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US President Donald Trump stated that Iran’s military leadership and naval assets are destroyed, claiming it is too late for negotiations
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00:00Good evening, there's a massive intensification of operations in West Asia.
00:05Israel has put boots on ground in Lebanon and both the US and Israel are relentlessly pounding Iran.
00:13Despite being battered, Iran is hitting back and hurt.
00:18Reports from Tehran say the death toll in Iran sadly has shot up to over 700 killed.
00:24Iran's counter-attack with drones and missiles has resulted in the US Embassy in Riyadh being hit.
00:31Energy infrastructure in the Gulf region is also in the line of fire, has been targeted.
00:37Global oil and gas prices are shooting up.
00:40In fact, Qatar has suspended LNG production after two of its facilities were hit.
00:45And these are reports that are coming in from Qatar as of now.
00:50Now, IRGC says, and this is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran,
00:59they say that the Strait of Hormuz is now shut, choking a key energy supply route.
01:05And if the Strait of Hormuz is shut, that's a very major signal that's being sent out.
01:10This major signal is going out not just to countries like India or countries in Southeast Asia,
01:17going all the way to South Korea and then Japan.
01:19Signal is going out to the rest of the world.
01:22It's a very crucial global choke point.
01:24While America may claim that the Strait of Hormuz is open,
01:28but we'll show you images on ground.
01:31Very clearly, they indicate no ship, no tanker will get insurance to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
01:40They've anchored around.
01:42Iran was saying they will permit which ship will go and which won't.
01:47Very clearly, the situation is very grim.
01:50US President Donald Trump has said Iran's air defense, air force, navy and leadership are gone.
01:56He says Tehran now wants talks, but it's too late.
02:01US Vice President J.D. Vance has defended the strike,
02:04saying the goal is to ensure Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon.
02:10Professor Jeffrey Sachs, an economist par excellence, he joins me.
02:15He's a commentator.
02:17He's telling us how he looks at this war and how it's being prosecuted by Israel and Iran.
02:23We'll get you that interview.
02:24But first, let me get you the top developments of the day today.
02:42West Asia war continues to expand.
02:46As it enters day four.
02:50The firepower is intensifying.
02:54The casualties are mounting.
02:58Neither side is blinking.
03:02The US warns operations could last four to five weeks, even hinting at boots on the ground.
03:12We're already substantially ahead of our time projections, but whatever the time is, it's okay.
03:20Whatever it takes, we will always, and we have, right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks.
03:28But we have capability to go far longer than that.
03:33They're suffering a tremendous amount of damage.
03:35Honestly, again, I'm not going to give away the details of our tactical efforts,
03:39but the hardest hits are yet to come from the US military.
03:42The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now.
03:47President Donald Trump outlines four objectives.
03:51President Trump says the Iran war is justified to stop Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons,
03:57protect US forces and the homeland,
04:01ensure the free flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz,
04:04and defend allies like Israel, as outlined in his letter to the Congress.
04:11According to Iran's Red Crescent Society, 787 are dead, 1,039 attacks recorded, and 504 sites hit.
04:24Israel claims direct strikes on Iran's command center in Tehran.
04:30Even as US forces are targeting Revolutionary Guard-linked facilities,
04:37Iran says the war is in the attackers' hands.
04:40Tehran insists it did not start this conflict, as it continues to strike US bases.
04:51We don't seek to regionalize the war.
04:53It will become regional simply because US bases and facilities are spread across our region.
05:00When the United States attacked us, whether by fighter jets or by ships,
05:04once it deploys, they have access to our territory to strike with all kinds of missiles and aircraft.
05:09We cannot reach their territory, but we can reach their bases.
05:13I think those bases are legitimate targets.
05:20US diplomatic missions across the region are under pressure.
05:24The embassy in Riyadh reportedly bombed.
05:28Jordan vacated.
05:30Kuwait and Bahrain shut.
05:31Baghdad entry closed.
05:34While consulates in Peshawar and Karachi faces mob attacks.
05:41The UAE has intercepted 645 drones and 169 missiles from Iran.
05:50Kuwait, 283 drones, 97 missiles.
05:55Qatar, 17 drones, 72 missiles.
06:02Bahrain, 59 drones, 70 missiles.
06:08Israel is now fighting on two fronts.
06:10Intensifying strikes on Hezbollah, in southern Lebanon, even as the Iran conflict rages.
06:18Evacuation orders have been issued for more than two dozen Lebanese towns, with Beirut under fresh bombardment.
06:27Lebanese media report at least 31 killed and 149 injured in these attacks.
06:33The U.S. strategy overwhelm and degrade.
06:39Iran's strategy absorb and retaliate.
06:43As both sides dig in, the world is on the edge.
06:49Bureau Report, India Today.
07:00So, as the Middle East crisis worsens and Israel launches fresh attacks, both on Iran and Lebanon,
07:07we are now joined by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia University professor,
07:11and one of the foremost commentators who joins us from the United States.
07:15Professor, welcome.
07:17Good to be with you. Thank you.
07:19Thank you, sir.
07:20Professor Sachs, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States launched military action against Iran
07:25because it represented the last best chance to stop what he described was Tehran's pursuit of nuclear weapons
07:34and its backing of armed groups across West Asia.
07:37In your view, sir, was there really an imminent threat to the U.S. that warranted such military action,
07:44threat to the U.S. or Israel?
07:46Of course not.
07:48This is a premeditated strike that has its roots 30 years of Israeli pressure.
07:57This was nothing about an imminent threat.
08:00This was in the middle of negotiations that were proceeding to reestablish an agreement
08:05that the United States had ripped up in 2018 regarding Iran's nuclear program.
08:13Everything that is being said is a lie.
08:17Not surprisingly, the United States government lies for a living.
08:22But there was no imminent threat whatsoever.
08:26Iran was under a decree of its supreme leader that Israel and the United States murdered
08:32that prevented a nuclear weapon in any event on religious grounds.
08:38But more than that, Iran did not want a nuclear weapon.
08:42It had agreed in 2015 to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to put Iran under strict U.N. supervision.
08:53Iran abided by the agreement.
08:55The United States and Israel destroyed the agreement.
08:58This is a plan for U.S. control over the Middle East and for Israeli hegemony militarily in the Middle
09:07East.
09:07It's nothing other than that.
09:09That's a very big statement you're making, sir, that U.S. planned this, Israel planned this, and it's for hegemony
09:16in West Asia.
09:18Because President Trump has indicated that the U.S. has virtually unlimited supply of weapons to fight wars forever and
09:27successfully.
09:28Does this indicate that this conflict is not, as is being said, perhaps to last for another four weeks or
09:36five weeks and could be a prolonged regional war?
09:40This is a very dangerous situation that could become World War III.
09:48Yesterday, Netanyahu, who is another psychopath in my view, I have to say it very clearly because people need to
09:55understand what is happening,
09:56said that this is the culmination of 40 years' dream of his.
10:03That's what I've been saying for years, that Israel is prodding the United States into open war because Israel wants
10:11hegemony in the Middle East.
10:14The United States wants global hegemony.
10:16So that's what the partnership is about.
10:19The idea that the United States can sustain this forever is also a fantasy.
10:25Everybody is saying whatever they want to say, but Donald Trump, unfortunately, is a deep and chronic liar and very
10:34dangerous
10:34because the combination of Trump and Netanyahu have set the fuse for World War III.
10:40This is disgusting, premeditated, dangerous for everybody, dangerous for India, dangerous for the world.
10:48I'll come to India in just a moment and what it means for energy security of India, Southeast Asia and
10:56this part of the world.
10:57But in the United States, sir, is there a disconnect on the aims and objectives of this war
11:04between, let's say, the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon,
11:09given the comments of President Trump, Secretary Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hexert?
11:15There's not a deep disconnect among those groups.
11:20They are in confusion because they lie and they don't have their narrative straight.
11:26But the disconnect is between our military security state, which runs the United States, and the American people.
11:34That's the disconnect.
11:35There is overwhelming opposition in the United States by the people to this action.
11:41Roughly three quarters of the American people are against it.
11:45One quarter are for it.
11:47They don't have a story because they're lying all the time.
11:51Even Marco Rubio said yesterday, well, we had to act because Israel was acting and we knew there would be
11:58retaliation.
11:59This is so bizarre what they say.
12:02When you have gangsters that are making things up, they cannot coordinate their stories properly.
12:08But basically, this is a long, premeditated war.
12:12It took a lot to get all of this military power into the region.
12:17So this is not something that just happens in a day or two.
12:21This is long planned.
12:23And as Netanyahu said, this is his dream for 40 years.
12:28And I've watched it close up.
12:30Israel has been trying to provoke this war for decades.
12:35And is there an apprehension, Professor Sachs, this could actually go the Afghanistan way or the Iraq way.
12:41And then America will have to put boots on ground and decades of deployment.
12:45Unless, in your view, is that the ultimate goal?
12:49To remain in that region, to have boots on ground in the region.
12:55I don't think the American society will accept boots on the ground.
13:00I don't believe it.
13:02Because Donald Trump is a deeply unpopular person who came into office promising exactly the opposite.
13:12The American people see through these lies.
13:14This is a war of choice chosen by Trump and Netanyahu.
13:19The Americans do not want boots on the ground.
13:22And I don't think it will happen, frankly.
13:24So what will happen depends on this underlying military situation.
13:32Does the U.S. and Israel have the interceptors to protect the region?
13:40Will Iran run out first?
13:43Will the bombing by the United States and Israel on Iran stop Iran's retaliation?
13:51These are military questions in the next weeks that will determine the situation.
13:57Boots on the ground.
13:59Trump will not do that except if there is martial law in the United States.
14:03And I don't think that that is going to happen.
14:06Okay.
14:07Because Professor Sachs, Iran's Foreign Minister, Syed Abbas Araki, he said a nuclear agreement was closed.
14:13Iran's accusing President Trump of sabotaging diplomacy by launching attacks during negotiations or preparing for attacks during negotiations.
14:22And Oman has voiced similar views.
14:24Does that, in your view, sir, take away from the credibility of the United States, not just in West Asia,
14:32but across the world?
14:34I hope that people in India have learned that you cannot negotiate with the United States.
14:40They have no principles right now.
14:43They cheat.
14:44They do what they want.
14:46This is ruled by the executive without any legislative control.
14:53Trump operates on a basis of retribution or punishment.
15:00He did that with India.
15:02He's doing that here.
15:04This is the second time within one year that the United States said it was negotiating and then in the
15:10midst of negotiations bombed the counterpart.
15:14It also killed the counterparts of Hamas when it was negotiating with Hamas.
15:19This is actually a tactic, a very transparent one.
15:24Enter negotiations with us, then we will kill you.
15:28This is not even contested.
15:32You just have to follow the news day to day.
15:36I have to admit, I said publicly with the Iranians and everybody else, you cannot negotiate with these people.
15:44They are not interested in negotiations.
15:47This is not about the nuclear agreement.
15:50That's why Trump ripped up the agreement in 2018.
15:53This is about hegemony.
15:56Now, if people want to accept United States hegemony, that's one thing.
16:01If they want not to have a hegemon, then it's a different story.
16:07So, do you want Israel running the Middle East?
16:10Do you want the United States running the world?
16:13Do you want the United States to be the British Empire of the 21st century?
16:17Or should countries be sovereign and living under the UN Charter?
16:22That's the fundamental question that is at stake right now.
16:26And that is something that we must discuss in greater detail if you have time,
16:30because the manner in which the president of Venezuela, President Maduro, was abducted on day one.
16:37And another day you see the supreme leader of Iran being decapitated or assassinated, as Iran puts it.
16:44What does this say about rules-based order or the lack of it in the world?
16:50Today it's these countries.
16:51Tomorrow it could be any country in the world.
16:56The only rules-based order we have is the United Nations Charter.
17:01We can decide to live with it or not live with it.
17:05If we live with it, then we have to recognize that what the United States government is doing is blatantly
17:12illegal.
17:13Because under Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter, it says that no state may use the threat of
17:21force or force against another sovereign state.
17:25This is very straightforward.
17:27That's the principle on which the entire rules-based order is found.
17:32The United States does not accept that principle.
17:35The United States is the world's empire.
17:38It believes that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.
17:44A line of Western history that goes back to the ancient wars in Greece.
17:51And that is the American view.
17:54Even the White House has stated that international law is a nicety.
17:59That is the question before the world.
18:01This year, India is the president of the BRICS.
18:05Yes.
18:05Does the BRICS stand for the UN or for U.S. hegemony?
18:10This is a very basic question.
18:12But the United States believes it can kidnap presidents.
18:15It can kill leaders.
18:17It can invade when it wants.
18:19It can call aggression, self-defense.
18:23And it believes it can get away with it.
18:25Now, I have to admit, it gets away with a lot.
18:28Because countries that have U.S. military bases in them are generally vassal states of the United States.
18:37And the U.S. has military bases in around 80 countries in the world.
18:42So, let's talk about some of those countries in West Asia right now.
18:47Because since the United States and Israel began striking Iran, the Islamic Republic retaliated with ballistic missiles and drones.
18:55And what is as of now being described as over 25 waves of attacks targeting not just Israel, but also
19:03Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq.
19:08What is your reading of Iran's strategy of targeting countries in the region and expanding the arc of war?
19:15Are they hoping this would lead to these countries protesting, saying their economies are getting impacted, put a stop to
19:23it?
19:23Or will they gang up with the United States and isolate Iran even further?
19:29Well, it's a tragedy what's happening.
19:31But just to be precise, what they are doing is targeting the military bases of the United States.
19:37And this is very interesting.
19:39Think about it.
19:40All of those countries, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, these are countries that are home to the U
19:51.S. military and the CIA.
19:53That's what's happening right now.
19:55So Iran is retaliating against an Israel-U.S. attack by attacking the U.S. CIA bases in the Middle
20:07East.
20:07Now, this is extraordinarily complicated because will the Middle East countries side with Israel and with the United States in
20:21this attack?
20:22Maybe the governments will, because maybe the governments are all afraid of being overthrown by the United States or by
20:31afraid of the CIA.
20:33My advice to any government is do not host a U.S. military base because you will be a vassal
20:41of the United States if you do.
20:43My advice to India is do not join the Quad.
20:48India doesn't want another empire ruling over it.
20:51It had an empire.
20:52It didn't like it.
20:53It was not satisfactory.
20:55India is an independent country.
20:57It should not join a U.S. military alliance.
20:59But I tell you, just like the United States believes that it controls and owns the Middle East, it believes
21:08that it will dominate India's politics because it will get India on side against China.
21:13It's playing games everywhere.
21:16It's trying to divide the world and get countries to side with it by saying you are threatened by the
21:24other side.
21:24It's an old strategy.
21:26It's a Roman imperial strategy.
21:29In Latin, divide et impera.
21:32Divide and conquer.
21:34And that's what the United States is trying to do.
21:37Well, India suffered, as you well know, Professor, divide and rule of the British.
21:42Hopefully, the very important lessons have been learned post-1947.
21:46But, Professor Sachs, in your view, will this war last as long as Iran has those rockets and missiles and
21:53drones?
21:54Or will U.S. and Israel carpet bombing force the regime to surrender?
21:59Or perhaps, as the Americans hope, the leadership hopes, embolden the people to take to the streets and overthrow the
22:07regime?
22:08What's your reading, sir?
22:10Well, again, I don't have a crystal ball.
22:14But the idea that people will take to the streets and replace the regime seems to me an utter fantasy.
22:20The idea that two or three weeks of carpet bombing a vast country, roughly the size of Western Europe, rugged,
22:31mountainous, brings it to its knees, seems to run against every lesson of modern warfare.
22:37So, no, I don't believe that a few weeks of bombing, as brutal as it is, as many schoolgirls as
22:46will be killed, I don't believe that that will bring Iran to its knees, no.
22:52And the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Co., they said that the Strait of Hormuz is closed for shipping traffic.
22:59They warned any vessel attempting to pass through these tragic waterways would be set on fire.
23:04What does this mean for global shipping, for energy and economy?
23:10I think it is, of course, a very profound shock to the world economy, to India, to Southeast Asia, to
23:20China.
23:21It is likely to raise oil prices above $100 a barrel.
23:26I believe that this is credible.
23:29The Straits of Hormuz is a very narrow passage.
23:33It is effectively under the control of Iranian guns.
23:39I don't think the United States and Israel or the Arab countries, for that matter, can clear the way of
23:46the Straits of Hormuz.
23:48I don't think that the insurers and the shippers are going to be passing tankers through the Straits of Hormuz.
23:54So my guess is that this is for real, that if it lasts many weeks or even months, it will
24:04have a very significant effect on the world economy, a very negative one,
24:10and that it will be Europe, India and China that will pay the highest price.
24:19And U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is saying that the hardest hits on Iran are yet to come.
24:26He's added that he wouldn't want to give away details of their tactical efforts.
24:30Does this indicate that this is just the initial phase of the war?
24:35So the worst phase of the war is yet to come?
24:38Or do you see a ray of hope that perhaps behind the scenes there could be some dialogue, some diplomacy,
24:45some way to come back to the talks table?
24:48There won't be a return to talks, because to talk with the United States is to be killed.
24:53But there could be a stop to the fighting.
24:56I think that the BRICS should play the leading role in this.
25:02This will not come because the United States scares Iran.
25:06If the Arab countries make the mistake, which they are making, by the way, of falling under the U.S.
25:15umbrella,
25:17then they will face continuing pounding.
25:21What is needed is a bigger picture to understand that what has happened is a U.S. attempt at hegemony.
25:28It's quite an advanced and explicit one that this is not in the interest of the world,
25:34that the United States and Israel need to stand down, that Israel needs to stop wars all over the Middle
25:42East.
25:43I know that Prime Minister Modi was just in Israel, but the point is Israel is a violent, expansionist, regional
25:51country
25:51that aims at regional military hegemony through its monopoly of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
25:58This is a reckless policy.
26:00Israel should learn to live within its own borders, and that would make the world a lot safer.
26:06So, since you spoke of the nukes, Professor Sachs, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister,
26:12a short while back said that the U.S. move may just spur not just Iran, but other countries to
26:19acquire a nuclear weapon
26:21because perhaps that's the only way to stay safe.
26:24Would you agree with that assessment?
26:26When countries have given up nuclear weapons or given up nuclear weapons programs like Libya did,
26:33the United States tends to kill the leader that does it and give up.
26:39Iran did not want nuclear weapons.
26:43The Supreme Leader, Ali Khomeini, said repeatedly in a religious sense, this is against Shia Islam.
26:54The United States just killed the religious leader that for decades held back Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
27:04We don't know what this means, but it's odd to kill the religious leader that is the one that is
27:11restraining the development of nuclear weapons.
27:14But that is the twisted approach of the United States and Israel.
27:18And, Professor Sachs, your assessment of Europe's role in this conflict?
27:23President Trump has hit out at the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, for not letting them use the Diego Garcia
27:29base.
27:29But France, as of now, is sending an aircraft carrier strike group, according to reports.
27:34Spain is reluctant.
27:36They don't want their bases to be used.
27:38How do you see Europe reacting and the impact on Europe?
27:44The impact on Europe is very negative.
27:47Europe just keeps getting pummeled.
27:49Everything that happens is adverse to Europe, whether in Ukraine, whether the U.S. threats against Greenland.
27:57Now this war in the Middle East, Europe is very poorly led.
28:01Why is that?
28:02Because Europe essentially is a vassal region of the United States.
28:07It's almost entirely occupied by the U.S. military and CIA.
28:12And governments in Europe do not have any ability, it seems, to speak truthfully.
28:21So they have all come out, except for Spain, in favor of the U.S. attacks, which have opened up
28:30this new war.
28:31But that's because of how vulnerable they actually are, how much of a vassal they consider themselves to be.
28:39They do not speak for their own interests, and that's why European interests are never represented.
28:45France is a little bit different.
28:47France is a former and still wannabe imperial power.
28:54So France still envisions itself as having an imperial role in the Middle East, notably in Lebanon.
29:03This is not what the French people want.
29:07This is not what Europe wants.
29:09Interestingly, people all over the world want peace.
29:12But the leaders in the United States and Israel and in Europe want war.
29:18It makes these leaders deeply unpopular.
29:22Six body bags so far, and God forbid there should be more, I hope not.
29:27Three aircraft lost, fears of escalation.
29:31In your view, sir, Americans, will they favor Trump?
29:35Should there be a prolonged war?
29:37Will that make President Trump even more unpopular post-challenges in midterm?
29:44I personally would be shocked if Trump found support in the United States for what he has done.
29:54At the beginning of this, 75 percent of the Americans were against it.
30:00If this is prolonged, Trump's approval ratings, in my view, will plummet further.
30:07He was at 37 percent approval, 60 percent disapproval when the war started.
30:14He's not a popular man.
30:16Now, the U.S. government has not even been able to tell the same lie about why this war started.
30:23As you noted, the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department are all strategically together,
30:29but tactically they don't even know how to tell the same story.
30:32This is not reassuring to the American people.
30:36Indeed, it isn't.
30:38But what would this mean?
30:40Should there be a prolonged war for places like Dubai, for places like Abu Dhabi, or for Saudi Arabia?
30:45Because Dubai, Abu Dhabi, they pride themselves in being as an oasis of peace, a place for investment, people to
30:53holiday.
30:53But, you know, with anti-missile defense shields getting activated, there is unhappiness, if not panic.
31:02Yes, this already has done grave damage, grave damage to the United Arab Emirates.
31:09It's not something quickly to repair.
31:11How can this be the safe haven if it is so easily attacked?
31:16These are luxury hotels that have been hit by drones as well as military bases.
31:21But this was the place supposedly to come park your money, to be safe, to be on holiday.
31:28The airport was hit.
31:31I think that this is an extraordinary miscalculation by the United Arab Emirates, by the way,
31:37because it had sided with Israel and in the Abraham Accord, something I found rather shocking,
31:43under the circumstances of Israel committing genocide in Gaza.
31:48But it made that calculation.
31:51Now it's hoping that this war will succeed on its behalf, and this reputational damage will quickly be removed.
32:00But it's a very, very big blow to a region that says we are the safe haven.
32:07It's not a safe haven.
32:09This is an old adage of Henry Kissinger, that to be an enemy of the United States is dangerous, but
32:17to be a friend is fatal.
32:19And this is what the Arab countries are learning right now.
32:22Oh, absolutely.
32:24But before I let you go, sir, if President Trump says that his aim is to ensure that a radical
32:29Islamist state does not have a nuclear weapon,
32:32and he means Iran, he's friends with Pakistan, which again is a radical Islamist state and has a nuclear weapon,
32:40so it doesn't seem to add up Trump's policies.
32:42There's no principle, there's no consistency, there's no honesty day to day, there's no underlying logic except the American view
32:55of power.
32:56It wants power everywhere.
32:59It thinks that it controls India because it thinks that in the Quad, it can convince India,
33:06you side with us because China's your enemy.
33:09This is the old trick.
33:11This is what the United States tries to do in every region.
33:15But the United States does not operate on principle, I'm sorry to say.
33:20That's why the world is so dangerous and aflame right now.
33:23We have the principles.
33:25It's called the UN Charter.
33:26The BRICS should defend the UN Charter.
33:30Do you see an off-ramp anywhere in this?
33:33Do you see this conflict escalate in the days and weeks ahead?
33:37What is a way that a solution may be found?
33:40Any glimmer of hope?
33:42The glimmer of hope is the United States says,
33:45this does not work, this makes no sense, we go home.
33:50The fighting will stop.
33:53So no glimmer of hope.
33:55No, no, I didn't say that.
33:57I said that the United States could be intelligent.
33:59You could say that's no glimmer of hope,
34:02but there are intelligent people in the United States.
34:05They're just not sitting in the White House right now.
34:08I will let that be the last word on this part of the show.
34:11Professor Jeffrey Sachs, as always,
34:12it's such a treat to hear you, to talk to you,
34:15and hope to have you back on the show once again and soon.
34:18Wonderful.
34:19Thank you very much.
34:26Big story coming in from Iran.
34:29Israel has issued a warning,
34:31an urgent evacuation warning for civilians in Iran
34:35living in and around the industrial zone in Tehran
34:39to vacate their homes, to vacate that area.
34:42That area will be targeted.
34:43So all these localities around the airport, the Paim airport,
34:48Israel intends to carry out intense operations in the next few hours.
34:54Those living in zones around this have been told to leave their homes
34:58and move to safer areas.
35:00Major buildings linked to Iran government are already being targeted.
35:04Reports indicate that a structure that was used by the Assembly of Experts,
35:08the body responsible for selecting Iran's supreme leader,
35:12that building has been targeted.
35:14There's been another attack in Qum in the southern, south of Tehran.
35:18Israel says it's dropped more than 1,500 bombs
35:24across 700 targets inside Iran since the operations began.
35:30Iranian authorities are reporting 787 Iranians dead.
35:37More than 1,000 attacks recorded in more than 500 sites that have been hit.
35:42This is information that's coming in from Iran.
35:45Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
35:48he's reached out to key Gulf leaders amidst this escalating crisis in West Asia.
35:53Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Sultan of Oman,
35:57Haytham bin Tariq, the Crown Prince of Kuwait,
36:01Sheikh Sabah al Khalid al-Sabah,
36:03and the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
36:07And the Prime Minister took to social media to give out details.
36:11He said he had a productive telephone conversation with the Crown Prince of Kuwait,
36:15His Highness Sheikh Sabah al Khalid al-Hamad al-Mubarak al-Sabah.
36:20India condemns the violation of Kuwait's sovereignty and territorial integrity
36:24and stands with its people in this difficult hour.
36:28In a separate post, he said he spoke with His Majesty Sultan Haytham bin Tariq
36:33and exchanged views on recent developments in West Asia
36:36and condemned the violation of Oman's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
36:40He agreed, he said,
36:42we agreed that sustained diplomatic engagement is essential
36:45for earliest restoration of regional peace and stability.
36:49Deeply appreciated Oman's continued support to the Indian community.
36:53And finally, he wrote, spoke with my brother, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani,
37:01the Amir of Qatar.
37:02We stand firmly in solidarity with Qatar
37:06and strongly condemn any violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
37:10We emphasize the urgent need to restore peace and stability in the region
37:14through dialogue and diplomacy.
37:16I also conveyed my appreciation for his continued support
37:19and care for the Indian community in Qatar during this challenging time.
37:25Now, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to key Gulf leaders
37:29and pushes for dialogue, diplomacy and de-escalation,
37:32the impact of the West Asia conflict is already being felt on ground
37:35and in the skies.
37:37Amidst this aviation disruption,
37:39the first Air India flight carrying stranded passengers from Dubai
37:42landed in Delhi.
37:44There's another wide-bodied aircraft that's now being sent out
37:47to bring in more stranded passengers
37:49as we're getting you in that breaking report.
37:52But I get you more in this report.
37:55Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar!
37:58Allah Akbar!
38:00The US and Israel conflict with Iran has created a hole in the sky.
38:08Hundreds of flights cancelled.
38:13Thousands of tourists stranded.
38:17The world's busiest airports bear a deserted look.
38:23It is considered one of the worst aviation disasters since the COVID pandemic.
38:31After the reports of explosions and drone strikes in Riyadh,
38:35several West Asia-bound flights made U-turn mid-air and returned to India.
38:41In a bid to resume services,
38:44airlines are rerouting flights and avoiding conflict zones
38:47as safety concerns mounts.
38:52Air India has suspended its operations for UAE, Qatar, Israel, Iran
38:59and several of other destinations today.
39:02And this suspension of operations,
39:05flight operations could further increase
39:07because of the airspace restrictions
39:09and the war escalations that's happening.
39:12On the other side,
39:13you're also getting pictures from Delhi's IGI airport
39:15where the family is traveling to UK, Canada, Cyprus are saying
39:19that they're waiting out here for past 4-5 hours
39:23and the flight has been delayed by 8 hours.
39:26The 28th was our arrival,
39:28but we've been here for 4 days.
39:31I'm really grateful to Air India
39:34that they've been able to support us
39:36and brought us there.
39:38I didn't receive any notification till yet.
39:41So now I have to go back
39:44because I didn't receive any notification, anything.
39:50Amid the missile alerts across UAE,
39:52the West Asian nation has authorized
39:54a small number of evacuation
39:57and repatriation flights
39:59from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
40:04After the mild breather,
40:06Air India safely brought back
40:07149 passengers from Dubai.
40:12Meanwhile, Indigo is operating
40:1410 special relief flights
40:15from Saudi Arabia to India.
40:19As India is intensifying rescue operations,
40:23stranded tourists in Bahrain
40:25have urged government for help.
40:32The conflict between US, Israel and Iran
40:35has grounded an entire region.
40:38Families of Indians wait with bated breath
40:41for their loved ones to return.
40:44As the mild respite offers hope,
40:47but the crisis seems to be far from over.
41:01The crisis sadly seems to be escalating
41:05and how the Strait of Hormuz,
41:08it's one of the key energy supply lines,
41:11it's a choke point
41:12and that's now being choked.
41:14Tankers have been damaged,
41:16nearly 150 ships have stranded,
41:18the crude market is on the edge
41:21and Iran says this market will remain closed.
41:25The Strait remains closed.
41:28The impact of this war
41:29is being felt on land,
41:31in air and even the sea.
41:34This war has now spilled into
41:36one of the world's most critical energy lifelines
41:39and that is the Strait of Hormuz.
41:41Iran has said the Strait is effectively closed.
41:44It's warned any vessel attempting to pass through
41:47could well be set on fire.
41:49So the United States may claim
41:50that the Strait of Hormuz is open.
41:53IRGC says,
41:55try it.
41:55The ships may be set on fire.
41:58Shipping through this very narrow waterway
42:00which carries nearly one-fifth of the world's oil
42:03and massive volumes of gas,
42:05that's choking dramatically and slowly.
42:09At least five tankers have been damaged so far.
42:12Two people, two sailors have been killed.
42:14150 ships are stranded
42:16near the passage between Iran and Oman.
42:19Very few alternative routes available.
42:21Global oil prices are already surging.
42:24Energy markets remain on the edge.
42:27Our Business Bureau gets you this report.
42:46The Strait of Hormuz,
42:48the short stretch of water between Iran and Oman,
42:51is barely 33 kilometres wide at its narrowest point.
42:55But block it and the world economy trembles.
42:59The escalating conflict between the United States,
43:01Israel combined,
43:02and Iran has now impacted the Strait of Hormuz.
43:06Iranian commanders have declared the Strait closed,
43:09warning that any vessel attempting to pass through
43:12would be set ablaze.
43:14At least five tankers have been damaged.
43:16Two crew members are dead.
43:19Around 150 ships are stranded.
43:22The Strait of Hormuz is not just another shipping lane.
43:25It carries nearly one-fifth of the worst seaborne crude oil.
43:30One-fifth of global LNG supplies.
43:33And here is where it hits home.
43:36With tanker movement suspended,
43:38nearly half of India's crude imports are directly exposed.
43:4250% of India's oil imports are through the Strait of Hormuz.
43:47And the country is dependent on imports
43:49for over 88% of its oil needs.
43:52Refiners currently hold over 10 days of inventory
43:55and strategic reserves can be tapped.
43:58But a prolonged closure would significantly tighten global supply.
44:02Every one-dollar rise in crude adds nearly $2 billion annually
44:07to India's import bill.
44:09And prices could surge sharply
44:11if the blockade persists for a long period of time.
44:15India could explore other sources for its oil.
44:19But imports from Russia could face US sanctions.
44:22Sourcing from the US and other regions
44:25is possible but at higher freight, insurance and procurement costs.
44:30A sustained closure could push crude towards $100 per barrel,
44:35raising inflation risk,
44:37widening the current account deficit
44:39and putting pressure on the rupee.
44:42The closure is just not another crude oil.
44:45LPG and LNG are even more vulnerable.
44:50India imports 80-85% of its LPG needs largely from Gulf suppliers,
44:57almost entirely via Hormuz.
45:00Around 60% of LNG imports also pass through the Strait.
45:05Unlike crude, India does not maintain large strategic reserves for LPG or LNG
45:10and spot cargo availability is limited.
45:14If the closure continues,
45:16cooking gas supplies and gas-based industries
45:19could face sharper price pressure.
45:23This isn't just a West Asia war story.
45:27It's a cost-of-living story for Indian households.
45:30It's a business disruption story.
45:33It's an inflation story.
45:35If the Gulf burns longer,
45:37India will feel the heat
45:38at the fuel pump,
45:40in the kitchen
45:40and across the economy.
45:42Bureau Report, India Today.
45:53Breaking news coming in.
45:54U.S. President Donald Trump
45:55has made a big claim
45:57amidst the escalating tensions.
45:59U.S. officials say
46:01President Trump is ready to support
46:03armed Iranian groups
46:05to overthrow the regime
46:07in Tehran.
46:09Earlier, President Trump had said
46:11that Iran's air defence,
46:14air force,
46:15navy and leadership,
46:16they were all gone.
46:18He said,
46:19what remains of the regime
46:20wants to talk,
46:22but he said it's too late for talks.
46:25Just a short while back,
46:26Israeli forces targeted
46:28the Assembly of Experts in Iran
46:30and this was the assembly
46:32or this is the group
46:33that's been tasked
46:33to choose the next leader in Iran.
46:37Donald Trump had earlier said
46:39that the military campaign against Iran
46:40could last four to five weeks.
46:43But now,
46:44he's saying people from within,
46:46America and Israel,
46:48if that initially war game,
46:49that the moment
46:50Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
46:51the supreme leader,
46:53is decapitated,
46:55people will rush to the streets
46:57and they will overthrow the regime.
46:59That hasn't happened.
47:00And now,
47:01American officials are saying
47:02President Trump is open
47:04to the idea of helping
47:06armed resistance groups
47:08inside Iran
47:09to bring about a change.
47:11And there are several groups
47:12that have been asking for change.
47:14There is a proposal
47:15or a plan
47:16that's been in the works
47:17or at least it's been talked about
47:19to split Iran
47:20into four parts.
47:22Is that what Washington DC
47:24is moving in the direction of?
47:26Right now,
47:27Washington DC says
47:28its main efforts
47:29are to destroy
47:30Iran's nuclear capabilities,
47:33their missile capabilities,
47:35their missile firing abilities,
47:37also their navy
47:38and their armed forces.
47:44Destruction,
47:46devastation,
47:47death.
47:48This is how the first 72 hours
47:50of West Asia crisis
47:51has unfolded.
47:53The war between
47:54United States,
47:55Israel on one side
47:56and Iran on the other.
47:58From missile depots
48:00to naval bases,
48:01from nuclear facilities
48:02to luxury skylines,
48:04relentless strikes
48:05and counter-strikes
48:06have set the region on fire.
48:09India today
48:10has mapped
48:10key targets hit
48:12in just three days.
48:13From Tabriz,
48:14Tehran
48:14to Natanz
48:15to Erbil,
48:16from Al-Udeed base
48:17to even Dubai
48:19and Abu Dhabi.
48:20Oil tankers are struck,
48:22strategic air bases
48:23have been hit,
48:24fighter jets
48:25have been lost.
48:26The war
48:27is barely
48:28in its fourth day.
48:34Destruction.
48:40Devastation.
48:43Death.
48:47That is how
48:48the first three days
48:49of the West Asia war
48:51between the United States,
48:52Israel alliance
48:53and Iran
48:54can be defined.
49:02from military compounds
49:04to missile stockpiles,
49:05from naval docks
49:07to strategic air bases,
49:09relentless strikes
49:11and counter-strikes
49:12have set
49:12almost
49:13the entire
49:14Middle East
49:15ablaze.
49:19India today
49:20has mapped
49:21the key targets
49:21hit in the first
49:2272 hours
49:24of this escalating conflict.
49:27Day one
49:27was sheer shock.
49:29Iran faced
49:30fury
49:30from every direction.
49:36A missile storage facility
49:38in Tabriz
49:39hit.
49:40An Iranian army
49:42compound
49:42in Tehran
49:43struck.
49:44Military barracks
49:45in Kermanshah
49:46destroyed.
49:51The nuclear facility
49:53in Natan's
49:53nuclear facility
49:54targeted.
49:56A naval base
49:57in Bandar Abbas
49:58attacked.
50:01And the strategic port
50:03of Konarak port
50:04bombed.
50:05All within hours.
50:10They too
50:11marked Iran's
50:12counter-offensive.
50:13And this time
50:14even so-called
50:16friendly Arab nations
50:17were not spared.
50:20The Erbil airbase
50:22in Erbil
50:23attacked.
50:26The Ali al-Salem
50:28airbase
50:29in Kuwait city
50:30struck.
50:31Naval facilities
50:32in Bahrain
50:33targeted.
50:36The Al-Udayd
50:38airbase
50:38in Qatar
50:39attacked.
50:41Air assets
50:43in the United
50:43Arab Emirates
50:44hit.
50:48Not even Dubai
50:50was untouched.
50:52Palm Jumeirah
50:53home to the
50:53global elite
50:54came under attack.
51:00The Prince
51:01Sultan airbase
51:02in Saudi Arabia
51:03struck.
51:05When Iran
51:06hit back
51:07it hit hard.
51:09Day 3
51:09was equally
51:11bloody.
51:12Oil tankers
51:13and commercial
51:13vessels
51:14in the
51:14Arabian Sea
51:15struck.
51:20And in a
51:22major escalation
51:23three US
51:24F-15 Eagle
51:25fighter jets
51:26were shot
51:27down.
51:28Even as
51:29Washington
51:29insists
51:30the losses
51:31were accidental.
51:37in just 72
51:38hours
51:39the region
51:40has witnessed
51:41scenes
51:42once thought
51:43unthinkable.
51:44And the
51:45worst fear
51:45this may
51:46only be the
51:47beginning.
51:49With inputs
51:50from India
51:50today or
51:51sent
51:51bearer
51:52report
51:52India
51:53today.
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