YouSaid · the spoken record

Omid Djalili

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58
first
2026-02-27
most recent
2026-02-27
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  1. “Iran is an amazing country. It's one of the, and it is, there are so many things people say about Iran, but it's center of the Middle East, it is so influential, and it's actually one of the most beautiful countries. And I do remember eating the food there and the produce was outrageous. So if Iran opens up, I'm going to go back, have a massive kebab and come back.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  2. “While this regime is in power, you will not see an end to any war because they want, it's in their constitution to destroy Israel. Now, before the Islamic regime came in, there was the raid on Entebi. Do you remember Entebi, some Jews were held hostage and Israel came and bombed everywhere and grabbed them? Okay, that was even before the Islamic regime existed. What I'm trying to say, whatever happens with Israel, while Israel is still being bombed and attacked and still they want to destroy Israel, America will always be drawn into conflict. And the source of that, the source of that is the Islamic regime. And by the way, whatever negotiation they do, they're not going to keep to it. We've got videos of them saying, yeah, we were not supposed to have nuclear, but we use cement and we put different tubes and we continued our uranium enrichment anyway. They lie and they lie and they lie. So my message to everyone.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  3. “Yes, because moments in the dressing room. I'm working on social media things. I'm working. That's why I'm come on to speak to you. First of all, you're great. You've got a great platform. And if messages can get out there, I think it's really important. And I try and do that on my social media as well.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  4. “Because I didn't understand it, I had a deal with HBR, had a deal with NBC first, then HBO gave me a deal to do a sitcom with them. And I did an HBO special. It was Caroline Strauss, who was the head. She goes, hey, Ahmed, I'm going to send you look at this script. I'm producing this. I said, sure. Because have you read it yet? I said, give me another week. And she goes, look, do you want to do this or not? And I said, Caroline, I have a thing where I don't do anything if I don't understand. I don't understand it. He goes, it's going to be a big series. I said, I don't get it. I have to say no. She goes, okay, fine. I didn't realize it was only a few years later I thought, hang on, isn't that the series that went back? Oh my God, I just didn't understand the first pilot episode. I didn't understand it.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  5. “Well, let me tell you what happened. You can't criticize the royal family, you can't criticize the government. But they also said, if you want to make fun of the crowd, if they're not sitting still, you can do that. So this broke in dishes, you know, the whole thing. Front row, just got up and started walking to the door. And I said, anyone who has criticized the Saudi regime in the last week, please leave the room now. We got to the door and he went and sat back down again. And all that arm said, Ya Allah. Allah, this is the funny, it was the funniest, it's very funny. So I was criticizing them and their government, but it still got a laugh”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  6. “And I said, Well, look, there are four theocracies in the world. One is Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Vatican City. Now, the Pope met 103 comedians at the end of 2024. At the end of 2023, and the Saudis are saying, he met them. We platformed them. And I think when there's a country speed running towards progress, you have to buy into that thing. And I often said if there was a comedy festival in Tehran and pigs were flying, I'd be on the first pig out there. I really would be. But you haven't done that.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  7. “No, I thought very hot. That's one of the big ones. Saudi was always my red line. I never did Saudi. In fact, there's a documentary about a group of us doing the Middle East and I dropped out for the Saudi leg because I didn't, because they were killing Baha'is, they were putting Baha'is in prison. And then two years ago, I got a message saying, look, this country is speedrunning towards progress and they're being very good with Baha'is now. So if you get an invite, you should go. So I went along. Someone in the country, from people inside the country, they said, you should go. So I went along. And, you know, and people I was criticized, I had other comedians saying, what are you doing? And you should say something. And I said, look, I know what I'm doing. Because they say you're appeasing this regime in Saudi Arabia whilst at the same time having a go at Iran, which is also a theocracy.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  8. “I have to be, I'm very careful about every role that I take because I've got to make sure that the project itself is going to be something that doesn't portray, I would like to say my people in a certain way. You know, in 2003, I was very lucky to work with Whippy Goldberg on a sitcom called Whippie. And she had a great writer who was called Paul Mooney, who was the original writer for Richard Pryor. And they took me to one side and they said, look, you're the first in comedy from your people. So you're kind of like the Richard Pryor of...”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  9. “Based on the book by Ben McIntyre. So that's going to be really, yeah, it's a great book. And I just want to zoom with Ben McIntyre yesterday. So that's very complex. So all the people involved in that, it's not just some second terrorists. Even the people who were terrorists are way more complex than you think. And you kind of see their side as well.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  10. “How it feels sometimes. Scumbag specialist. Although in the Bonn film, I was the second Azerbaijani oil pipe attendant, which is a major departure in my career. So yes, I have been given those roles. And when you're a young actor, you take them and you do them to the best of your ability. But right now, which is very interesting, we're going to be working on a Channel 4 series about the Iran Embassy siege, about the inside, the hostages, what happened with them.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  11. “It was hard to do, but I felt for him because he's based on a couple of real characters who are double agents. And double agents go crazy, not because they have to appease both sides. They get involved because they feel that they have a moral humanitarian duty to work for one side, but when they're trying to bomb the other side and they like the other side, they're trying to avert disaster. And that moral dichotomy drives them crazy.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  12. “He was very educated. He's a little bit, I based him on Javad Zarif, who was raised in England and America spoke in a very relaxed, would use words like homogeny, would use words use words that were very, very well, very eloquent and erudite. So someone who was educated?”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  13. “A lot of Muslims are not standing up, and that is giving a, I suppose, a card for other people to say, oh, is it Islamophobic just because they've got the name Islamic Republic in their name? So people also feel it is Islamophobic, whereas Masi al-Injad, who was a female activist, was at the UN, and she grabbed a photograph of the Supreme Leader and ripped it in two because it is not Islamophobic to do this. And many Muslims online who are speaking up saying it is Muslims' moral duty to call out this regime who are killing in the name of Islam. It's our moral duty to call them out and they're not doing it.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  14. “What do you think is going on? But then why didn't we have backed if we had a problem with Russia during the Second World, we should have backed Hitler? We go, well, you know, we don't like the Russians. So at least Hitler has a problem with Russia. So we like Hitler. The enemy of my enemy is my friend is something that we think is one of the most appalling narratives that are out there. And I've heard people, I have had some friends of mine, liberal progressives, who were very much when there was a uprising in 2022, the woman life freedom. They were all for that. Now suddenly, because Iran was attacking Israel, they were going, go, go, Iran. Are you kidding me? You're now supporting Iran because, yeah, because the enemy, my enemy, is my friend. So that's the first thing because they have an anti-Israel as a policy, anti-America, anti-Israel, anti-imperialistic narrative was the regime in Iran is one of the most imperialistic things you've ever seen. But anyway, that's by the by. The other thing is...”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  15. “I know, I know. But we cannot believe that the world is not backing these people. It is the most incredible revolution I think we have ever seen against the most evil repressive forces the world has ever seen.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  16. “First of all, I cannot believe that the world is not seeing this revolution as one of the most amazing, we love revolution. We love the underdog in this country. And I cannot believe that people who have been slaughtered are not being championed. That's the thing. And their cause is, before you speak, Nick, I can see your mouth is about to move.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  17. “Bungle from Rainbow. Look it up. But the thing is, but this is my thing. Who are the people saying he's not? And they're often regime lobbyists and they're often people who are paid to actually push this narrative of the regime.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  18. “One sense, first of all, who's saying that? There are a lot of regime lobbyists out there who were saying that. But second of all, there is a case that just the fact that he wears a suit and a tie and he looks different from these people is what convinces people. And I often joke about who would have thought to lead a revolution. All you've got to do is go down to TK Max and get yourself a suit. People of Iran would have taken sooty and sweep if it was what the people wanted. People would have taken bungle from rainbow if he was a choice. And as a British person, I know that Bungle goes to bed wearing pajamas, but he walks around during the day and starts bollock naked. So I would say excuse me why you've seen.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  19. “You're getting a proper picture. When you've been watching thousands of videos across all platforms, you can tell what is AI and some AI things around there. You can tell what has been doctored. So you can have a thing and then you can easily put some sound over it. But I'm telling when there's people on the streets and you see video after video after video. I can't believe for a second all of these and you see people chanting, you see people close up far away. I'm absolutely convinced that majority of what I see is absolutely real. It's fresh and it's quickly uploaded.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  20. “There are some people who are pushing that particular narrative, but I listen to the people inside Iran. Go on the Telegram channels and listen to what the students are calling. Students are calling for his name. They're calling for Pahlavi. That is an undeniable fact. I'm not even being political by saying in my political hat. I'm just saying what I'm observing, they're constantly, even now, the students who are showing unbelievable bravery going toe to toe with the same security forces who massacred tens of thousands of people. They're facing them. They're even fistfights, but they're calling for him. That is an undeniable fact.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  21. “secular democracy in Iran. I think that's why they're calling his name inside Iran. I don't hear anybody else being called. So in that sense.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  22. “I'm not sure. Does the little Satan die? I'm not sure that's even 100% correct because I think there was a shower at the time and I think Mossad, who was the prime minister, I don't believe he was totally removed and replaced. I believe there was some kind of dynasty going up. I'm not 100% sure about it. So I never buy all those, what would trendy kind of narratives that the Shah was evil. From what I've seen, I didn't seem as an evil person. I saw him as somebody who really loved his country. And I see the same in his son, people who love it. Why would someone who's living a wonderful life in America? If you just think intellectually for a second, why would he give up that life? He plays drums. He's very loved. He gives speeches. Why would he, if you look at his work rate, why would he give his whole life over to try and be of service to his people? So if that is what he's doing, if he's creating a movement to go and create.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  23. “No. Six years old? I was six years old last time. All I can tell you, you know, and why I back the movement, he represents a movement which basically says he will go in there and oversee a transition. Now, the people who, the leaders are actually in Iran in prison right now. So he's talking about releasing them from prison, getting everyone together, and then maybe having democratic elections for a secular government. And if there is going to be a monarchy, it'll be a constitutional monarchy a bit like Great Britain, where it runs along, but it has nothing to do with religion. And I think that's the movement that everyone's backing.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  24. “We've chosen someone. Reza Pahalavi is not as a leader, but as a custodian of transition. So what you're seeing is a beautiful revolution with some kind of intellectual teeth behind it as well, very similar to Czechoslovakia.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  25. “Yes, he came to see you at Show of Oz and said hello shikans and basically said that that velvet was a velvet revolution. I think only one person died in that and it was people were protesting and he was very clear there should be no violence. That was a thing. And it was a beautiful revolution. And the people of Czechoslovakia are really wonderful. I don't know back in 1989 when I met them and went over there and lived there. I lived there for four and a half years and did theater there and it was a beautiful experience. The people there are very peace loving and they're very proud of their revolution. They're very proud that only one person died. And it's something they've really built on because they're intellectual. And it's very interesting with the people of Iran because the Czechs and Slovaks said, we have agency. We are educated. We know what we want. And this is why when everyone says, yeah, but what's going to happen after Iran? Who's going to come in? Isn't there going to be a power vacuum? Is it going to bring you ISIS and all that? We say, no, we're educated. We know. We've already...”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  26. “I knew it was a big moment in history, totally ruined by David Hasselhoff, who started singing songs on the wall. And all of us thinking, what is he doing here? Enough. Yeah, but it was a moment. And I'll never forget, it was New Year's Eve. And looking up at the sky, there was nothing but fireworks, and people were coming from the west to the east and people going from east to the west. I walked into East Berlin. It was an incredible experience, the real moment of global unity. It was a moment of celebration. It was a moment that we thought everything is going to be okay in the world because the good guys have won.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  27. “When it's coming down now, we Never forget I stood next to him and was knocking bits down because if you knock, someone gave me a hammer and I knocked bits down, you could sell it for about five marks. So I sold three or four bits. I kept one piece, which had some paint on it. I've still got that at home because it was such a huge thing. And now what we're talking about, why it's so relevant now is this is Iran's Berlin Wall moment. And we keep saying when Ronald Reagan said this wall has to come down. He meant bring it down. He didn't say, let's lower it a bit. So with this whole thing of negotiations, we're not talking about lowering them all. We're talking about getting rid of them.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  28. “I think at the end of the day, we all have to be authentic. And if I say anything that I think is funny, I'll say it. But if it's...”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  29. “They even called you a name. Yeah, I think the word was Euphenian Turk was the word, which was a bit bizarre because I was dark. And also I had a posh English accent. So that kind of confused them. But I think it did, I mean, that's why I found comedy at university. And it gave me the confidence to do jokes like at the Royal Variety Performance after 9-11. When I was essentially cancelled, I was cancelled as nobody really wanted anything to do with a Middle Eastern comedian. But the one show I had left was the Royal Variety Performance. And it made Prince Charles laugh when he was sat literally on my left in the royal box. And I said, suicide bombing, yeah, it's pretty bad, but it's going to get worse. We're going to have suicide bombers schools. How does that even work? Where's your bag? Oh, I left it on the bus. Well done. House point. And that's the kind of joke. That was just too much.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  30. “I got shot at, yeah, just by accident, you know, one night throwing stones on Port Rosh Beach and someone shouted something at me. And they said, do you want any kneecaps blown off? And I said, come on in. And his friend said, you better go. He's serious. He came back with an A rifle. And I got chased and they took two shots at me. And then on the Monday, I reported it to my professor who just said, look, you've survived. I think it's best you don't make a report. Because then they'll know who it is, they'll come after you. So just be happy that you're alive.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  31. “During the troubles, I have the troubles. But it's an interesting choice. It's an interesting choice. No, it wasn't a conscious choice. It was the only place that took me. So I went along. And it was tough. It was a really, really, the troubles. You know, when you go into university, there's army checkpoints and things. So it was a scary time. But I think you've got...”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  32. “I've seen him on the streets. Yeah. I lived in Kensington and I never forget he was a dashing young man about 30 31. He was a big American convertible car. There was traffic High Street Ken bikes at Mary Abbott's Church and Barker's. And he was stuck in traffic and he was in a convertible car with three security officers around him. And people were like honking their horns. And he was waving at everyone. And within seconds, I think some cab drivers started singing, there's only one Charlie Windsor, one Charlie Windsor. And he's like waving at the crowd. And I was waving at him. I could have cycled over and just said hello. He was that close.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  33. “It wasn't over. It was like Prince Harry, I said to the, I said, you must be very, very proud of Prince Harry going out to Afghanistan. And Prince Charles said, it's marvelous to see him wearing a British uniform for a change.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  34. “Yes, and I think that was something I was asked to do a big do around 2006. They made me a Princess Trust ambassador. And I became very close to, well, as he was Prince Charles, Michael Fawcett was his butler. He kept saying, Fawcett here, we need you to come along and do some comedy. Prince likes you. Come along and do some shows. And then I think I did a couple of jokes which didn't go down too well.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  35. “The emblem was a black hand and a white hand shaking hands. So, yeah, it was a very multicultural, very diverse school. People say, how come you can do all these accents? And it doesn't seem racist. It's because they're accurate because I was raised with Nigerians. I was raised with people from all around Jamaicans. That kind of speak was part of the way we all connected with each other.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  36. “I've always seen myself as a citizen of the world because that's the way the Baha'i faith is. The Baha'i faith believes that the earth is one country, mankind. It's citizens or religions of different chapters of the same book. I've always had this kind of global way of seeing myself. But yeah, but because we spoke Persian at home and I was taught some things about Persian culture, I thought Iranians were funny. I liked them. I always felt warm towards them. So yeah, I would say a British Iranian. Now, I joke about it. People say, what does that mean? I said, being a British Iranian means half of me has a natural dislike and hatred for America and the other side exactly the same. So it's something that I can joke about. But I am, you know, a British Iranian. I feel, in fact, my wife often used to say to me, I thought I'd marry this exotic Persian man, but you watch four, you know, super Sundays. They're going, Chelsea. So she was very disappointed.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  37. “Well, because my parents were funny because they used humor over breakfast, they used humor to make people laugh. And I said, why are you always telling jokes? It's quite weird. And they said, no, because joy gives you wings and people actually heal quicker. So there was always laughter and comedy to kind of help with the healing process.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  38. “There's a Persian which is called Jodes Muni, which means being all of us together. So my parents had at this amazing seven-bedroom flat in Kensington. So me and my brother and my sister, we shared a room and the other rooms were given out to people who had lost a leg in the war, were blinded. And we'd have to go and translate for them as well. And some people were nice. Some people liked the fact that we were Baha'is. Baha'is are pretty much trusted people. But some of them were regime type people who actually, when they found out we're Baha'is would leave in the middle of the night. So it was a very strange thing, but it really gave me an idea. It was little Iran within a little tiny flat. Well, not tiny, a flat in Kensington.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  39. “Yes, and I think it affected me because I'm a Baha'i. The Baha'is were being persecuted. The Baha'i faith grew out of Islam in the same way Christianity grew out of Judaism. So there's a connection, but they're totally separate faiths. And because people in Islam, they think Muhammad is a seal of the prophets.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  40. “It was Yeah, but at that time, my father was the liaison officer at the Iranian consulate, which means Iranians had come over looking for medical help. He would locate them, find them doctors in Harley Street. And it seemed, I seem to be very proud. There was another Iranian kid at school. I would speak Persian very loudly with him. We were very proud of our Persian heritage. And then when the Islamic regime happened and we saw these terrible Islamic fundamentalism, and even my parents are thinking, well, you know, they're in power, but you know, it's what the people decided, that's fine. But then within a few months, within a few months, my mother's saying, oh my God, the women have protested about there were some judges, there were some people in big, high-level positions, and they've been thrown out because they're women. They demonstrated some of them were killed and they had acid thrown on them. And my mother said, these people are animals, these people are. I wouldn't even call them a name of an animal because that's not right. So we all thought, okay, this.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  41. “No, I was not born in Iran. I was born and raised here and I'm telling you all this not as an Iranian diaspora person who seems to know what he's talking about because he's so immersed in everything. I'm speaking to you as a concerned human being, as a member of the global community. I have watched these people operate. I have seen that they are the biggest international sponsors of terrorism. And I cannot believe that we have appeased these people. That's what I can't believe.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  42. “Look, as I said, I'm as anti-war as anyone, but let's put this in context. If you're living in a community and there's a bloke you don't like, all right, there's a bloke you don't like, he's got kids, you don't really talk to him, you kind of say, let him do what he wants. Then you realize he's mass murdered all his children. Wouldn't you think, do you know what? I don't really want him enough because he could do that to us. Maybe we should remove him. Would you not think that? I think most normal people would think that. And the question is, if they have done this to their own people, are we not worried that they're trying to do it to us? I think that's the main question.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  43. “Well, there's collateral damage in this sense that if, and I said this to a reporter once, I said, look, if you want to take out, if someone said to me, we want to take out the Islamic regime. They're all at Nando's. They're all at Nando's enrichment, okay? But there's 100 people there and two of your children are there too. Shall we press the button and bomb them? I would say no. I don't want my kids being killed. I don't want anyone being killed. But what Israel did in the 12-day war is that they were targeting specific, I mean, with real strike, I mean, even a block of flat, in a block of flats, they hit one flat and killed the IRGC members in there.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  44. “That they tried to kill his father. You tried to kill my daddy. And John Press got Tommy, your film was absolutely spot on. We should never have gone to war.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  45. “Are you coming in with us, John? And then Bush goes, he tried to kill my daddy. He goes, Tony, it's got nothing to do with us. This is a Texan thing. This is all about revenge. It's got nothing to do with us. Yeah, George Bush.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  46. “If they did that, but that's what I'm saying. They did that in Iraq. And that's something you should know also, I produced a movie called We Are Many, which is about the 800 city global demonstrations against the war where majority of people did not feel Saddam Hussein had anything to do with 9-11. Remember, we dealt with Iraq and al-Qaeda just before that. And they believe that he had weapons and mass destruction. I can tell you right now, John Prescott, who I did adverts with back in 2010, he saw the film in 2015. We are many. And he rang me up because, Amid, Omi, I've just seen we are many. Tell you what, our House of Commons, Wit Tawny. I was with Tawny. I said, Tony, there's a million people out there. He goes, no, he goes, you sent me off to the White House. I was talking to George Bush in that book, or Dick Chayne, I don't like him at all, Dick Cheney. They weren't even at the White House. They were at Bunker. They're in Bunker. They go, are you?”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  47. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are not the Iranian army. The Iranian army is a very different thing. This is the militia that keeps the regime in power.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  48. “That would be a huge fear that his own people are saying. I think what's happening is that he's also aware of narratives going on. There's a big narrative within America. They're pushing that this is like Saddam Hussein's weapons and mass destruction. And he has to go through the diplomatic route because that responsibility to protect was about first you have to deal with it diplomatically. And then when that falls down, there has to be an intervention, a military intervention, which is what the Iranians are saying. We do not want more. The people inside Iran saying we do not want more. What happened with Iraq in 2003? War meant just carpet bombing the place and innocent people dying. What the people of Iran are asking for is for the apparatus and machinery of repression to be removed and neutralized, which is the IRGC. If you remove that, then there's a level playing field. Then we can see what the people of Iran want. Let them make their voices known.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  49. “Sedition is protest, and so you have to kill those people, which maybe would have been an Islamic edict that would have worked 1,400 years ago in brutal times, but does not work now with 16-year-old people, girls are walking back from a demonstration and IIGC members on motorcycles go and shooting them in the back of the head. So what we're trying to say is that basically we cannot allow people to We're so amazed that even negotiating with these people, we'd like to think, we'd like to think it's all a sham and they're going to go in anyway. That's what we would like to think.”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  50. “We feel not as let down but we're outrageously let down disappointed and actually offended because the people of Iran who took to the streets of which the number of people have been killed which by the way we put at 36,000 Donald Trump said 32,000 those people who protested did not protest for a better nuclear deal they'd protested to get rid of this regime and the fact that even negotiating with them we would like to think it's all a sham we'd like to think that when you when you look at the United Nations norm R2P responsibility to protect it's something that came in 2005 where if a country is killing its own people and by the way what's happening in Iran is not a genocide because they're attacking the majority of the people this is an extermination of human beings who are protesting because it goes against their own Islamic laws that to kill someone is bad even worse is sedition”

    2026-02-27 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · 'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source