A former Iranian political prisoner silenced a CNN panel last week with a firsthand account of an Iranian government official telling him the Islamic Republic had long considered itself at war with the United States — a revelation that came as American and Israeli forces were already deep into military strikes against the Tehran regime.
Kian Tajbakhsh, who was imprisoned following the 2009 Green Revolution in Iran, made the remarks during an appearance on “CNN NewsNight” on Thursday. His account shed new light on Iran’s internal posture toward the United States, even as combat operations were underway.
Tajbakhsh framed his comments around what he called a larger picture of the decades-long conflict between Iran and the West. He argued that the current American military engagement did not begin with the Trump administration.
“I don’t think it’s right to say that President Trump has started a war with Iran,” Tajbakhsh said on air. “I think President Trump wants to finish a war that Iran started in 1979, 47 years ago.”
Tajbakhsh then described a conversation that took place in 2003 or 2004 while he was in Iran working on high-level projects, during which he held meetings with deputy ministers and officials at the Iranian foreign ministry in Tehran.
During one of those meetings, a senior official pulled Tajbakhsh aside as he was preparing to leave. The official, Tajbakhsh recalled, addressed him directly as an Iranian American and told him to listen carefully.
“He said, ‘We in this building,’” Tajbakhsh recounted, explaining the official meant the foreign ministry — and by extension, the Iranian government and regime. “‘We believe we are at war with the United States.’”
According to Tajbakhsh, the official further clarified the nature of that conflict at the time. “He said at that time, ‘It’s a cold war, but it’s a war nonetheless.’”
The remarks drew immediate reaction from other panelists on the program. Former CNN Global Affairs Correspondent Elise Labott and Foreign Policy Editor-in-Chief Ravi Agrawal both attempted to respond at the same time.
“I think that — ” Labott began before Agrawal interrupted. Host Abby Phillip intervened, allowing Labott to respond first.
Labott said she viewed the current military confrontation between the United States and Iran as something that was always coming. “I think it’s inevitable that we’d be coming to this point,” she said. “I think at some point a U.S. president would be involved in strikes against Iran.”
Labott also expressed unease about the current situation. “I’m not sure I feel comfortable with where we are right now,” she said. “And I definitely don’t feel comfortable with the messaging.”
The CNN panel discussion came just days after President Donald Trump announced the launch of Operation Epic Fury in a video posted on Truth Social early Saturday morning.
The operation involves coordinated strikes conducted by the United States military and the Israeli Defense Forces against Iran.
WATCH:
The Trump administration’s confrontational stance toward Iran is not new.
American forces under Operation Epic Fury have engaged in an intense bombing campaign against Iran, which resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies reported that Trump outlined four military objectives in Operation Epic Fury: preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, destroying its missile arsenal and production sites, degrading its proxy networks and annihilating its navy.
During a January 11 gaggle aboard Air Force One, Trump had warned the Iranian regime it was “starting to cross” a “red line” with its attacks on protesters.
A human rights group confirmed that nearly 6,900 protesters were killed by the Iranian regime, according to a BBC report.
