President Donald Trump admitted to reporters on Tuesday that the worst-case scenario is that “someone takes over who is as bad as the previous person.” Trump told NBC News senior White House correspondent Garrett Hawke on Thursday that he has a list of priorities for the next Iranian leader — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in an interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Lamas, rejected the possibility of U.S. involvement in the succession process.
The man, who spoke to NBC News, said he feared reprisals for sharing his story — especially after a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters killed more Iranians in a couple of days in January than in the war so far, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
“I just want a happy life, a good life, to be prosperous. But these ideological – how to say – dictators, terrorists have ruined many generations in Iran,” he said. “They’ve killed too many people.”
Life in the once bustling Tehran is now grim, although residents for the most part have access to food, water and electricity – even if it’s been touched off. The Iranian government has placed the country under an internet blackout, making all communication with the outside world difficult, if not impossible. An Iranian man’s account from the war zone to NBC News presents the first, most complete look at what people there are going through.
“I know many people love this country. You have (a) huge amount of patriots inside and outside. We are a proud nation,” he said. “We are culturally rich. We care about art. We care about living, laughing, dancing, listening to music, everything that any human being needs to create meaning in their lives, but they have made us suppress those feelings.”
The Iranian man said he does not fear death – if it comes – as part of an armed uprising.
“I’m almost 30 years old, right? I’ve been through this administration. I’ve lost money … I’ve seen people suffer,” he said. “For me, I don’t care too much about my life as long as it’s meaningful. And this is one way — now that I’m talking to you — one of the ways I make it meaningful.”
