests, Dr. Seyed Mohammad Marandi and the Schiller Institute’s Harley Schlanger.

Schlanger opened by saying that the letter opens an extremely important flank against the narrative in the West about the “evil, terroristic” Iranians, and is an example of an asymmetric response. (Earlier in the program, the two guests were asked to discuss whether Trump would launch an attack before or after the midterms, and what Iran might do.) He said the U.S. explanation for the war has been based on false narratives and that the war is increasingly unpopular as a result. For the IRGC, which has been a target of U.S. psychological warfare, to appeal to the American people over the head of the Epstein-class war hawks is an excellent move.

Marandi agreed, saying that the war has gotten more unpopular as it has dragged on, and is having a powerful negative effect on the U.S. economy. When asked by the host if the news of the letter can get through the controlled media, Marandi pointed to social media and podcasts, which are somewhat more free to report such developments. He added that there are groups who operate outside the mainstream, and are becoming more influential, and give a voice to people like Harley and himself. Schlanger added that there is growing recognition that the mainstream media lie and promote the pro-war narratives of the Zionist billionaires.