- 2 days ago
At least 87 people were killed when a US submarine struck and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:01Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your primetime destination news, newsmakers, talking points.
00:08Should India now call out the US-Israeli aggression, especially as the attack in the Indian Ocean seems to have
00:15become a wake-up call?
00:17What next in the West Asia war? Among my special guests tonight is a representative of the Israel Prime Minister's
00:24office.
00:24That interview coming up in a moment. But first, as always, it's time for the Nine Headlines at Nine tonight.
00:32India finally breaks silence over Ali Khamenei's death. Foreign Secretary Vikram Mishri signs the condolence book on behalf of the
00:41government at the Iranian embassy.
00:44EAM Jaisankar talks to the Iranian FM.
00:49At least 87 people dead after the US submarine torpedoed an Iranian ship off the Lankan coast.
00:57Indian Navy says it immediately launched search and rescue operations after Sri Lanka received a distress call.
01:06Leader of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi accuses the Prime Minister of surrendering strategic autonomy
01:13after US attacks the Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.
01:18The BJP hits back, says blaming India for it is illogical and misleading.
01:25Prime Minister Modi reiterates a call for peace amidst the West Asia war, says military conflict is never the answer.
01:32A search solution can only take place through dialogue and diplomacy.
01:39West Asia's threat of war expands after Turkey accepts Iranian missile-2 drone strike.
01:45Azerbaijan, Iran's armed forces denied targeting the country.
01:51China offers to mediate for de-escalation.
01:53Beijing to send a special envoy to initiate diplomacy to help ease rising tensions.
01:58China, too, says dialogue-only way to resolve conflicts.
02:03A choked Gulf of Hormuz disrupts global oil supply.
02:08Trump says U.S. Navy ready to escort tankers if necessary.
02:12Indian government sources say current position of oil and LNG stock is comfortable.
02:19Ahead of Assembly elections, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose suddenly resigns from his post.
02:25Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expresses shock.
02:28Claims Home Minister Amit Shah appointed R.N. Ravi as the Bengal Governor without consulting her.
02:34Ravi had got into tangles with the Tamil Nadu government.
02:39Bihar Chief Minister Neetish Kumar to step down as he files his nomination for Rajya Sabah.
02:44Decks cleared for the first BJP Chief Minister in Bihar.
03:05But let's turn to the story that's breaking at the moment.
03:08The Indian Navy has now issued a formal statement of the U.S. attack on an Iranian warship in the
03:14Indian Ocean.
03:15The Navy says Sri Lanka got a distress call from Iris Dena, the ship.
03:21Navy says the distress call came in the early hours of March 4th and we launched efforts to augment Lanka's
03:27search.
03:28Navy says INS Tarangini was deployed for aid.
03:32INS Ikshak also sailed from Kochi.
03:34Navy says coordination with the Lankan side is ongoing.
03:38Remember this was a ship that was engaged in military exercise, naval exercises with India of the coast of Vishakhapatnam
03:46only a few days ago.
03:47Shivani Sharma who tracks defence joins us.
03:50Shivani, the Indian Navy seems to be engaging in some kind of damage control because there's been a lot of
03:55criticism
03:56over the way in which this warship was torpedoed a few days after the exercise.
04:02Is the Indian Navy slightly on the back foot here or is it putting all the blame in a way
04:07on America?
04:08Did they have any knowledge at all of American submarines in the area?
04:13See Rajdeep, the clarification has now come from the Indian Navy side in a formal statement that has been issued
04:20a while back
04:21where they are saying that in the early hours of 4th of March, that was yesterday,
04:26they had this knowledge of the Iris Dena being, raising a distress call to Colombo since it was in the
04:33area of responsibility of the Sri Lankan Navy.
04:36But certainly they joined the operation.
04:38They not only started patrolling with the P-8I, that is the long-range patrol aircraft that Indian Navy possesses,
04:46mind you, that is also an American aircraft that is used by the Indian Navy for surveillance purposes.
04:53Not only this, another aircraft was pushed into action, two ships, the INS Tarangini that was in the close vicinity.
05:00And as per rule, whenever this kind of a distress call is raised, Rajdeep, no matter which country,
05:07no matter what is the situation on humanitarian grounds, the search and rescue operations are to be taken up by
05:14the Navy.
05:14And that's what has happened here.
05:16That's what the Navy is now saying.
05:18But did the Navy have any idea of this US submarine in close proximity?
05:27That still remains a question, Rajdeep, because the Navy has not said anything about this US submarine.
05:33But generally, whenever we've been asking questions about the presence of the foreign entities into the Indian Ocean region,
05:40the answer which we've been getting is that everything is being monitored.
05:44But yes, it is also clear that the Navy has not said anything about its knowledge in this particular location
05:52about the US submarine.
05:53But yes, it is saying that it joined the rescue operations and they reached there at 4 o'clock yesterday.
06:00And since then, they are engaging in these search and rescue operations.
06:04Okay, Shivani Sharma joining us with those details.
06:08I appreciate you being there at the top of the news.
06:11Okay, remember this West Asia war spilling into the Indian Ocean over the last 24 hours
06:15and the diplomatic ripples that have been created have reached New Delhi.
06:19In fact, India has now broken their silence on the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's assassination.
06:26It took five days, but the response came also after opposition had questioned both the submarine attack
06:34and why India was remaining silent on Khamenei's death.
06:38Clearly, politics, domestic politics shadow is also now affecting foreign policy.
06:44Take a look at our top story.
06:54Five days after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by US and Israeli forces was confirmed,
07:00India conveys condolences, its first official response on the assassination.
07:06Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian embassy in New Delhi
07:10and signed the condolence book on behalf of the government of India.
07:16In another diplomatic outreach, External Affairs Minister S.J. Shankar held a phone conversation
07:22with Iran's Foreign Minister, Sayyad Abbas Arachi.
07:27Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that war is not a solution for West Asia.
07:53The statement comes a day after the United States sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean off the coast
08:00of Sri Lanka.
08:01The incident marks a dramatic expansion of the conflict and brings it closer to India's maritime neighbourhood.
08:09The warship IR IS Dena was returning after attending naval exercise Milan conducted by Indian Navy in Vishakhapatnam.
08:19The government's response follows criticism from opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi,
08:24who questioned the Prime Minister's silence and demanded clarity on India's position after Khamenei's killing.
08:31The opposition is also questioning the government over the American submarine attack on the Iranian frigate.
08:37The opposition is also éxercise.
09:06With the conflict widening from the Gulf to the Indian Ocean,
09:09India now finds itself walking a delicate diplomatic tightrope.
09:13New Delhi maintains strategic ties across the region.
09:17By calling for dialogue while keeping diplomatic channels open with Tehran,
09:21India is signalling a careful, calibrated approach.
09:27Bureau Report, India Today.
09:35So let's raise the big questions.
09:37Does India need to strongly call out the U.S.-Israeli aggression?
09:40Is quiet diplomacy better than empty rhetoric?
09:44Can India stay neutral in this war?
09:46Is the U.S. sinking an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean a wake-up call?
09:51Joining me now is Ashok Kanta, former Indian ambassador to China joins me.
09:55Brahma Chalani, strategic affairs expert.
09:58He's been writing on this.
09:59Vice Admiral Satish Soni, retired former naval commander, also with us.
10:03I want to come to you, Vice Admiral Soni first.
10:07Let's start with the warship issue.
10:09I'll come to Khamenei later.
10:10But do you believe that this is an embarrassment to have a diplomatic military exercise being conducted just days ago?
10:19The ship is on its way back and then gets targeted by a U.S. submarine torpedo.
10:24Or do you believe this is fair game?
10:26We are in war.
10:27And when you are in war, expect the unexpected.
10:32Well, thank you so much, Rajdeep, for having me on your show.
10:35But let's get the fact of the matter straight.
10:38Three Iranian ships participated in the international fleet review.
10:43In fact, at the anchorage, there was only one of them, the frigate, which eventually was sunk.
10:48That is INS Dana.
10:50And there were two other ships which hung around outside.
10:52They departed Vishakhapatnam on the 25th of February.
10:5725th of February, they set course down south.
11:01Indian Navy, I don't think, was aware.
11:03So many ships came.
11:05They departed wherever they had to go.
11:07So Indian Navy was not aware as to which is the next port of call.
11:11But apparently, there was a surveillance which was carried out by the P-8I.
11:16And they found one of the ships of Colombo on the 28th of February.
11:22Apparently, the ship had two medical casualties to disembark in Colombo.
11:29I suspect that from the 25th, when they departed, to the 3rd, when the ship was sunk,
11:36these ships were hanging around in the sea lines of communication,
11:40either waiting for orders from the Iranian Navy as to what should happen,
11:45because it is quite illogical to sail into the war zone when you are not even armed.
11:51Or they were probably seeking refuge in one of the ports in Sri Lanka.
11:56I cannot say for sure what happened.
12:00Now, the Indian Navy got this information on the 4th of March at 9 o'clock
12:07that there has been a sinking and rescue efforts are on.
12:12Indian Navy diverted INS Tarangani, one ship, and sailed two ships from Kochi
12:19and had the P-8I on task.
12:23And there were four Sri Lankan ships who were carrying out the rescue.
12:27Now, in case of whether this is an embarrassment or not,
12:32now Iran and U.S. are at war.
12:35Now, when you are at war, there is a legal connotation to this.
12:41There are laws of armed conflict, there is international humanitarian law.
12:45Ships, naval ships of either side of the belligerents,
12:50they are qualified military targets.
12:53So, to be able to say that whether this was a legitimate action or not is…
13:00Well, let me cut the chase, sir.
13:02Would India…
13:03What does it say that the Indian Navy was completely unaware
13:07of the presence of U.S. submarines in the area?
13:10Well, no Navy who has deployed their submarines in the Indian Ocean or whichever
13:16would divulge its position to anyone else.
13:19But we have often claimed publicly that we have surveillance mechanisms across the region
13:28in the Indian Ocean.
13:29No, we don't have.
13:30No, no, no.
13:30Raj, this…
13:31We have claimed that we are…
13:33that this is our area of influence.
13:35It may be our area of influence,
13:37but to have an underwater domain awareness of the entire Indian Ocean is virtually impossible.
13:44It is not possible for even the U.S. Navy or any other Navy.
13:48Even 40 kilometers away from the Sri Lankan coast.
13:50It may be any time, but it is not possible for any Navy to have complete maritime,
13:56underwater maritime domain awareness.
13:58In fact, what you talk of underwater, even surface domain awareness, it is not possible.
14:05So, therefore, we have these wide shipping agreements.
14:07We have satellite tracking systems.
14:10We have AIS responders on board ships.
14:14And that is to make out that, you know, to have as much maritime domain awareness as possible.
14:20And that is what we share with our literal neighbors.
14:24Okay.
14:24But, yeah.
14:26Okay, I take your point.
14:27Brahma Chalani, you therefore go along that it's unfair to pin the blame on India.
14:32We may have had at some level a moral responsibility because they were our guests,
14:37but Iran and U.S. are at war with each other.
14:41Therefore, the U.S. could well claim, just as Iran is firing missiles at random targets
14:47recklessly across the Gulf, they've pinpointed and targeted an Iranian warship.
14:53Do you believe that the Indian Navy, therefore, can completely put its hands off and say this
14:59is a Sri Lankan, at best a Sri Lankan Navy issue since they were closer to Sri Lankan waters?
15:04Certainly, there is no legal responsibility on India to be held responsible in any way for
15:09what happened.
15:11Razdib, let's not talk about international law.
15:13First, the U.S. has not declared war on Iran, despite conducting these strikes every day,
15:21hundreds of strikes every day, and yet the U.S. insists that this is not war.
15:27Second, the U.S. under Trump has trashed international law openly.
15:34Trump regards American power as legal authority by itself.
15:39As far as the laws of war are concerned, the Geneva Conventions, they impose a clear obligation.
15:46Once a ship is sinking, the attacking party must, as far as circumstances permit, search for survivors.
15:55The U.S. submarine instead departed the area.
15:58The least the submarine could have done was to alert the Indian Navy so that the Indian Navy could mount
16:04rescue operation.
16:06The Indian Navy statement today talks about deploying assets hours after the Iranian frigate sunk in the Indian Ocean.
16:19But look at it from the broader Indian context.
16:24In the world of Indian diplomacy, the Indian Ocean region is considered India's primary area of influence.
16:30It is India's strategic backyard.
16:33India describes itself as, quote-unquote, net security provider in the Indian Ocean region.
16:40The Indian Navy is supposed to be the guardian of the Indian Ocean.
16:44Yet, a foreign power…
16:46But here you have the Navy, Vaishi, telling us, look, you can't monitor every little…
16:52It's not possible to monitor the Indian Ocean like this.
16:56But look at it this way, Rajdeep, a foreign power conducting a high-intensity torpedo strike so close to Indian
17:05waters in India's maritime backyard.
17:08Wouldn't that raise concerns in New Delhi?
17:11The fact that Iris Dina had just departed from India's Milan naval exercise in Vishakhapatnam highlights a grim irony.
17:19A vessel invited by India for a friendship exercise was destroyed by India's major defence partner, the U.S., shortly
17:28after leaving Indian waters, without India being informed about it.
17:33There was no coordination with India.
17:34You just…
17:34What does it show?
17:36What does it show?
17:37That the U.S. has effectively ignored India's role as a regional security provider.
17:44And there are larger questions, because India has signed all the four so-called foundational defence agreements with India, like
17:54LIMO, COMCASA.
17:56And the question today, the one question that we shouldn't ignore is that under these two military pacts, COMCASA and
18:06LIMOA, India and the U.S. share sensitive maritime data.
18:10If the U.S. attack submarine used shared data to locate and sink this Iranian frigate that had just departed
18:21Vishakhapatnam, it would represent a fundamental, a foundational breach of the U.S.-India defence partnership.
18:29So there's a certain message the U.S. is delivering to India, that we don't care about India, about its
18:36regional role.
18:38We don't care about Prime Minister Modi's, you know, vision of Mahasagar, that we will do what we think is
18:48appropriate, as the U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hexson said, that we don't care about laws of war and that
18:56we will pursue our war with no mercy.
18:58Right.
18:59Okay, those are very strong words coming in from you, Brahmachalini, almost suggesting that these strikes at the very heart
19:06of the U.S.-India defence partnership.
19:08You mentioned Geneva Convention.
19:10Geneva Convention 1949, Article 18.
19:13After each engagement, parties to the conflict shall, without delay, take all possible measures to search for and collect the
19:21shipwrecked, wounded and sick,
19:22to protect them against pillage and ill treatment, to ensure their adequate care and to search for the dead and
19:28prevent their being despoiled.
19:30The Geneva Convention, Article 18 says, whenever circumstances permit, the parties to the conflict shall conclude local arrangements for the
19:38removal of the wounded and sick by sea from a besieged or encircled area and for the passage of medical
19:43and religious personnel and equipment on their way to that area.
19:46So, India could claim they've subsequently followed Geneva Convention.
19:50But Ashok Kanta, it seems to have within 24 hours, this strike on an Iranian warship almost ensured that India
19:58has made a reach out to Iran.
20:00There's been a conversation between Dr. Jai Shankar and his Iranian counterpart.
20:03And Vikram Misri, foreign secretary, has gone and signed the condolence book, condoling the killing of Ali Khamenei.
20:11Five days after he was assassinated, there were questions over India's silence.
20:15Has India finally been forced to speak out because of what happened?
20:21Well, Razeev, I would not like to see it as a cause and effect kind of situation.
20:28What happened in the case of Iris Dena is deeply troubling, no doubt about it.
20:34It's problematic on many counts, you know, as Professor Brahmachalani has also brought out.
20:40One, you know, as I mentioned, here was a warship which was participating in an Indian, you know, goodwill level
20:50exercise on its way back, clearly in a non-combatant role.
20:56And it's being hit like that.
20:58There are, you know, apart from legal issues, there are serious, you know, strategic signaling to India that what is
21:07happening in our immediate periphery,
21:10our USA doesn't quite take into account.
21:15From legal point of view also, you referred to Article 18 of Second Geneva Convention, which has clearly been violated
21:23by U.S. submarine.
21:25At the least, it could have alerted Sri Lankan Navy and Indian Navy, even if it didn't want to surface
21:32to help, you know, the stricken Iranian sailors.
21:38Equally important from our point of view, it is in violation of Article 58 of UNCLOS.
21:45You know, this incident took place within exclusive economic zone of Sri Lanka.
21:51And our reading of Article 58 is that no such military activity can be undertaken without due regard being taken
22:01of, you know, interests of coastal estate, essentially consent being obtained.
22:06USA has a different reading, no doubt about it.
22:09I'm aware of that.
22:10But, you know, India, almost entire global south, by its by interpretation I just referred to, that was also violated.
22:17But bottom line is that what has been done in a way is a part of, you know, pattern of
22:26behavior where USA engages in activities in India's neighborhood, whether it be in Pakistan, whether it be in Bangladesh, whether
22:36it be in coastal waters, you know, EZ of Sri Lanka now.
22:41Sir, sir, sir, sir, in due regard, where…
22:42It doesn't take on both our concerns.
22:43No, sir, where does this leave the U.S.-India strategic partnership?
22:46Where does this, you know, as is being suggested by Brahma Chalani, we have this defense partnership.
22:52And yet U.S. has completely disregarded in a way the Indian Navy or Indian government concerns gone ahead,
22:58toppied on an Iranian ship, which was our guest, which was on a non… which was a non-combatant in
23:05that sense.
23:06And all… are we saying that we just can throw our hands?
23:09Yesterday I had Admiral Prakash on the show, Arun Prakash, former Naval Chief.
23:15And he said India must show its displeasure, Ashok Kanta.
23:18Can India show its displeasure today to America?
23:21You know, there are different ways of conveying displeasure, whether we do it publicly or we do it privately.
23:27But I think our deep concerns in this regard ought to be shared with Washington, D.C.
23:34Because, you know, this is something which is clearly not acceptable.
23:38I would not like to link this incident's aftermath with position we have taken on, you know, condemning, not rather
23:47condemning,
23:47but expressing our condolences on assassination of Iranian supreme leader.
23:53But it took us five days, sir.
23:55With due regard, Mr. Kanta, it took us five days.
23:58It took us five days to break our silence.
24:01Yes, which has its own message.
24:04And… but I don't want to comment on that.
24:07There are, there are, you know, considerations that my serving colleagues and poor leaders of the country has to take
24:14into account.
24:15Okay.
24:15As private citizens, we can comment on it.
24:18That's a different matter altogether.
24:19Okay.
24:20Brahma Chalani, are you, are you surprised that it, do you see some kind of co-relationship between what happened
24:26to the Iranian warship of Sri Lanka's waters
24:30and, sir, India now signing that condolence book and making it clear that they condoled at the passing away of
24:36Ali Khamenei?
24:37Five days, there was no, no such comment being made?
24:42There is a connection, Brazdi.
24:44The Indian government is facing pressure both internally and externally.
24:48Let me first describe the external pressure.
24:50The U.S. wants India to activate LIMOA, the military pact, to support U.S. naval assets operating in the
24:59Indian Ocean.
25:00If India allows the U.S. to refuel or repair its ships involved in the strikes against Iran at Indian
25:07ports,
25:08it would effectively end India's claim of neutrality.
25:11If India provides logistics, that is, food, water, fuel to the U.S. 5th or 7th fleet under LIMOA right
25:17now,
25:18India will be seen as a logistical accessory to the U.S. war effort.
25:24And domestically, as the opposition attacks the government on different issues, there is pressure,
25:33at least there is political pressure from the opposition to suspend LIMOA while the war rages.
25:39But LIMOA and GOMCASA are the two main agreements out of the four that are at the heart of the
25:46current dilemma
25:47that the Indian government faces.
25:50Let's look at it in a larger light, that what this particular episode,
25:59that is the sinking of an Iranian frigate has highlighted,
26:05it is that India needs to reduce its reliance on Washington.
26:12As Professor, sorry, as Ambassador Ashok Kanta has very rightly pointed out,
26:16that in India's immediate neighborhood, whether it's Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Iran,
26:23or the Indian Ocean, the U.S. and India are not on the same page.
26:28In fact, the U.S. is working against India's vital interests in India's own neighborhood.
26:32So, India's reliance on Washington needs to be tempered.
26:37That's the message.
26:38Okay.
26:39I want to get a final word then from you, Admiral Sonia.
26:43Do you believe that the Indian Navy, in a sense,
26:47also needs to re-look at this entire engagement with the United States?
26:51If the United States is going to take India and the Indian Navy and our defense partnership for granted,
26:57where does it leave us?
27:00You know, India has started its engagement with the U.S. Navy from 92.
27:08From then, our dependence on the U.S. arms industry has only slowly been increasing.
27:15We, in return, get state-of-the-art equipment, which has helped us a great deal.
27:21And now we are into technology transfer partnerships.
27:24So, there is much to gain from the U.S.
27:27There is no doubt how this works in the greater geopolitical metrics and political affiliations and dependence thereof
27:36is something for the political leadership to decide.
27:39But Indian Navy has certainly gained a lot.
27:42But I am sure that we are not fools and we calibrate these associations, you know, very critically.
27:51And we don't want to become over-dependent.
27:54There is a lot of emphasis which is given on indigenization, especially in the Indian Navy.
27:59We are building ships which have what up to 88% of indigenous content.
28:03And so, I think we will continue to have engagement with the U.S. Navy that there is no doubt.
28:10Let us not get very passionate about these things.
28:12And… but of course, we have to have a form…
28:16The question is whether we have to draw some lines.
28:18Whether we have to draw some lines now with the United States.
28:21And maybe this episode says there are certain red lines that cannot be crossed.
28:26And maybe that's the message in a way that needs to be given even to the United States,
28:30which is unofficially at war with Iran, but officially has not declared war as yet.
28:38I appreciate my guests joining me here on my top talking point.
28:42Much for the Indian government and the Indian Navy to reflect upon.
28:46Let me give you though the update on day 6 of the war between the United States, Israel and Iran.
28:51Let's take you through the top developments.
28:53Israel's ambassador to the U.S. has said that Israeli forces successfully struck Tehran's missile production sites
28:59and launchers shot down a Russian-made Iranian warplane with an F-35.
29:04Fresh explosions reported across Tehran as Israel continues with its bombings.
29:10Azerbaijan has placed its troops on high alert, placed them on the Iranian border
29:14after two drone attacks struck an airport terminal building and a nearer school.
29:18Baku claims Iran is behind the attack and summoned its ambassador.
29:22Tehran has refuted those allegations.
29:24Iran meanwhile continued to strike Gulf nations in retaliation to the U.S.-Israel attacks.
29:29In Abu Dhabi, six people were injured by debris from an intercepted drone.
29:33Tehran says it has also struck a U.S. oil tanker in the region.
29:36The president of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, has said that the autonomous region would not become a party
29:44to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
29:46He made these remarks during a conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araki.
29:51Hundreds and thousands of Americans and Europeans have left the Middle East
29:54as Iran continues to target any establishment with links to the U.S. and its allies.
30:00So our focus on Israel and we have a special guest joining us.
30:09Okay, joining me now from Israel, a special guest, Shosh Bedrosyan,
30:13his spokeswoman for the Foreign Media Office of the Prime Minister of Israel.
30:17Appreciate you joining us, Ms. Bedrosyan.
30:19I want to ask you at the very outset, we are in day six of this ever-escalating conflict
30:25that the U.S. and Israel is waging with Iran.
30:28Do you have any timeline in mind?
30:30Is this now going to take weeks as many fear, the U.S. president says, four weeks and more?
30:37Sure.
30:37So Prime Minister Netanyahu has made it clear this could take some time.
30:41Remember what we are dealing with.
30:43We are dealing with a regime who has been in place for almost 50 years now,
30:4850 years of tormenting the people of Iran, limiting their rights, having no free choice,
30:53women having no rights at all.
30:56We are dealing with a regime that has called for the annihilation of the State of Israel
31:00and the United States as well.
31:02So we are targeting them to ensure that the people of Iran can take matters into their own hands,
31:09ensure and create this pathway that they can create their own destiny
31:13and take destiny into their own hands and make something of their lives.
31:17So in terms of a timeline, the Prime Minister made it clear it could take some time.
31:20OK, let me break down what you've just said, some time.
31:24What does some time really mean?
31:25Because we are told that your Secretary of Defense, your Defense Minister has spoken to
31:30the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Peter Hexhead, and Mr. Hexhead reportedly told him,
31:34keep going to the end.
31:36We are with you.
31:37Now, what is this end?
31:39When you say some time, what is the end game here, ma'am?
31:43Well, I'm glad you brought up the United States, because Israel and the United States
31:48are working closer than we have ever worked before.
31:52We have made historic gains together in this operation, Operation Roaring Lion,
31:59to take out the regime, their military capabilities, in addition to their ballistic missile capabilities,
32:05any defense capabilities that they might have.
32:08So in terms of the collaboration and the cooperation between the United States and Israel,
32:13this is unprecedented.
32:15Is it cooperation or collaboration, or is it Israel leading and the U.S. simply following
32:20the playbook of Israel?
32:23Remember, there was a New York Times article two days ago, ma'am, which said that it was
32:27Netanyahu who pushed President Trump into this war.
32:31So is Israel now going to direct the timelines of this war?
32:34You said sometime.
32:35I come back to it.
32:36Is Israel going to decide, or is the United States going to decide?
32:40Well, a report like that is just simply outrageous.
32:43The Prime Minister has addressed this, and he's made it very, very clear.
32:46No one can push President Trump to do anything.
32:49President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu are clearly very, very, very much aligned
32:54in terms of taking down this threat, a threat that has called for the annihilation of both
33:01of our countries.
33:01And look now, you can see that Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran, is now targeting countries
33:07across the region, the Middle East, in addition to a European country, Cyprus as well.
33:13This is not only a threat to us.
33:15So in terms of your question of cooperation together, it is unprecedented.
33:19We are working hand-in-hand together.
33:21Both of our armies are incredible.
33:24But to what endgame?
33:26Ma'am, you're working hand-in-hand.
33:27I take your point.
33:28Ma'am, sorry.
33:29To what endgame?
33:30What is the endgame?
33:31Nobody is clear on what is the endgame.
33:33You're telling me that you want the people of Iran to rise.
33:37I mean, surely Israel and the United States cannot decide what kind of a government Iran
33:43wants.
33:43The people of Iran will decide.
33:45And that's absolutely correct.
33:46And that's exactly what the Prime Minister has said.
33:49The people of Iran need to choose, and they need to have that ability to choose.
33:53Now, what we are doing is creating the pathway for the Iranian people to take their destiny
33:59into their own hands so that they can choose.
34:01So what does that take?
34:02That takes taking out this Ayatollah regime, a regime that has limited these people, these
34:07talented, brave people, for 50 years, living under oppressive terms, like I said, going
34:14back to women's rights, women having no rights, no freedom of choice, no choice of who they
34:18can even elect as their leader.
34:20In addition, the Iranian people have suffered for 50 years in terms of not having water,
34:26electricity, access to basic necessities.
34:28And why is that?
34:30That's because the Islamic Republic of Iran has funneled billions of dollars in exporting
34:35terrorism, in creating ballistic missile programs and nuclear programs designed to
34:40annihilate any Western country, United States and Israel.
34:44The people of Iran have suffered, and the United States and Israel are working and making
34:49sure that the conditions for the Iranian people are paved so that they can take matters into
34:54their own hands for the future.
34:55Presumably, the end game is to create those conditions where you say the people of Iran
34:59can take matters into their own hands.
35:01But the fact is, ma'am, in the process, we are having hundreds of casualties, including
35:05of innocent people.
35:06There was this attack on a school.
35:08More than 160 young girls died.
35:12I mean, would you concede that that is unacceptable, that you've ended up killing young girls in a
35:19school?
35:20Is this the price of war that is going to have to be paid?
35:25Well, let me tell you, I'm glad you brought that topic up, because the Islamic Republic of
35:29Iran actually misfires about 30 percent of the time.
35:33And the only reason why you actually know that report that came out is it came out from Iranian
35:39state media, which who controls that?
35:41But the government, a government who has been oppressing their own people for 15 years now.
35:44Are you saying the government fired a missile that, are you saying the school kids were
35:48hit in a missile fired by Iran?
35:50Is that your stated position?
35:52I thought there was an investigation.
35:54There is an investigation.
35:55And I'm just telling you what some possible outcomes could be.
35:59The IDF is, of course, investigating anything like this.
36:02But I'll make it very, very clear.
36:03And the prime minister has said this just the other day when the Islamic Republic of Iran targeted
36:09our civilian population on a daily basis.
36:12He said that it's very clear Israel targets the terrorists inside of Iran and not the
36:18civilian population.
36:19We will do anything to ensure that the civilian population in Iran is protected and that this
36:25is not a war and this is not an operation with the Iranian people.
36:28This is strictly to take out an Ayatollah regime who has been oppressing its people for
36:3315 years.
36:34In the process, there is destabilization and we still don't know what kind of regime, if
36:40at all there is to be a regime change, what kind of a regime we'll have.
36:43Is Israel and the United States arrogating for themselves the right to decide what is a
36:49regime acceptable to them?
36:51And in the process, creating global destabilization of an unprecedented nature across West Asia and
36:58the world?
36:59Well, I can't comment on any reports that are coming out of Iran propagated by the IRGC
37:05because how can you believe an oppressive regime who massacres their own people?
37:10You and I both saw those horrific videos that came out in January and in February of up to
37:1630,000 protesters murdered by the Iranian regime because they took to the streets protesting
37:23their own government.
37:24Now, in terms of, you mentioned destabilization in the region, the only thing that has been
37:29destabilizing the Middle East is Iran.
37:31Why?
37:32Because Iran has been exporting terrorism to Western countries for 50 years now.
37:38They have created three proxies that surround the state of Israel, Hezbollah, the Houthis,
37:43and Hamas.
37:44What happened on October 7th?
37:45We had a massacre of our own people by Hamas, a terror organization funded by the Islamic Republic
37:52of Iran, supported by them, trained by them.
37:55Their weapons are from them.
37:57So in terms of any destabilization, the Prime Minister has made it very, very clear that
38:02taking out the Ayatollah regime will only allow and could create the conditions of peace finally
38:08in this region, peace we have never, ever seen before.
38:11But you see, what we are hearing, you're saying Israel wants to take out the Ayatollah regime,
38:20which you believe has heaped misery and is a cause of destabilization and exporting terror.
38:25The U.S. president says this is about Iran's nuclear capabilities.
38:29Now, the IAEA has made it very clear that there was no imminent threat that Iran was going nuclear.
38:36Now, this whole doctrine of imminent threat that has led you to make this response is under a cloud.
38:43How do you respond?
38:44What is the actual provocation that led Israel at this very moment to take this stand?
38:50There is a belief that Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing every U.S. president to do this
38:55for four decades, for several decades, and finally found an ally in President Trump.
39:00But what is this imminent threat that Iran posed that has led to this kind of an attack, ma'am?
39:07Sure, that's a great question.
39:08And Prime Minister Netanyahu has laid out why this attack and this operation needed to be carried out
39:14right now in a very urgent matter.
39:16That's because after Operation Rising Lion back in June and Operation Midnight Hammer
39:21with the United States in order to take out Iran's nuclear capabilities,
39:25we noticed and we saw that the Iranians were actually creating new underground bunker sites
39:31working to expand their atomic bomb program, their ballistic missile program,
39:35saying and doing the complete opposite.
39:38So can you imagine that if we had to wait three, four years to do an operation like this
39:46to not only protect the region, protect the Iranian people for taking matters into their own hands,
39:52it would be a very, very dangerous Iran.
39:54And that is why the United States, President Trump, and State of Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu,
39:59saw that this was imminent, it needed to happen now, because we knew what they were doing.
40:04They were building brand new sites.
40:06But that's not what the IAEA says.
40:07But why do they have these sites?
40:08Madam, the IAEA says they have found no evidence that Iran is running a coordinated program
40:13to build a nuclear weapon.
40:14Is the IAEA lying?
40:16Or are the United States and Israel lying?
40:20Because is this Iraq 2003 and the weapons of mass destruction lie all over again?
40:25You are looking for an excuse to target Iran.
40:28And Iran claims that they are retaliating only in self-defense.
40:31If a country is attacked, its territorial sovereignty is attacked, they will retaliate.
40:36Well, I haven't seen those reports and I'm not going to comment on what any other organization says.
40:41I'm here to provide you what the State of Israel's response is, in addition to the United States
40:46and how we are working extremely hard to ensure that the people of Iran have the conditions
40:52to take matters into their own hands, but also for us to neutralize the threat of the Islamic Republic of
40:59Iran,
40:59to ensure that the Islamic Republic of Iran has no more weapons of mass destruction,
41:05has no more weapons to fire into our communities.
41:08You mentioned before that people are under attack in Iran.
41:13I'm not sure if you've seen the videos of people in Iran welcoming this cooperation
41:18between the United States and the State of Israel to free them from the oppressed regime.
41:23I take your point, but I've also seen, ma'am, videos of people mourning the killing of Ali Khamenei,
41:30which is clearly a political assassination, targeted assassination of a head of state.
41:37I've seen those videos as well of people mourning.
41:40Sure. I'm glad you brought up the Ayatollah Khamenei.
41:42And he is dead. He is dead because of our joint operation.
41:47He is someone who is behind. He is the leader behind the mass murder of up to 30,000 protesters,
41:56a leader who has led his country into economic despair,
42:00a leader who has allowed these proxies around Israel to target us on a daily basis,
42:08to pledge to annihilate the state of Israel from Hamas in Gaza, from the Houthis in Yemen,
42:15and their number one terror proxy in Hezbollah, north of Israel, in Lebanon.
42:20Ali Khamenei has been the number one person in Iran to ensure that Israel is threatened.
42:26We are surrounded by proxies, that terrorism from Iran is exported to other regions around the world,
42:34threatening Europe, the United States, Israel, and other countries around the world, as I said.
42:40Does that mean that you believe that's the justification for the assassination of a head of state?
42:46I'm just outlining for you who Ali Khamenei is.
42:49And I'm glad you brought it up, because people need to understand who this man was
42:54and the damage that he did, not only to the innocent people of Iran,
42:58the innocent people of Iran, trying to change their government because they know how oppressive it is,
43:06limiting the rights of these people, but also the danger,
43:11the danger he posed to the United States and Israel, specifically here in Israel.
43:16I come back to my final original question, which is the endgame.
43:20What is the endgame, ma'am?
43:21You say that this could take some time.
43:24Now, is there any timeline at all?
43:28Because what, what, see, a protracted war clearly is not what the United States wants.
43:33At least that's what reports from the U.S. say.
43:37Is Israel simply now going to use the military might that it has
43:41and obliterate, is the aim to completely obliterate this regime and then have a regime
43:46which is completely conducive to what Jerusalem and Washington want?
43:50Is that the endgame?
43:53Well, look, nobody wants a prolonged war.
43:55The Prime Minister has made that very, very clear.
43:58In addition to President Trump, what we are strictly working to do here
44:02is to remove the immediate threat that the Islamic Republic poses to both of our countries.
44:08Their nuclear capabilities, ballistic missile capabilities, taking out their defenses
44:13and their senior leadership who has worked tirelessly to oppress their own people,
44:18to cause absolute mass harm to American citizens, European citizens, and Israeli citizens on a daily basis.
44:27I want to walk your viewers through and your listeners right now.
44:30We have been in war because of an Iranian terror proxy starting on October 7th, Hamas.
44:37They launched a brutal war on us, taking more than 200 people hostage,
44:42murdering, massacring more than 1,200 people.
44:45We are here because of that Iranian proxy, Hamas.
44:49And that is the start for the last two years for the Israeli people.
44:54And the Israeli people are brilliantly resilient, remarkably resilient,
44:59going through two years of war because the Islamic Republic of Iran continuing to export terrorism
45:07and destabilize the region.
45:09I'll use one of your words for that one.
45:11I'm going to leave it there, Shosh Bedrosian, spokeswoman for the Foreign Media Office
45:15of the Prime Minister of Israel.
45:17Appreciate you joining me.
45:19Thank you so much.
45:20Thanks for having me.
45:22Okay, the big political story that's breaking this evening.
45:25The governor of West Bengal has resigned this evening.
45:29Sources in Raj Bhavan have confirmed it.
45:31The reason of his resignation is not known,
45:34but this has happened just before Assembly elections are set to be announced within the next fortnight.
45:39Politics erupting over this sudden development.
45:41Chief Minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, crying foul and tweeting,
45:44I am deeply shocked and deeply concerned by the sudden news of the resignation of Sri Svi Ananda Bose,
45:50governor of West Bengal.
45:51The reasons behind his resignation are not known to me at this moment.
45:54However, given the prevailing circumstances,
45:56I would not be surprised if the governor has been subjected to some pressure
45:59from the Union Home Minister to serve certain political interests
46:03on the eve of the forthcoming State Assembly elections.
46:06Union Home Minister just informed me that Sri Aarendravi is being appointed as governor of West Bengal.
46:11He never consulted me as per the established convention in this regard.
46:16So clearly, Aarendravi, who's been in the line of fire with the DMK government in Tamil Nadu,
46:21even the Supreme Court had pulled up Aarendravi on more than one occasion.
46:26Indrajit Kundu is now joining me from Kolkata.
46:29Indrajit, Aarendravi set to take over CB Ananda Bose on his way out.
46:34Do we have any reason being given as to why Ananda Bose has dramatically resigned
46:39just weeks before elections in West Bengal?
46:46Kolkata, there's no reason coming out so far from C.V. Ananda Bose's quarters.
46:55The Raj Bhavan, but, you know, of course, the fact that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
46:59has now come out and posted on social media that Aarendravi is going to be replacing C.V. Ananda Bose,
47:05that clears out the air that this was not just a general resignation,
47:09but it was, in a sense, removal of a governor for a new one.
47:14So, and already politics has started picking up because the Tribunal Congress has gone on the offensive
47:19saying that such a change of governor right at the FAG end when there's an impending election,
47:26is it because the BJP is trying to delay the elections and create a constitutional crisis?
47:32Is it a sign of that?
47:34Because even Abhishek Banerjee, just a few days back when he was addressing the media,
47:39he said there are 60 lakh SIR cases which are pending right now for adjudication.
47:44And the Election Commission, in a sense, is literally running out of time.
47:48There are judicial officers who have been entrusted with this job to finish the SIR process,
47:52but unless it is done, how on earth can the Election Commission announce the election?
47:57So there is already a buzz within political circles in West Bengal that could there be a delay,
48:03could there be a constitutional crisis in that case?
48:06There is a lot of apprehension that will there be precedence rule?
48:10That's what the ruling Tribunal Congress has just reacted sharply,
48:13saying that, you know, it does indicate that the BJP is not confident heading into elections.
48:17So Mamta Banerjee will be out on the streets for a dharna over the SIR issue.
48:21One can only expect more fireworks over this issue as well.
48:24Okay, Mamta Banerjee, we are told, is going on a dharna in any case tomorrow against this entire SIR exercise.
48:29So politics heating up in West Bengal ahead of elections.
48:33They are still waiting for an official statement from Anandabos as to the reasons for his resignation.
48:39The other big political story, Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha
48:45in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP Chief Nitin Nabeen, other NDA leaders.
48:52Nitish Kumar is now expected to resign from the Chief Minister's post on March 16th.
48:56And the BJP is all set to have its first Chief Minister in Bihar with the top contenders,
49:02including Nithyanand Rai, Union Minister, and Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister, Samrat Chaudhary.
49:08But the Nitish Shira has slowly come to an end with him exiting Bihar and moving shortly to the Rajya
49:16Sabha.
49:16Let me leave you with a happier story of sorts.
49:21Weddings, celebrity weddings, cricket, Bollywood, big business, all coming under one roof for a wedding
49:27that looks straight out of a power-packed guest list.
49:30Sachin Tendulkar's son, Arjun Tendulkar, marrying an entrepreneur family, Sanya Chandok, in a ceremony in Mumbai.
49:37He comes, of course, from Indian cricket's most celebrated household.
49:41And Arjun now begins a brand new innings, this time off the field.
49:44We wish him well and I leave you with that story and those pictures from the latest celeb wedding.
49:50Thanks for watching.
49:51Stay well, stay safe.
49:52Good night, Shubratri.
49:53Jahan, namaskar.
50:15India's cricket royalty celebrates a big family moment.
50:28Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar's son, Arjun Kaisthanot.
50:48Arjun Tendulkar married entrepreneur Sanya Chandok in a grand ceremony in South Mumbai.
50:55Turning the evening into a dazzling gathering of cricket, Bollywood and business powerhouses.
51:07Arjun Tendulkar, who has played domestic cricket for Mumbai and Assam, featured in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians,
51:14grew up under the spotlight of Indian cricket.
51:20Sanya Chandok, meanwhile, has carved her own path as a successful entrepreneur, running a thriving pet spa chain.
51:31The wedding took place at the St. Regis, Mumbai, where the Tendulkar family hosted a reception.
51:38From World Cup heroes to Bollywood legends, the guest list read like a hall of fame.
51:48Former Indian captain, MS Dhoni, arrived with Shaakshi Dhoni, while head coach Gautam Gambhi joined the celebrations with Atasha Jain.
51:58Cricket stalwarts including Sunil Gawaskar, Rahul Ravid, Anil Kumblay, Ravi Shastri and World Cup winner Yubrat Singh were also spotted
52:06at the venue.
52:08And it wasn't just cricket royalty. Bollywood's biggest names also turned up for the celebration.
52:14The Bachans and Shah Rukh Khan blessed the newlyweds.
52:20Arjun and Sanya's journey from family acquaintances to friends and finally lovers was quietly sealed with an engagement last August.
52:29That story reached its biggest milestone on Thursday as a son of the god of cricket began a brand new
52:36innings.
52:38Arjun Tendulkar and Sanya Chandok are now officially married.
52:44Bureau Report, India Today.
Comments