WEBVTT 00:01.969 --> 00:03.937 WAS THE HEAD OF THE QUDS FORCE WHICH IS PART OF THE IRANIAN 00:03.938 --> 00:04.738 WHICH IS PART OF THE IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD. 00:04.739 --> 00:05.739 REVOLUTIONARY GUARD. YOU HAVE HEARD DURING THE COURSE 00:05.740 --> 00:07.974 YOU HAVE HEARD DURING THE COURSE OF OUR COVERAGE TONIGHT THAT 00:08.009 --> 00:10.176 OF OUR COVERAGE TONIGHT THAT MAYBE A ROUGH ANALOGY FOR HIS 00:10.177 --> 00:11.944 MAYBE A ROUGH ANALOGY FOR HIS KIND OF POSITION IN THE UNITED 00:11.979 --> 00:14.647 KIND OF POSITION IN THE UNITED STATES MIGHT BE HAD HEAD OF 00:14.649 --> 00:17.284 STATES MIGHT BE HAD HEAD OF JSOC, THE HEAD OF JOINT SPECIAL 00:17.285 --> 00:17.984 JSOC, THE HEAD OF JOINT SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND. 00:17.986 --> 00:20.086 OPERATIONS COMMAND. AND MAYBE THAT’S THE CLOSEST 00:20.087 --> 00:21.754 AND MAYBE THAT’S THE CLOSEST ANALOGY WE HAVE BUT TO MAKE IT 00:21.756 --> 00:25.892 ANALOGY WE HAVE BUT TO MAKE IT FIT YOU’D NEED THE HEAD OF JSOC 00:25.893 --> 00:27.861 FIT YOU’D NEED THE HEAD OF JSOC TO BE A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN 00:27.862 --> 00:28.995 TO BE A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN AMERICA, WHICH IT IS. 00:29.030 --> 00:30.797 AMERICA, WHICH IT IS. THIS PERSON TO HAVE HELD THE 00:30.798 --> 00:33.333 THIS PERSON TO HAVE HELD THE POSITION MORE THAN 20 YEARS, TO 00:33.368 --> 00:35.001 POSITION MORE THAN 20 YEARS, TO OPERATE SUCH A SPRAWLING 00:35.036 --> 00:36.436 OPERATE SUCH A SPRAWLING ECONOMIC OPERATION THAT’S IT’S 00:36.471 --> 00:37.871 ECONOMIC OPERATION THAT’S IT’S BELIEVED HE WAS ABLE TO RUN HIS 00:37.872 --> 00:39.006 BELIEVED HE WAS ABLE TO RUN HIS MILITARY OPERATIONS AND 00:39.040 --> 00:40.274 MILITARY OPERATIONS AND INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS AND 00:40.308 --> 00:42.976 INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS AND STANDING MILITIAS IN MULTIPLE 00:42.977 --> 00:45.111 STANDING MILITIAS IN MULTIPLE COUNTRIES OUT OF HIS OWN BUDGET, 00:45.113 --> 00:46.213 COUNTRIES OUT OF HIS OWN BUDGET, WITHOUT NECESSARILY NEEDING TO 00:46.214 --> 00:47.881 WITHOUT NECESSARILY NEEDING TO TAP INTO HIS COUNTRY’S OWN FUNDS 00:47.882 --> 00:53.387 TAP INTO HIS COUNTRY’S OWN FUNDS WHICH IN THE CASE OF IRAN MEANT 00:53.388 --> 00:54.121 WHICH IN THE CASE OF IRAN MEANT HE WAS ESSENTIALLY HELD HARMLESS 00:54.122 --> 00:54.821 HE WAS ESSENTIALLY HELD HARMLESS BY THE SANCTIONS REGIME THAT 00:54.823 --> 00:55.588 BY THE SANCTIONS REGIME THAT TARGETED HIM PERSONALLY AS WELL 00:55.590 --> 00:56.523 TARGETED HIM PERSONALLY AS WELL AS THE GOVERNMENT, THE 00:56.558 --> 00:57.557 AS THE GOVERNMENT, THE LEADERSHIP AND THE ECONOMY OF 00:57.592 --> 01:00.227 LEADERSHIP AND THE ECONOMY OF HIS COUNTRY. 01:00.261 --> 01:02.262 HIS COUNTRY. IF YOU WANTED ANY SORT OF 01:02.297 --> 01:03.530 IF YOU WANTED ANY SORT OF ANALOGY IN THE UNITED STATES, 01:03.532 --> 01:09.336 ANALOGY IN THE UNITED STATES, YOU’D HAVE TO INVENT SOMETHING T 01:09.337 --> 01:11.238 YOU’D HAVE TO INVENT SOMETHING T OPERATIONS FIGURE TO BE A FIGURE 01:11.272 --> 01:13.774 OPERATIONS FIGURE TO BE A FIGURE OF SUCH RENOWN AND SUCH POWER HE 01:13.808 --> 01:15.743 OF SUCH RENOWN AND SUCH POWER HE WAS PERCEIVED TO BE THE LIKELY 01:15.777 --> 01:17.778 WAS PERCEIVED TO BE THE LIKELY NEXT LEADER OF HIS COUNTRY. 01:17.812 --> 01:19.346 NEXT LEADER OF HIS COUNTRY. WHEN THOSE PRO-IRANIAN 01:19.380 --> 01:21.782 WHEN THOSE PRO-IRANIAN DEMONSTRATORS ATTACKED THE U.S. 01:21.816 --> 01:23.517 DEMONSTRATORS ATTACKED THE U.S. EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD EARLIER THIS 01:23.518 --> 01:24.151 EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD EARLIER THIS WEEK "THE WASHINGTON POST" 01:24.185 --> 01:25.419 WEEK "THE WASHINGTON POST" REPORTS THEY LEFT THREE THINGS 01:25.453 --> 01:27.554 REPORTS THEY LEFT THREE THINGS SCRAWLED ON THE WALLS OF THE 01:27.556 --> 01:28.822 SCRAWLED ON THE WALLS OF THE EMBASSY COMPLEX. 01:28.824 --> 01:31.058 EMBASSY COMPLEX. NUMBER ONE THE PHRASE AMERICA 01:31.092 --> 01:31.759 NUMBER ONE THE PHRASE AMERICA GET OUT. 01:31.760 --> 01:34.662 GET OUT. NUMBER TWO, THE NAME OF IRAN’S 01:34.663 --> 01:36.697 NUMBER TWO, THE NAME OF IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER THE AYATOLLAH, 01:36.731 --> 01:39.266 SUPREME LEADER THE AYATOLLAH, AND NUMBER THREE, THE NAME OF 01:39.267 --> 01:43.670 AND NUMBER THREE, THE NAME OF GENERAL QASSEM SOLEIMANI. 01:43.672 --> 01:45.940 GENERAL QASSEM SOLEIMANI. SOLEIMANI WAS PUT IN CHARGE OF 01:45.941 --> 01:47.475 SOLEIMANI WAS PUT IN CHARGE OF THE QUDS FORCE AS PART OF THE 01:47.509 --> 01:50.345 THE QUDS FORCE AS PART OF THE IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD IN 01:50.379 --> 01:50.778 IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD IN 1998. 01:50.813 --> 01:51.846 1998. HE’S HELD THE POSITION FOR MORE 01:51.880 --> 01:53.147 HE’S HELD THE POSITION FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. 01:53.148 --> 01:55.149 THAN 20 YEARS. IT WAS ALREADY A FORMIDABLE 01:55.150 --> 01:58.552 IT WAS ALREADY A FORMIDABLE FORCE THAT SEEMED TO HAVE 01:58.553 --> 01:59.587 FORCE THAT SEEMED TO HAVE REACHED BOTH INTO TERROR 01:59.621 --> 02:00.721 REACHED BOTH INTO TERROR ORGANIZATIONS AND COALITIONS 02:00.756 --> 02:02.089 ORGANIZATIONS AND COALITIONS AROUND THE WORLD. 02:02.091 --> 02:03.491 AROUND THE WORLD. BUT FROM THAT POSITION WHICH HE 02:03.525 --> 02:06.994 BUT FROM THAT POSITION WHICH HE TOOK OVER IN 1998 SOLEIMANI NOT 02:06.996 --> 02:09.930 TOOK OVER IN 1998 SOLEIMANI NOT ONLY CONSOLIDATED HIS OWN POWER 02:09.965 --> 02:12.466 ONLY CONSOLIDATED HIS OWN POWER BUT CONSOLIDATED THE REACH OF 02:12.468 --> 02:13.701 BUT CONSOLIDATED THE REACH OF THE QUDS FORCE IN A WAY THAT 02:13.735 --> 02:14.969 THE QUDS FORCE IN A WAY THAT DOESN’T HAVE A PARALLEL. 02:15.003 --> 02:16.804 DOESN’T HAVE A PARALLEL. FROM THAT POSITION HE STOOD UP 02:16.805 --> 02:18.673 FROM THAT POSITION HE STOOD UP AND SUPPORTED MILITIAS AND 02:18.674 --> 02:21.776 AND SUPPORTED MILITIAS AND MOVEMENTS INCLUDING HEZBOLLAH 02:21.777 --> 02:23.111 MOVEMENTS INCLUDING HEZBOLLAH AND HAMAS. 02:23.145 --> 02:26.581 AND HAMAS. HE PROPPED UP THE SYRIAN REGIME 02:26.615 --> 02:38.993 HE PROPPED UP THE SYRIAN REGIME OF BU SAR SSAR. 02:38.994 --> 02:40.929 OF BU SAR SSAR. HE PLAYED A HUGE, HUGE ROLE IN 02:40.963 --> 02:42.898 HE PLAYED A HUGE, HUGE ROLE IN IRAQ INCLUDING NOT ONLY 02:42.932 --> 02:43.898 IRAQ INCLUDING NOT ONLY POLITICAL "NEWS NOW," 02:43.900 --> 02:46.401 POLITICAL "NEWS NOW," ESSENTIALLY OWNING AND OPERATING 02:46.402 --> 02:50.538 ESSENTIALLY OWNING AND OPERATING WHOLE SWATHS OF IPOLITICS BUT 02:50.573 --> 02:52.807 WHOLE SWATHS OF IPOLITICS BUT CRUCIALLY AND THIS IS SOMETHING 02:52.842 --> 02:55.844 CRUCIALLY AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL RING FOR YOU AS AN 02:55.845 --> 02:56.945 THAT WILL RING FOR YOU AS AN AMERICAN WATCHING RIGHT NOW, 02:56.946 --> 02:57.445 AMERICAN WATCHING RIGHT NOW, CRUCIALLY HE AND THE QUDS FORCE