Goldie Ghamari - OANN Iran Interview with Chanel Rion - April 17, 2026

00:00:00.000 In a move that has sent oil prices tumbling and waves of relief in global energy markets,

00:00:10.660 Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz fully open to all commercial vessels today,

00:00:16.360 citing a ceasefire tied to the recent de-escalation in Lebanon.

00:00:21.640 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated the passage is completely open

00:00:26.740 for the remainder of the truce period, a reversal after weeks of tension during which the waterway,

00:00:31.940 through which roughly one-fifth of global oil passes, had been effectively weaponized.

00:00:37.820 President Trump acknowledged the announcement. He said thank you, but emphasized that the U.S.

00:00:43.000 naval blockade on Iranian ships and ports remains in force until a permanent peace agreement is

00:00:49.320 secured. The reopening coincides with accelerating U.S.-Iran negotiations aimed at ending the

00:00:56.720 broader conflict. According to sources briefed on the talks, Washington and Tehran are discussing

00:01:02.520 a framework that includes the release of approximately $20 billion in frozen Iranian

00:01:08.160 funds in exchange for Iran surrendering its entire stockpile of enriched uranium.

00:01:15.260 That is nearly 2,000 kilograms, including material enriched to 60% purity. The proposal,

00:01:22.140 Zul, described as one element of a three-page plan, is under active discussion with indirect

00:01:27.580 talks, potentially resuming as soon as this weekend in Islamabad, mediated by Pakistan

00:01:33.180 and supported by Egypt and Turkey.

00:01:36.080 Differences remain.

00:01:37.480 U.S. officials have pushed for a long-term enrichment pause while Iran seeks a shorter

00:01:42.940 timeline.

00:01:43.440 But the cash-free uranium concept signals a potential path toward denuclearization as

00:01:50.020 part of a wider war-ending deal.

00:01:52.140 Yet, even as external pressures ease, Iran's leadership is doubling down on internal repression.

00:01:59.700 The protests, widely described as the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic since 1979,

00:02:05.840 continue to simmer despite a brutal crackdown earlier this year that killed thousands and triggered nationwide Internet blackouts.

00:02:13.400 What began as an economic unrest in Tehran's Grand Bazaar in late December rapidly evolved into a broad based ground revolution with demonstrators in hundreds of cities demanding an end to the regime itself.

00:02:28.320 Though authorities claimed victory in quelling this initial wave by mid-January, fresh waves of student-led and provincial protests have reignited since February, fueled by economic collapse, war fatigue, and long-simmering grievances toward the regime.

00:02:44.460 And against this entire backdrop, human rights organizations warn of eminent executions Iran is preparing to carry out.

00:02:53.340 The death sentence of Bida Hamadi, for instance, set to become the first woman executed in connection with the recent anti-regime demonstrations.

00:03:02.300 Several other protesters and dissidents, including those arrested during the January unrest phase, face execution in the coming days.

00:03:09.920 part of a surge in capital punishment that has seen dozens executed by hangings since the protests

00:03:16.340 have erupted. Amnesty International and other monitors have documented secret executions and

00:03:21.420 last-minute warnings from prosecutors, calling the campaign a deliberate effort to crush dissent,

00:03:27.900 even as the regime engages in high-stakes diplomacy abroad. The contrast is stark,

00:03:34.760 A regime signaling openness on the global stage while tightening its grip at home?

00:03:40.960 Whether the Hormuz reopening and the proposed nuclear deal can translate into lasting stability

00:03:46.980 or whether the unresolved revolutionary pressures inside Iran will derail the fragile progress

00:03:52.720 remains all the central question going into the days ahead.

00:03:56.640 Joining us now to give us her expert read on the latest in Iran is Iranian-born Canadian,

00:04:01.680 former member of Provincial Parliament of Ontario, Goldie Gamari.

00:04:05.600 Goldie, what is your take on the current simmering situation on the inside?

00:04:12.760 Well, there's a lot of things going on. 0.86

00:04:14.820 Of course, the Islamic regime is increasing the rate of executions. 0.93

00:04:20.040 And, you know, you just mentioned Bita.

00:04:22.620 It's true that she is the, you know, the first woman who has been officially sentenced to execution. 0.88

00:04:30.440 and that execution is by hanging. However, it doesn't mean that the Islamic regime has not 0.99

00:04:35.940 unofficially executed and murdered Iranian women. They've been doing so for the last 0.96

00:04:40.460 47 years, but now they're being even more open. The situation is pretty bad with the Islamic 1.00

00:04:50.660 regime. They're just as evil, just as dangerous. It's not a regime that anyone can trust. 1.00

00:04:57.900 And, you know, ultimately, what Iranian people are saying is unless and until the Islamic regime is overthrown and eradicated, there will be no peace in the Middle East.

00:05:10.780 So we are seeing videos of resistance leaders, and we're not entirely sure who they are, but they're armed resistance groups that claim to have gunned down IRGC forces.

00:05:24.200 How much weight do you put into those videos?

00:05:27.140 It's hard to verify where they're coming from and who they are,

00:05:30.000 but how much weight do you put into the groundswell rising up against the current regime?

00:05:37.480 So, you know, we have heard reports and we've seen videos of Iranian freedom fighters

00:05:42.580 who are going out and they're starting to target Basij militia forces.

00:05:48.060 We're still waiting for 100 percent verification.

00:05:51.700 However, what I can say is that at this point, they do seem pretty legitimate, but it's very difficult because the Islamic regime has shut down the Internet for the last 48 days. 0.87

00:06:04.300 And the reason they've shut it down is because they don't want the outside world to know that Iranians are getting ready to overthrow them and that Iranians are grateful to the United States and Israel for going in and attacking the Islamic regime. 0.86

00:06:21.700 Yet against all of this in the in the background, we still have negotiations going forward.

00:06:29.260 The U.S. forces are set to meet with Iranian leaders in Pakistan.

00:06:34.760 What do you make of this upcoming meeting?

00:06:36.420 I know that the hardliners, you know, the hard anti-regime voices out here are extremely skeptical that any kind of deal could possibly be made realistic.

00:06:49.180 What do you make of the terms that are they're setting now?

00:06:53.360 Yeah, so, you know, it's not only that they're skeptical.

00:06:55.860 They're actually very, very angry at Arakchi, who's the foreign affairs minister,

00:07:01.540 and, of course, Qalibov, who's the speaker of the parliament.

00:07:04.520 And the reason is because Arakchi and Qalibov, essentially, you know, according to President Trump,

00:07:10.620 they agreed to stop uranium enrichment 100%, not, you know, on a term-limited or time-limited deal,

00:07:20.080 but essentially 100% just, you know, never enrich uranium again.

00:07:26.400 And according to President Trump, they've also agreed to give up all of the uranium,

00:07:31.820 and apparently they've allowed and agreed to the United States going in to get rid of the uranium.

00:07:37.180 Now, what's really interesting about this is that neither Araqqi nor Alibov have denied this statement from President Trump.

00:07:47.640 However, what we are seeing is footage of other hardliner officials inside of the Islamic regime

00:07:54.780 who are now openly saying that, you know, nothing that the Americans have said regarding uranium is acceptable.

00:08:03.200 Enriched uranium in Iran will not be moved anywhere under any circumstances.

00:08:08.300 So already you're seeing the internal divisions.

00:08:11.840 Like that statement was said by someone named Ismail Baghoi, who's the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman.

00:08:18.880 So I think what President Trump is doing here with these negotiations and talks and ceasefire is he's exploiting the internal fractures within the IRGC, within the Islamic regime.

00:08:31.340 and he's pretty much pitted them against one another

00:08:34.700 because right now the Islamic regime is pointing fingers

00:08:37.180 and saying who the heck agreed to give up uranium enrichment

00:08:42.200 or nuclear ambitions.

00:08:44.300 So I take it you weren't very surprised

00:08:46.680 by the Vance-led negotiations in Pakistan

00:08:50.680 when he came back and said,

00:08:52.460 you know, we're hitting a brick wall here.

00:08:54.680 We agreed on a few things,

00:08:56.160 but the most important part of it was, you know,

00:08:58.220 stop enriching uranium.

00:08:59.520 they would not come to the table on that. So that, I guess, begs the question, who in these

00:09:06.420 camps are actually now engaging with Trump? Are they engaging with Trump and saying, yes,

00:09:11.820 we can consider stopping uranium enrichment because they're backed in the corner,

00:09:17.740 because of the naval blockade, because that's what's changed since Vance went to Pakistan?

00:09:23.740 Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, what's really happening is that President Trump is exposing

00:09:28.480 the power struggle within the Islamic regime. Back when Khamenei was still alive, he was the 0.68

00:09:33.940 glue that held all of these factions together. Now that Khamenei is dead—and by the way,

00:09:38.480 they still haven't buried Khamenei. It's been, like, what, 50 days now, and they still haven't

00:09:41.860 buried him, which is hilarious. But now that Khamenei is dead, you're seeing the internal

00:09:46.940 factions, and you're seeing the, you know, cracks within the system. So, you know, you have people

00:09:52.420 like Arakchi and Qalibov, who, you know, pretend that they're being more reasonable. And yet even,

00:09:58.920 you know, J.D. Vance was not able to tolerate them for longer than 21 hours. And I think this

00:10:05.420 is really important, because when President Trump says, you know, we're dealing with people that are

00:10:09.720 more reasonable and less radical, you have to take that into context. When President Trump says,

00:10:15.520 you know, these people are more reasonable or, you know, less radical, yeah, I mean,

00:10:19.780 Sure, compared to Khamenei, they are a little bit more reasonable and radical, but compared to less radical, 0.69

00:10:25.420 but, you know, compared to the average, normal, regular person, these people are Islamists. 0.99

00:10:31.480 They're terrorists. And, you know, I think this negotiation was a genius move because President Trump exposed them to the rest of the world. 0.96

00:10:40.400 And he basically demonstrated once again that you cannot negotiate with terrorists.

00:10:46.600 What happens in the next week or so now that the strait is open?

00:10:50.020 Wasn't that the number one, you know, bargaining chip that the world had on Iran, closing it in? 0.78

00:10:57.420 So now that it's open, what do you predict happens now?

00:11:01.820 So, you know, what's really interesting about this is that President Trump,

00:11:04.600 this is another genius move by President Trump, because initially the Strait of Hormuz was closed,

00:11:09.940 except for ships leaving from ports like Iranian ports.

00:11:14.600 Now, President Trump basically played like a reverse UNO card.

00:11:20.060 The Strait of Hormuz is open to all ships, except for ships leaving from Iranian ports,

00:11:25.960 which means that the naval blockade is still there.

00:11:28.280 So this is why the Islamic regime right now is internally struggling and they're attacking 0.82

00:11:35.260 one another, because they pretty much agreed to open up the Strait of Hormuz.

00:11:41.220 However, afterwards, President Trump said that the U.S. naval blockade will continue to remain until all of our, you know, all of our points are being agreed to. 0.89

00:11:51.660 And I think within the next week, we're going to see a lot more action because the Islamic regime is now being held in a chokehold. 0.95

00:11:58.140 So the Islamic regime really has two options.

00:12:00.400 They can agree to unconditional surrender, which is what President Trump has said from the beginning.

00:12:06.080 Or if they don't agree to that, well, you know, the two-week time limit for the ceasefire is coming up.

00:12:11.800 We have the USS Tripoli and USS Baxter that are—sorry, Boxster that are on their way to the Middle East right now.

00:12:20.400 One of them is carrying Marines. 0.95

00:12:22.040 So if the Islamic regime does not agree to go quietly, I think we're going to see a continuation of military operations. 1.00

00:12:28.780 it's it will get messy quickly but they will be the ones who need to be worried about it 1.00

00:12:36.020 Goldie Gamari thank you for that we appreciate it as always thank you so much for having me on

00:12:41.160 coming up it's time for another edition of MAGA Pulse Check the one and only

00:12:45.500 Brendan Dilley joins us next we'll be right back

Goldie Ghamari - April 18, 2026

OANN Iran Interview with Chanel Rion - April 17, 2026

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