PRESSTV — broadcast 20260915 230000 UTC 445 transcript segments Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking Data courtesy of The GDELT Project (https://www.gdeltproject.org/), from the Internet Archive TV News Archive. Machine transcription. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a verbatim quotation record. [00:00:27] Korea now shows a [00:00:36] Press TV headlines Iran says a Pentagon report on the damage done to US military [00:00:40] assets in the region is just the tip of the iceberg and [00:00:44] uh real figures much [00:00:45] higher. [00:00:50] A new report says US aggression against Iran has [00:00:53] cost $38 billion dollars so far and the figure is [00:00:57] expected to rise by $3 billion a month. and the [00:01:00] Israeli occupation army detains Press Steve Corsman [00:01:03] and near Bethlehem. [00:01:21] It's described it just the tip of the iceberg, a Pentagon report about the [00:01:24] damage caused by Iran's retaliatory strikes [00:01:27] to US facilities and equipment in the region. In [00:01:31] the social media post, Abbas Araghchi said Iran will [00:01:35] in due course reveal the real extent of the damage inflicted [00:01:38] on US military assets, and it won't be pretty for those who [00:01:42] sold lies on Iran. The top Iranian diplomat also [00:01:45] dismissed as uh fiction the repeated [00:01:48] claims by US officials, including President Donald Trump, that Iran's [00:01:52] defensive capabilities have been destroyed during the war, leaving the [00:01:55] country defenseless. His remarks came after the Pentagon's [00:01:58] will on the collective decision of inspector general said in a report to Congress that Iranian [00:02:01] strikes have damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and other [00:02:05] structures at US bases across the region. The report [00:02:09] estimated that the US incurred around $33.4 [00:02:12] billion dollars in war-related costs from February [00:02:16] 28th through June [00:02:18] 29th. [00:02:23] Well, the US War of Aggression against Iran has cost $38 billion dollars so [00:02:27] far, and that figure is projected to rise by $3 [00:02:31] billion a month. This, according to a new report released by [00:02:34] the non-partisan Congressional Budget [00:02:37] Office. According to the report, which totaled [00:02:40] expenses through August 1st, the war with Iran is [00:02:44] expected to increase inflation in the US [00:02:47] by half a percent in the first three months of [00:02:51] 2027. The budget office said the majority of the costs stem [00:02:55] from the rapid drawdown of munitions, [00:02:58] estimating that it could take five years to replenish US weapon stock [00:03:01] piles. Early reports had indicated [00:03:04] that the US has used virtually all of its long-range precision missiles during the [00:03:08] war. The mounting costs of war have also driven up energy prices in the [00:03:12] US, adding pressure on an already [00:03:15] ultimately the creation of stretched federal budget. The report did not include costs [00:03:17] of recent strikes on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz [00:03:21] and attacks on US military installations in the [00:03:24] region. It also did not factor in the borrowing expenses [00:03:28] associated with financing the war, [00:03:30] which could add tens of billions of dollars to the total [00:03:33] cost. [00:03:42] Journalist and political analyst John Bosnich is joining us now from [00:03:45] Fredericton, Canada. Mr. Bosnich, welcome to the [00:03:48] program. Let's start off with your [00:03:52] analysis of the report by the uh [00:03:55] non-partisan Congressional Budget Office about how much [00:03:58] this... war, the illegal [00:04:02] aggression against Iran, has cost the United States [00:04:05] already. Well, the the first thing [00:04:08] is that this source of the [00:04:11] information is suspect itself. So, whatever [00:04:15] figure the American [00:04:18] source gives about the expenditure so far, I would [00:04:21] double it. That means there are hidden costs, there are [00:04:25] hidden damages, there are hidden expenses that [00:04:28] they're not going to announce to the public until sometime in the [00:04:32] future, two, three years from now. That's always the [00:04:35] case. That's what it was with Vietnam, that's what it was with their [00:04:39] war in Iraq, and that's what it is with their war against [00:04:42] the people and state of Iran. So, [00:04:46] if we just accept their [00:04:48] underestimate of the expense of this war, [00:04:52] they tried to table a they're already spending money that they do [00:04:55] not have. The United States now, if its [00:04:58] creditors were going to call in their [00:05:02] debts, would be a bankrupt [00:05:04] country and its dollar value would drop [00:05:08] to zero. And Mr. Bosnich, uh earlier, [00:05:12] we also had news of the Iranian Foreign Minister, [00:05:15] Abbas Araghchi, commenting on the Pentagon [00:05:19] report about the damage caused by Iran's retaliatory [00:05:22] strikes to US facilities. Uh he [00:05:25] stated that um in due time uh Iran will be [00:05:29] revealing the extent of the damage inflicted on those US military assets [00:05:32] in the region. What does it say about uh Iran's deterrence [00:05:36] capabilities? Well, I have to say [00:05:39] that uh not just [00:05:42] me, uh I'm a defense and military analyst and I've been covering wars [00:05:46] around the world for years, but it's not just [00:05:49] me who is saying that Iran's defense [00:05:52] against the so-called sole [00:05:55] superpower [00:05:57] has shocked the leaders in the United States. It has [00:06:01] shocked the Republicans and it has shocked the Democrats. It has [00:06:05] also shocked countries like my native Canada [00:06:09] here. It has shocked England and it has shocked the [00:06:12] EU. And so what this is, is [00:06:16] an advance [00:06:18] notice that the war empire, modern [00:06:22] technologies, especially those developed by [00:06:25] Iran, defensive technologies, designed [00:06:28] aggressive factors around your, aggressive factors [00:06:32] around your country. Your performance in this [00:06:35] war is spectacular. And those [00:06:39] spectacular results are causing a crisis [00:06:43] of governance in the United States. All right, let's leave [00:06:46] it there. Journalist and political analyst John Bosnich, joining us from Fredericton, [00:06:49] Canada. [00:06:53] Iran has been elected to the IAEA General [00:06:56] Committee despite US efforts to block its participation. Iran's [00:07:00] permanent mission to the UN said IAEA member states [00:07:03] chose to vote in favor of Iran, rejecting unilateral [00:07:07] pressure to impose its [00:07:11] the body. The mission called for the United States to be held accountable for [00:07:14] continued serious violations of international law, including support for [00:07:18] Israel's genocide in Gaza and interference in other countries' internal [00:07:22] affairs. The Iranian mission further noted Washington's violation of human [00:07:25] rights by attacking weddings and massacring school children in Iran, [00:07:29] and violation of the UN Charter and the [00:07:32] IAEA Statute by attacking Iran's safeguard [00:07:35] nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, the [00:07:38] spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, [00:07:42] addressed the 70th general conference underway [00:07:46] in Vienna. He emphasized that the issue fabricated around Iran's peaceful nuclear [00:07:50] program. [00:07:56] The fabricated nuclear issue is a product of [00:07:59] unreal reports drafted with the contribution [00:08:02] of hostile groups and intelligence services and [00:08:06] agencies. The capacities and [00:08:09] mechanisms of the IAEA were used as an instrument to [00:08:13] place immense pressure on the Iranian nation and [00:08:17] resulted in the imposition of oil sanctions, the [00:08:21] assassination of scientists, industrial [00:08:24] sabotages, and [00:08:27] the conditions that led to the two wars against [00:08:31] Iran. [00:08:35] Kamalvandi called out the director general of the UN's nuclear [00:08:38] body for giving out statements that provided [00:08:42] text for Iran's adversaries to launch attacks against Iran. He [00:08:46] noted that the IAEA chief has undermined the credibility of the body through [00:08:49] politicized conduct and by refraining to condemn the [00:08:53] US-Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear sites. The [00:08:56] Iranian official reiterated that Tehran has always been [00:09:00] transparent about its peaceful nuclear program, which has been developed within the [00:09:04] framework of its legitimate rights to meet domestic [00:09:06] needs. He reminded [00:09:09] that uh nuclear know-how is deep-rooted in the country and [00:09:13] Iran's enemies must understand this cannot be eliminated through military [00:09:17] aggression and assassinations. Kamalvandi concluded his remarks by [00:09:21] reiterating Iran's martyred leader's motto, saying, quote, nuclear [00:09:24] energy for all, nuclear weapons for [00:09:27] none. [00:09:35] Press TV's Cornish was with us earlier with more details on [00:09:39] how Iran has been elected to the IAEA's General [00:09:42] Committee despite attempts by the United States to block its [00:09:45] candidacy. [00:09:49] The conference committee is one of two committees of the general [00:09:53] conference that are overseeing the workings of the [00:09:57] to prohibit Iran from [00:09:59] contesting to the general committee. They [00:10:04] resolution and following the Iranian [00:10:08] request, a secret ballot had been held. [00:10:12] So proceedings were um [00:10:15] were suspended, secret ballot was [00:10:18] held and Iran was [00:10:21] eventually elected to the committee [00:10:24] by the 181 [00:10:27] member states of the IAEA. This is really [00:10:30] important news because we [00:10:34] clearly see, it [00:10:36] was basically a vote between those who support the United States [00:10:39] and those who oppose the [00:10:42] Western dominance of the IAEA, and the [00:10:46] majority voted in favor of Iran. That clearly [00:10:49] shows also the shifting power dynamics here in the [00:10:53] general conference. Uh which are not reflected in the [00:10:57] quarterly Board of Governors where the West still [00:11:00] has a majority and where [00:11:03] the United States and the European troika [00:11:06] are constantly pushing for yet another [00:11:09] anti-Iran resolution because they know they have [00:11:12] a majority in this board uh which has [00:11:15] 35 members. But when we look at the [00:11:19] the highest body here of the IAEA, where every single member state can [00:11:22] vote, and as I said there are [00:11:26] 181 member states so far, there was a [00:11:29] majority in favor of including Iran [00:11:32] in this [00:11:33] committee. [00:11:38] She has also spoken with the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy [00:11:42] Organization about the country's latest advances in nuclear [00:11:46] science and technology, achievements made despite attacks on [00:11:49] nuclear facilities and ongoing sanctions as [00:11:52] outlined at the IAEA General Conference in [00:11:55] Vienna. [00:12:01] Fortunately, we have had advances in different [00:12:05] fields of nuclear technology. Thanks [00:12:09] to abundant number [00:12:12] of technicians and scientists we have in [00:12:16] different fields such as health, [00:12:19] agriculture, industry, there have been a [00:12:22] lot of progresses, especially when we're talking about [00:12:25] health, radiomedicine, we are one of the best in the [00:12:29] world. The number of different types of [00:12:32] radiomedicine which we are [00:12:35] manufacturing is equal with what we have in [00:12:39] in the world level, and in quality-wise also we [00:12:43] are in a very good condition. So we [00:12:46] are self- sufficient in in this [00:12:49] field. Of course, there are other fields such as [00:12:52] agriculture and [00:12:55] the industry where we have the [00:12:58] instruments, especially sensitive instruments for the [00:13:01] industry. You might know that the [00:13:05] industry, all the industry, the [00:13:07] metallurgy, [00:13:12] factories and other places, they need [00:13:15] sensitive instruments for [00:13:19] gauging, for other purposes. [00:13:22] So we were under sanction. We couldn't [00:13:25] acquire this type of instrument. [00:13:28] Fortunately, we are awesome, we are [00:13:32] manufacturing all these types of [00:13:34] industries. In case of also nuclear [00:13:38] power, we are advanced a [00:13:41] lot. We are able to manufacture [00:13:44] most parts of the nuclear power plants and reactors, of course [00:13:48] research reactors. So Iran is a pioneer in [00:13:52] the field of nuclear industry, despite all [00:13:55] this sanction and pressure they have created on [00:13:59] us. What I can tell [00:14:01] you, the sanction has not stopped us. [00:14:05] We are going on, we are advancing, and we [00:14:09] will surely we will have more advancing [00:14:12] futures. [00:14:17] West Bank correspondent has just been arrested by the Israeli regime's [00:14:21] forces near Bethlehem. She, along with her camera group, was stopped at [00:14:25] a flying checkpoint near the town of Turu, [00:14:28] southwest of Bethlehem. The regime's forces searched them and then [00:14:32] took Nara into custody. This after weeks of [00:14:35] incitement against her by Israeli [00:14:37] settlers. [00:14:42] Seoul's dilemma over whether to submit to a US [00:14:46] demand to deploy forces to the Strait of Hormuz grows by the day. Some polls [00:14:50] now show a majority of South Koreans are opposed to the [00:14:53] deployment. They are also about relations with Iran, as Press TV [00:14:56] reporting on the issue has gone viral on Korean media. Our [00:15:00] correspondent Frank Smith reports from [00:15:04] Seoul. [00:15:07] South Korean civil society, elevated by [00:15:10] shifts in public sentiment, are calling for President EJ Moon to [00:15:13] make a clear decision. They want him to turn down US President [00:15:17] Donald Trump's demand for Seoul to send forces to the Strait of [00:15:21] Hormuz and to decline support for Trump's unjustified [00:15:37] of troops. The US President's pressure on Seoul has [00:15:41] clearly backfired, with ever more protests against South [00:15:44] Korea's participation in Trump's reckless aggression [00:15:48] against Iran. Surveys of the South Korean public had previously [00:15:51] shown opinion here quite split over whether or not to [00:15:55] send forces to the Strait of Hormuz to support [00:15:59] the US war on Iran. However, more [00:16:02] recent polling from Gallup [00:16:05] clear majority of South Koreans [00:16:07] opposed to the move. South Koreans are also concerned about [00:16:11] how Iranians feel about their country, with a recent Press [00:16:15] TV report reposted to a major broadcaster's channel [00:16:18] here, going viral and generating 15,000 [00:16:22] likes. The Korean people have seen Iran suddenly [00:16:25] subjected to US aggression, seeing children, women, and [00:16:29] citizens suffer, lose their lives, and their country reduced [00:16:33] to ruins. We will cheer and support the Iranian people so that they may [00:16:36] defend their sovereignty and [00:16:40] ultimately triumph over this absurd American aggression. [00:16:43] While South Korean security experts point to Washington's weakening [00:16:47] commitment to its alliance with Seoul, civic leaders advocate [00:16:50] a lasting shift away from US hegemonic [00:16:54] The US pressures other nations while pursuing only its own [00:16:58] interests. It issues threats, warning that if [00:17:01] countries do not support and join this war of aggression against [00:17:04] Iran, it will stop importing their goods or impose [00:17:08] higher tariffs. Allies must firmly reject such behavior, and [00:17:12] the US-led order needs to be fundamentally [00:17:14] changed. [00:17:17] The Trump administration has given South Korea until November to [00:17:21] make its decision. Some here expect an early [00:17:24] announcement with President E to give a news conference in the coming [00:17:28] days. Frank Smith, Press TV, [00:17:30] Seoul. [00:17:35] In the United States, increasing opposition to the ruling Republican Party is likely to [00:17:39] translate into a midterm election win for the Democrats in the [00:17:43] House of Representatives. That means a likely third impeachment [00:17:46] of President Donald Trump, but it's likely that he would ultimately be [00:17:50] acquitted by the Senate. Ramin Mazaheri has more from [00:17:52] Washington. [00:17:57] On the first Tuesday in November, the United States will hold their midterm [00:18:01] elections, and by Wednesday, President Donald Trump could be [00:18:04] facing his third impeachment. If the [00:18:07] Democrats win control of the House of Representatives, their leader has [00:18:11] said they would not rule out pursuing impeachment on day [00:18:15] one, which is what many anti-Trump Americans are [00:18:18] hoping for. Because it's necessary for everybody. Uh, we're all [00:18:22] affected by it, not just Americans. All over the world, we're [00:18:26] being affected by his insane [00:18:29] policies, his horrible actions, [00:18:33] his lack of caring, his lies. He should have been out of the [00:18:36] Oval Office He's only there because he wants to [00:18:39] avoid jail. He's there for [00:18:42] himself. And uh, we need to [00:18:46] have uh, a person who thinks of uh, the greater good, [00:18:49] not themselves. United States Representative Al [00:18:53] Green has already formally filed impeachment charges in the [00:18:57] House over Trump's violation of the War Powers Act of [00:19:00] 1973 by going to war without [00:19:04] approval. People in Congress or a certain number of people to vote for. [00:19:08] The rules allow any member of Congress to bring articles before [00:19:12] the House. And what is interesting, the Democrats [00:19:15] who may criticize me are not going to say or they're [00:19:19] not going to deny that the president has committed impeachable offenses. So [00:19:23] if you won't deny that he's committing impeachable offenses, then [00:19:26] you should honor your oath of office and vote to impeach. Others [00:19:30] have called for Trump's impeachment over his genocidal threat to wipe out [00:19:34] the whole Iranian civilization, for ordering [00:19:37] many war crimes such as the Minab Girls' School [00:19:40] massacre, for attacking protected civilian [00:19:43] infrastructure, for indiscriminate attacks on civilian [00:19:47] neighborhoods, and more. The [00:19:50] Democrats are expected to retake the House, where [00:19:53] only a majority is needed to impeach. But even if they [00:19:57] also flip the Senate, they are not going to be close to [00:20:00] gaining the 67- vote supermajority, [00:20:03] which is required to actually convict a president. [00:20:07] That means any impeachment of Trump will likely remain only [00:20:11] symbolic once again. Other top lawmakers have demanded Trump's [00:20:15] impeachment over his daily fascistic persecution of [00:20:18] Latino-Americans and other immigrants, his economic support [00:20:22] for tariffs, and his remodeling of the East Wing of the [00:20:25] White House. Ramin Mazaheri, Press TV, Washington [00:20:56] July 31st, 2026, nighttime, [00:20:59] Strait of Hormuz, southern Iran. The United [00:21:02] States launched a heavy wave of strikes against command centers, [00:21:06] radars, surveillance systems and air defense [00:21:09] positions across southern Iran, intended to make the skies over [00:21:13] southern Iran safer for American aircraft. But just hours [00:21:17] later, something unexpected happened. [00:21:21] An American MQ-9 Reaper was shot down over the Strait of [00:21:24] Hormuz. The MQ-9 is no ordinary [00:21:28] drone. It is one of America's primary platforms for [00:21:31] intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and precision [00:21:34] strikes, capable of remaining airborne for more than a full day [00:21:38] while carrying an advanced suite of sensors and weapons. And this was [00:21:41] not the first Reaper lost. Since the beginning of the war, Iran [00:21:45] has taken around 50 MQ-9 Reapers out of operation, [00:21:49] roughly one-quarter of the entire US Reaper fleet. But the real [00:21:53] story was only beginning. Shortly afterward, an [00:21:56] F-35 entered the picture, one of the world's most [00:21:59] advanced combat aircraft, designed specifically to penetrate [00:22:02] sophisticated air defense networks. But stealth does not [00:22:06] mean invisible. One radar may detect only a faint [00:22:09] signature, an infrared sensor may pick up the heat from its engines, [00:22:13] another system may detect its electronic emissions, and when the [00:22:17] information from all of these systems is connected through a single [00:22:20] network, a much clearer picture of the target begins to [00:22:23] emerge. That same night, the tracking of the F-35 reached the [00:22:27] level of a weapons-quality lock, a warning the pilot could not [00:22:30] ignore. The F-35 did not continue its mission and [00:22:34] quickly left the area. And perhaps that is the most important part of the [00:22:38] story. Air defense success does not always mean shooting an [00:22:41] aircraft down. Sometimes it is enough to stop an aircraft [00:22:45] designed to penetrate hostile airspace from completing its [00:22:48] mission. And now, for the United States, the issue is [00:22:52] no longer simply the loss of an MQ-9 or the retreat of an [00:22:55] F-35. The bigger question is, how could a network [00:22:59] whose radars and key components had been attacked only hours earlier, [00:23:03] remain operational and still force one of America's most [00:23:07] advanced aircraft to abandon its mission, an incident that [00:23:11] now forces the United States to rethink not just a flight [00:23:14] path, but its entire calculation over Iran's [00:23:17] skies. [00:24:54] Before the victory of the revolution, I was in this [00:24:58] southeastern region of our country, [00:25:01] which is a Sunni-majority region, [00:25:04] exiled there. I was in the Baluchistan region [00:25:08] for a long time. We were friends with [00:25:11] Sunni scholars, we became friends, we would sit with them, [00:25:14] they are Hanafi. [00:25:17] I remember right there, in Iranshahr, [00:25:21] I first proposed the Unity Week, and we [00:25:24] implemented it there. In Iranshahr, [00:25:27] I said that the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal, [00:25:31] according to Sunni narration, is the Prophet's birthday. The 17th [00:25:34] of Rabi' al-Awwal, according to our Shia [00:25:37] narration. Let's celebrate a [00:25:41] week of celebrations from the 12th to the 17th, [00:25:44] and participate in each other's celebrations. That was [00:25:46] Mr. Mawlawi Qamaruddin. Now [00:25:50] he's an old man. He [00:25:53] was on our side, and we talked to him and [00:25:57] made an agreement. Mr. Mawlawi Qamaruddin, an old [00:26:01] friend. [00:26:32] Islamic unity and Islamic solidarity are not [00:26:36] viewed as a ceremonial thing. This is a [00:26:39] necessary and real thing. Today, we [00:26:42] need this. Islamic unity does not mean [00:26:46] that different Islamic sects should abandon [00:26:49] their beliefs and actions. No. Do not [00:26:53] be heedless of the enemy. Direct your forces in one direction [00:26:57] against the enemy of Islam, the enemy of Muslims. The time [00:27:00] has come for the Islamic world to preserve [00:27:03] its unity against the [00:27:06] common enemy that all Islamic groups [00:27:10] have suffered from, that enemy [00:27:14] being arrogance and Zionism. [00:27:17] They must stand united, [00:27:20] give unified slogans, engage in unified propaganda, and [00:27:24] follow a unified path. The enemies of Islam, [00:27:27] and today at the forefront of all enemies, Zionism and America, [00:27:30] do not want Islam. [00:27:44] One is that reactionary form, so that all eyes are disgusted and [00:27:47] faces turn away from Islam, or an Islam [00:27:51] that completely loses its identity in the face of [00:27:55] the West. [00:27:57] The eclectic Islam, the same Islam that [00:28:01] seriously enters the scene [00:28:05] wants dignity and greatness [00:28:08] and power and justice and democracy [00:28:12] and scientific progress for the [00:28:15] Islamic Ummah. This life-giving Islam, they are [00:28:19] not willing for it to be brought up. Today, if the Islamic Ummah, which [00:28:23] has about 2 billion, nearly 2 billion people, and in [00:28:27] the most important and sensitive geographical points [00:28:30] of the world scattered. If these were united [00:28:34] together, Islamic countries would achieve [00:28:37] far more good to a much greater extent. [00:28:41] If this unity comes into being [00:28:45] to any extent, the solution to the problems of the [00:28:49] Islamic world will become clear. It will become clear [00:28:52] that it is possible for us to solve the problems [00:28:56] of the Islamic world. [00:28:59] The Mujahideen from the people [00:29:02] of Sunnah in the organizations Hamas [00:29:05] and Islamic Jihad, and the Shiite Mujahideen [00:29:09] in Hezbollah and Amal [00:29:12] consider it a religious duty and a divine obligation, [00:29:15] without distinction between this and that. [00:29:19] And the government of Iran declares [00:29:21] in a loud, decisive voice that it