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A University of Tehran professor said in an interview that Iran likes seeing protests on U.S. college campuses, adding those are their supporters if there is ever a conflict between the two countries.

Professor Foad Izadi, who, according to the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy, earned his master’s degree from the University of Houston, was seen in a video being interviewed about the protests in the U.S.

“Sooner or later, this kind of support for the Zionist regime by the American regime will diminish. It might not stop completely, but its diminishing is important,” he said. “This is why the demonstrations [on U.S. campuses] are important.”

Izadi spoke as a member of the Islamic Republic, and oftentimes said, “we,” referring to him and the republic.

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“We are watching the demonstrations and like what we see, but it should not end with this,” Izadi said. “If not for the Islamic Republic, the case of the Palestinian idea would have been closed years ago. The idea of resistance belongs to Iran, but on the operational level, when it comes to recruiting connections and building networks, the [Iranian] state has not been involved in a sufficient level.

“These (American students) are our people,” he continued. “If tensions between America and Iran rise tomorrow or the day after, these are the people who will have to take to the streets to support Iran.”

Izadi said there are Hezbollah-style groups in the U.S. that are much larger than those in Lebanon.

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“America is the Great Satan and our main enemy, but we have hope in these areas,” he said.

Iran expert and Foreign Desk Editor-in-Chief Lisa Daftari provided insight on Izadi’s comments.

“Quite rich to see the same regime that is fixated on torturing, raping, blinding, executing its own college students, is applauding the ignorant college students on American campuses,” she said. “It speaks to their focus on growing their influence outside of Iran.”

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A protester holds a sign during a march on Columbia University campus in support of a protest encampment supporting Palestinians in New York City, April 29, 2024.  (REUTERS/David Dee Delgado)

Daftari explained that Iran has been beefing up terror proxies in the region and paying their way into American universities.

But at the same time, she said, the Iranian people have suffered under the rule of their “barbaric” leaders.

After watching the comments, Daftari also said it was interesting to hear Izadi say they have more Hezbollah followers in the U.S. than in Lebanon.

“Regardless of when these pro-Hamas protests quiet down here in the U.S., it’s apparent the regime has its sights set on manipulating this momentum to launch more attacks here in the West,” she said. “The question then remains will they focus on a physical attack or just the information war, or both?”

The usual chants for higher salaries and equal pay echoed across the streets of Paris this Wednesday during the traditional May Day labour rights march. 

Ten of thousands of protestors took to the streets of the French capital against a backdrop of new demands such as peace in Gaza and against the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. 

But with less than six weeks left before the European elections on 9 June, the event turned into a highly political one. 

Many left-wing candidates didn’t miss the opportunity to present their campaign, all vying for attention. 

Representing the Communist party for the EU elections, Léon Deffontaine, the 28-year-old candidate is focusing his campaign on energy bills — a topic that catalysed numerous protests in France and Europe since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“The first measure I want to put in place is to take France out of the European electricity market to reduce energy bills. Today, we’re paying far more than the price we pay to produce electricity,” he told Euronews. 

Others emphasised the importance of protesting the rise of the far-right, currently leading the polls, represented by Jordan Bardella of the Rassemblement National party (RN). 

“May 1st is also an opportunity to remember that we must always fight against these anti-democratic, anti-republican parties that unfortunately swarm our country,” said Marie Toussaint, leader of the Green Party for the 9 June elections. 

According to a poll by IPSOS ordered by Euronews, Macron’s centrist alliance Renaissance is lagging by 15 points behind Bardella’s party. 

Meanwhile, in the southwestern city of Perpignan, Jordan Bardella gathered more than 2,000 people to announce his party’s first 35 candidates for the elections. 

These include candidates such as Fabrice Leggeri, ex-boss of Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.

End of April, two NGOs filed a civil complaint against Leggeri accusing him of being complicit in crimes against humanity for enabling ‘pushback’ of boats full of illegal migrants between 2015 and 2022.

Bardella’s move was highly criticised by left-wing parties, claiming the far-right politician was taking away the attention from worker’s issues.

“Taking advantage of May 1st  to launch a campaign shows that he couldn’t care less about French workers,” reacted Léon Deffontaines, the Communist candidate. 

In Saint-Etienne (near Lyon), the head of the socialist party, Raphaël Glucksmann, was prevented from joining the march. 

Multiple protesters threw paint and eggs at the EU election candidate, currently third in the polls after the far-right and Marcon’s centrist alliance. 

In total, about 121,000 people marched across France according to the Ministry of the Interior, while the main labour union CGT claimed “more than 210,000” participated in the marches in the country.