- 2 days ago
On Wednesday, the US-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker MT Safesea Vishnu was struck by an Iranian suicide drone boat near the Iraqi port of Basra.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your prime time destination news.
00:04Newsmakers, talking points. Thursday night, the big talking point.
00:07The Strait of Ormuz is under siege.
00:10What really are Donald Trump and Netanyahu's options?
00:14Trump's former NSA, John Bolton, is joining me live.
00:18We'll also have reports from Dubai, from Tehran, from Beirut, and from the national capital.
00:25Also, it is Rahul Gandhi versus Hardi Puri in Parliament over the LPG crisis.
00:31Is the government being less than economical with the truth?
00:36Or is the government telling the complete story on the LPG crisis?
00:43That political face-off to tonight.
00:45First, the headlines.
00:49Iran's Supreme Leader, Mujtaba Khamenei, issues his first statement.
00:54Vows to take revenge for the Minab Schoolgirls massacre.
00:57Says retaliation will inevitably continue.
01:01Iran will not bow down.
01:06Iran continues to choke the Strait of Ormuz.
01:10Three ships, including a U.S.-owned oil tanker, attacked by Iran in the Iraqi waters.
01:15One Indian crew member loses his life.
01:17Iran says will not open Ormuz at any cost amidst conflicting reports
01:22over whether Indian vessels will be allowed.
01:27U.S. intelligence indicates that Iranian leadership largely intact.
01:32But Donald Trump doubles down.
01:34Trump says stopping an evil Iranian empire is very important.
01:41India grapples with an unending LPG crisis.
01:45Protests break out across India against the LPG shortage.
01:49Government maintains that there's no shortage.
01:51An LPG production increased by 28%.
01:57An LPG showdown in the Lok Sabha.
02:00Rahul Gandhi's speech is cut short by the Lok Sabha speaker
02:03after he rakes up the Epstein files to target the Petroleum Minister.
02:06Speaker says Rahul is not following Parliament rules.
02:12Indian Airlines facing sharp increase in operational costs.
02:17Sources say Airlines now paying hefty premiums for every flight entering the region
02:20which leads to higher airfares.
02:26Opposition set to serve an impeachment motion
02:28against the Chief Election Commission Gyanesh Kumar in Parliament tomorrow.
02:321-9-3 opposition MPs led by the Trinamul Congress
02:35who signed the motion accused the CEC of working at the behest of the BJP.
02:43Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Faruk Abdullah
02:45survives a failed assassination attempt.
02:48Attack on Kamal, attacker Kamal Singh arrested by the police.
02:51Faruk says murder bid linked to deeply rooted hatred in India.
02:57And stay tuned for the most cerebral yet entertaining meeting of minds
03:00across politics, foreign affairs, diplomacy, sports and health
03:03as the India Today conclave returns tomorrow
03:06with the theme Breakthroughs and Breakdowns.
03:20For the story that we are breaking right at the very top here in the news today,
03:24Iran's leader Mojtaba Khamenei has released a message
03:28saying that the Straits of Hormuz must remain closed,
03:33emphasising that they must remain closed.
03:35This has attacks have escalated in the Straits of Hormuz.
03:40Three tankers have been attacked by Iran.
03:43The attack vessel includes one U.S. tanker.
03:47There's uncertainty also over whether Indian-owned vessels
03:51will be allowed to move through the Straits of Hormuz.
03:54Government sources claiming that they were reaching an agreement,
03:56but there is no official confirmation of that from the Iranians.
04:02Okay, let me go first to joining us now is Pranay Upadhyay.
04:07He tracks global news for us.
04:09Also joining me is Mazhar Faruqi, senior editor, Khalij Times.
04:12He joins us from Dubai, which has seen more attacks today from Iraqi missiles.
04:17Pranay, to you first.
04:19The Straits of Hormuz, a lot of confusion.
04:21Given what Mojtaba Khamenei has now said,
04:24the Straits of Hormuz will remain closed.
04:26Where does that leave India, which reportedly has as many as 28 vessels in the region?
04:34You're absolutely right, Rajiv.
04:36There are 28 ships, and some of these ships are in Gulf of Persia,
04:41on the western side of the state of Hormuz,
04:42and some ships are on the eastern side in the Gulf of Oman.
04:45And India is trying to work out a mechanism with other partner countries,
04:49including Iran, because recently India's external affairs minister,
04:53Dr. Jayshankar, had a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart,
04:57and this conversation included the safe passage for the Indian ships.
05:02And India's external affairs ministry spokesperson also confirmed this thing,
05:05that Dr. Jayshankar spoke to Sayyad Abbas Arakti on this issue.
05:08And we are trying to work out a mechanism with which the Indian ships can sail through Indian flags,
05:14and also there can be an escorted passage.
05:17But it's not Iran alone.
05:18You know, we have to work out, we have to coordinate with other partners and other countries as well,
05:24because, you know, Israel and the United States are bombing that area.
05:28And the way, you know, Iran is using its geography as a weapon,
05:34that also is a very crucial factor.
05:36And that's why the government of India has not given an explicit term that what exactly is the plan
05:42and when these ships will be able to pass through that Strait of Hormuz.
05:45But meanwhile, two of the tankers, you know, tanker Pushpak and Paribal,
05:49have crossed through the Strait of Hormuz,
05:51and other ships are also assembling at a certain point in the Gulf of Persia R.S.D.
05:57Okay, let me also go for a moment to Dr. Fawd Izzadi.
06:00He's at the University of Tehran.
06:02Dr. Izzadi, we've heard this very strong statement from Mujtaba Khaminai.
06:06A lot of questions were raised over the state of his health.
06:09But he seems to be very clear, Dr. Fawd Izzadi,
06:12that the states of Hormuz will be closed, that the fight will continue.
06:17So clearly he is only upping the ante in a way against the United States and Israel.
06:24You know, I'm talking to you from Tehran.
06:27We have had four, five rounds of bombings just today.
06:31We are losing a couple of hundred civilians on daily basis.
06:36We have lost over 1,400 civilians so far.
06:41The country's civilian infrastructure is heavily, heavily damaged.
06:46Trump is talking about changing Iran's borders.
06:50Lindsey Graham, the foolish American senator,
06:54talks about taking over Iranian oil,
06:56and he adds it to the Venezuelan oil.
06:59And then he says that once the U.S. is done,
07:01they will take over 31% of the world oil reserves.
07:06They want to take over the Persian Gulf so they can push around countries like India,
07:11as they did with tariffs.
07:14You remember what Trump did with regard to tariffs?
07:16He cannot do that anymore.
07:19Iran is fighting for Iran.
07:20Iran is fighting for independent countries.
07:23So are we to understand?
07:24Are we to understand, therefore,
07:26that when you say that Iran is fighting in a way for its survival,
07:28that Khamenei is sending,
07:30the message that he is sending out
07:33is one that the regime is very much intact.
07:35Am I right?
07:36That he is trying to send out the message that
07:38the regime is going nowhere?
07:41You know, the idea of changing Iran's government
07:43was a pipe dream, is a pipe dream.
07:46It's going to be a pipe dream.
07:48They are not going to be able to do it.
07:49Trump single-handedly has managed to unite Iranians
07:54more than any Iranian politician could do.
07:57Iran needs two things from the other side.
08:00The first thing is that they need to stop this war.
08:02They started it.
08:03This was a war of choice.
08:05They need to stop attacking Iran.
08:07That's number one.
08:10Iran needs to make sure that Iran is not attacked every few months.
08:13You cannot run a country with two nuclear regimes
08:16attacking you every few months.
08:18But is the regime not weakened?
08:21Dr. Ezzadi, is the regime not weakened?
08:23The fact that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
08:26several of his key aides were killed in the initial attacks,
08:32are you telling me that the regime is as strong
08:34or is the regime basically now just fighting for survival?
08:38You know, the country has 93 million population.
08:41I know in comparison to India, that's not much.
08:44But Iran is one of the bigger countries in the world.
08:47And we have a serious army.
08:49We have serious commanders.
08:51We have serious leaders.
08:53There is this culture of resistance here.
08:56We have been fighting Americans and Israelis for the last 47 years.
09:00We'll continue to fight.
09:01Iran needs to be compensated for all the damage that they have created.
09:07And if they think attacking Iran and bombing Iran,
09:10they can make Iranians love the other side, that's foolish.
09:13You cannot bomb people and expect those people that are bombed to like you.
09:17The human psyche doesn't work like that.
09:19Okay, I want to also bring in at this moment from Dubai,
09:23senior editor at Khalij Time, Mazhar Faruqi.
09:26Mazhar, we've seen missile attacks, drone attacks on Dubai as well.
09:33Apartment block caught fire.
09:35Is there a sense of fear, of anger in Dubai that Iran is attacking a GCC country?
09:45Absolutely, in fact, there's a sense of disbelief.
09:47I mean, I've been in Dubai for almost 20 years now.
09:50And who would have thought that UAE would be hit like 1400 times by drones and ballistic missiles.
09:58So I'm glad that authorities in Dubai have been able to contain the damage
10:02like this fire that you have on the screen was contained in just a matter of minutes.
10:06So, in a way…
10:08But is there anger or fear?
10:10What is the dominant emotion among people at the moment?
10:14I mean, I wouldn't call it anger or fear.
10:18It's more of a sense of disbelief.
10:21Because Dubai, for as long as you can remember, was put up as a safe haven,
10:25which actually it is.
10:27But still, when you see, like, you know, missiles flying around and, like, you know, getting alerts,
10:31there is a sense of fear also.
10:34But since there have been no damage as yet, or I mean, we did lose four individuals so far,
10:39which is very sad.
10:41And these, today we had a strike, not far from where I live on Sheikh Zayed Road.
10:45So it is, of course, worrying.
10:47It is absolutely worrying.
10:48So you're saying there's a sense of disbelief that in a safe haven like Dubai, it's being targeted.
10:55You know, Dr. Fuad Izadi, are these attacks going to continue on the Gulf countries?
11:00Some of them are hitting now residential areas.
11:03They were meant to, you are meant to attack U.S. air bases, but civilian areas are being attacked in
11:09the Gulf,
11:09as well as in your country.
11:11So the question is, what does Khamenei want?
11:14Is he willing to risk, are you willing to risk isolation if you start targeting a Bahrain, an Oman, a
11:21UAE?
11:23You know, if you empty a hotel, as they did in UAE, and you fill it with American soldiers,
11:28they evacuated the base, and instead of these soldiers leaving the region, they went and got hotel rooms.
11:37That hotel becomes a legitimate military target.
11:41CIA headquarters in office areas in these countries, legitimate military targets.
11:46CIA is giving the data for the sites that the U.S. is bombing in Iran.
11:52And they are shooting some of the Iranian missiles.
11:56The debris falls in places that Iran cannot control.
12:00The best option would be not to shoot these missiles so they can reach their intended target.
12:05But they are shooting some of the missiles, and it's not Iran's fault.
12:10Iran cannot control the debris.
12:12We had the American journalist, Dr. Carlson, saying that in Saudi Arabia and Qatar,
12:18they have arrested Mossad agents trying to blow up things and blame Iran.
12:23Netanyahu has been successful in employing American soldiers in his fight against Iran.
12:29He wants to do the same with Saudi soldiers, Qatari soldiers.
12:32Can I ask you very quickly, how is civil society at the moment in Tehran?
12:37Are places open? Is everyone having to be in bunkers?
12:41Is there a sense of fear there in your country at the moment, sir?
12:46You know, when you have the city bombed, I'm sure many people are afraid of getting killed.
12:53That's the human nature.
12:54Iranians are as human as others.
12:58But there is this sense of resistance.
13:00Every night, millions of people come to the streets.
13:03This is what Netanyahu asks Iranians to do.
13:05And they are doing that.
13:07But they're shouting against Trump and Netanyahu.
13:09So there is this rally around the flag effect.
13:11When a country is attacked, the people of that country will resist.
13:15This is what Iran has done.
13:17Iran, you know, is an old civilization.
13:19We have had invaders.
13:21We have had aggressors.
13:23We'll continue to live many years after the Epstein-class have destroyed the United States.
13:28Okay, I'm going to leave it there.
13:30I've heard voices from Tehran, from Dubai, and here in India.
13:34I appreciate Pranay Upadhyay, Mazhab for joining me.
13:37And Dr. Izadi, thank you all very much for joining me at this moment.
13:41Now, remember, the United States' war posture against Iran is becoming increasingly difficult
13:46to read because of the incumbent in White House.
13:49Donald Trump now says that when oil prices go up, the U.S. makes a lot of money.
13:53At the same time, the U.S. has warned Iran against keeping the state of Hormuz closed,
13:57which is causing, he says, oil prices to increase.
13:59Trump reiterated today that his biggest objective is stopping Iran from having nuclear weapons.
14:04But this comes just a day after he said that the military campaign in Iran could end very soon.
14:09When Trump hinted that the war could eat soon, easing fears of disruption in the Straits of Hormuz,
14:15oil prices dropped.
14:16Now he's walked that back saying Washington makes money out of oil.
14:20So is there a method to Trump's mixed messaging?
14:23Is Washington still searching for a clear exit strategy?
14:27Take a look.
14:29Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.
14:38Finally, to the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand.
14:45Stay sheltered.
14:46Don't leave your home.
14:47It's very dangerous outside.
14:49Bombs will be dropping everywhere.
14:51When we are finished, take over your government.
14:54It will be yours to take.
14:56We've knocked out their Navy, their military in all forms.
15:01We've knocked out just about everything there is, including their leadership.
15:06Twice.
15:07We knocked out twice their leadership.
15:09And now they have a new group coming up.
15:11Let's see what happens to them.
15:12Watching some of the news, most people say it's already been won.
15:17It's just a question of when.
15:19When do we stop?
15:20We don't want to let it regrow.
15:23And ideally, we'd like to see somebody in there that knows what they're doing.
15:26In other words, they could build a country.
15:34So where does the West Asia war stand as of today?
15:38I'm now joined by a very special guest from Washington.
15:41Joining me now is Ambassador John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to President Trump.
15:47Appreciate your joining us, Ambassador Bolton.
15:50And two weeks, nearly two weeks into this conflict in West Asia, would I be right in saying that Donald
15:56Trump has gone into this war as a war without a strategy?
16:01He would be very close to being correct.
16:03I think that he doesn't know what his goals are.
16:07The goals keep changing.
16:09His advisors can't define them.
16:11And he didn't prepare the American public in advance.
16:15I think that's a big political mistake.
16:17I think on the military side, working together with Israel, there's a long target list that both countries have.
16:24And we're going through it, the nuclear program, the ballistic missile program, the Revolutionary Guard, the top leadership.
16:31But there's still a lot more to do to achieve.
16:34If the goal is regime change, which I think it should be, there's still a lot more work to be
16:38done and inadequate preparation and strategy there, for sure.
16:43No, no.
16:43You've been always an advocate of regime change in Iran.
16:47But there are others who say that's easier said than done.
16:49And who is the United States to decide what kind of regime Iran will have?
16:53It's a sovereign nation.
16:55Do you believe that this is the right moment for Donald Trump to be pushing for regime change?
17:00Because regime change could involve a long, a much longer war.
17:05Does the United States have the appetite?
17:07Does the world have an appetite for a long war, Ambassador Bolton?
17:12Well, as I say, I think the case for regime change is very strong.
17:15As long as this regime is in power, they're still going to pursue nuclear weapons.
17:19They're still going to support international terrorism, engage in terrorist acts themselves.
17:24The way I see it is that the regime has never been weaker, never been more unpopular since it took
17:31power in 1979.
17:33I think the people demonstrated that in December and January when they went out in the streets.
17:38And the response of the regime was to kill upwards of 30,000 of them.
17:42So the way this, I think, would play out is not that there's a regime in waiting to replace the
17:49Ayatollahs because there is not.
17:50But the regime is fractured at the top.
17:53I think the military attacks will fracture it further.
17:56And I think as these fractures develop, personal ambition, animosity, friendship, family ties, money, all these kinds of connections that
18:07affect the quest for human power will kick in and the regime will fragment further.
18:12What the opposition should do is try and find defectors.
18:15For example, generals in the regular army, not the Revolutionary Guard, but the regular army, who will come over to
18:22their side.
18:22And as the regime comes apart, there will be plenty of people saying, you know, this ship is going down
18:29and I don't plan to go down with it.
18:31But Ambassador Bolton, with due regard, if that's the goal, what could also result is civil war.
18:37I've had Iranian guests, Iranian scholars saying the last thing Iran wants is civil war.
18:41You will end up in like a Syria or an Iraq-like situation.
18:44And America will be once again, as it was in Afghanistan, powerless to control what happens, where eventually one Taliban
18:52gets replaced by the same Taliban a few years later.
18:55Now, here you've got a Khamenei being replaced by another Ayatollah.
18:58I mean, does America really have the appetite, I come back to it, for a civil war that could break
19:04out in the hope of a regime change?
19:08Well, certainly the new Supreme Leader is no better than his father.
19:12In fact, he may be worse.
19:13But the fact is that, as I say, inside Iran itself, the unpopularity of the regime is without precedent.
19:23I'm not saying there won't be turmoil here, but I think any subsequent regime is better than the Revolutionary Guard
19:31and the Ayatollahs.
19:32Look, inside the economy is a wreck.
19:35And I think that was a principal motivator for the demonstrations at the beginning of the year.
19:41But it goes much deeper than that.
19:43The young people who are two-thirds of the population under 30 are very dissatisfied.
19:47They know they could have a different life.
19:49They can see it across the Gulf or on the Internet when the government lets it operate.
19:54The women are largely against the regime following the murder of Masi Amini, the young Kurdish woman who was killed
20:01about three years ago for defying the dress code.
20:04And that's a challenge that goes to the very legitimacy of the state itself, because it says the Ayatollahs do
20:11not speak the word of God.
20:13And then you have ethnic tensions.
20:15The Persian population is only 50 or 60 percent of the country.
20:20Kurds, Azeris, Balukis, Arabs, Lurs, others really all want substantial change in the regime.
20:26So when you put it all together inside the country, I think it just needs some outside assistance.
20:33It doesn't need us to tell them who to put in charge.
20:36I think that's for them to figure out.
20:39You know, the fact is, let's come back to Donald Trump, Ambassador Bolton, because it seems that Donald Trump perhaps
20:45thought this would be a swift war.
20:47Did he miscalculate?
20:49Thought that Iran is another Venezuela.
20:53You can go in there, stage an overnight coup, and, you know, there are no casualties here.
20:59We are already seeing casualties mounting.
21:01We're seeing energy security being threatened.
21:04The Iranians trying to bring in other Gulf nations into the theater of war.
21:08Was Donald Trump prepared for this, or did he miscalculate?
21:13Well, I doubt he's prepared for it, because he's rarely prepared for much of anything.
21:17He doesn't follow strategic thinking.
21:19He does things on impulse, neuron flashes, I call them.
21:24I can tell you, though, in his first term, he was told very clearly what would be needed to support
21:32regime change.
21:33And one of them that is obvious to everybody is that there would be threats to the Strait of Hormuz
21:39and oil traffic through the Persian Gulf, as we're seeing happen.
21:43So he may have believed he could do a Venezuela, but if he did, he was wrong when he believed
21:50it.
21:51He's clearly wrong today.
21:52No, so in that sense, are we therefore seeing a war without a clear endgame?
21:59It's almost two weeks into the war.
22:02The Straits of Hormuz, large parts of it are blocked.
22:05Other countries are facing regular missile strikes from Iran.
22:10Iran, the Revolutionary Guard is certainly showing no signs, at least overt signs, of surrendering far from it.
22:16Therefore, has Donald Trump miscalculated, or was he carried away by what Netanyahu wants, which is the complete obliteration of
22:24the Iranian state?
22:24Many analysts believe this is a war led by Israel, with America playing a second fiddle.
22:31Well, even I don't think that Netanyahu leaves Trump around by the nose.
22:35I think this is something Trump decided he wanted to do, and he may well not have thought it through.
22:42I think I know what to do, and I wish he would do it.
22:45He can correct the mistakes he's made.
22:47But if you take the Revolutionary Guard, for example, I do believe that their communication, command, and control have been
22:53effectively eliminated.
22:54Many of their key assets have been eliminated.
22:57The Air Force and Navy of Iran are substantially eliminated, although there is still a threat of the closure of
23:06the Strait of Hormuz.
23:06There are still problems to be solved.
23:09There's no doubt about it.
23:10But after less than two weeks, I think the military performance has been outstanding.
23:14But, you know, while you say the military performance has been outstanding, there are those who will probably say this
23:20is a war singularly lacking not only an endgame, but also a complete lack of empathy on the part of
23:29the Americans.
23:30You hear President Trump, he almost seems to treat this as some reality TV war game.
23:34You listen to Secretary of Defense, Hex said, he also seems to believe that, you know, the Americans are just
23:40pounding the Iranians day in and day out.
23:43And as a result, there are civilian casualties mounting schoolgirls who've been killed.
23:49Is there a sense that this American regime completely lacks any moral morality?
23:55This is an illegal aggression, if I may pose it to you, which is devoid of morality.
24:01Well, I don't think it's illegal aggression at all.
24:04I think we're perfectly entitled to act in a preventive fashion, especially when nuclear weapons are at stake.
24:11I don't think that's anything that you fool around with.
24:15I'm not, I'm not...
24:16Ambassador, with due regard, sorry to interrupt, Pakistan has nuclear weapons.
24:20Are you going to walk in there?
24:21Pakistan's general is an honored guest of President Trump.
24:26General Asim Munir sponsors cross-border terrorism against here in India.
24:31He's an honored guest.
24:31It seems that America decides which dictator, which authoritarian regime they will embrace and who they believe is against whom
24:41they can fight a just war.
24:43Well, I'm not defending the Trump administration's conduct with respect to Pakistan, but with respect to Iran, I do think
24:51it's threatened the United States.
24:52You know, for 47 years, people, government-sponsored demonstrations in the streets of Iran's cities have chanted death to the
25:00United States.
25:01That's a pretty good indication of what the regime thinks, and I don't think we need to sit around and
25:05wait for it.
25:06As I said earlier, I do think Trump's conduct of the war, his failure to address the American people, his
25:13failure to really consult effectively with Congress, his failure to consult with allies are problems, and they are problems that
25:21grow as time proceeds.
25:23He can still correct them, but he needs to do it quickly, and he needs to show at some point
25:28here that he does have an objective in mind.
25:31He's got to say it clearly. I think it should be regime change. He has said regime change.
25:36He said about eight other things besides he should settle on whatever it is he's after.
25:41You know, but the fact is, Ambassador, in June, since you said Iran had this nuclear capacity which threatened America,
25:47or potential nuclear capacity, in June when the airstrikes took place,
25:51Donald Trump claimed he had decimated Iran's capacities on the nuclear front.
25:56Now, seven months later, you go to war with them, first claim that your objective is again to dismantle the
26:02nuclear capacity.
26:04This even as negotiations were on in Geneva, and now it is about regime change, according to some.
26:10So it almost seems as if the goalposts keep changing, and that's where one gets a sense it's Israel who's
26:16driving this war, and the U.S., which is playing second fiddle.
26:22Well, Trump was wrong last summer when he said that we had obliterated the Iranian nuclear program.
26:28This is typical Trump.
26:29The fact is, I think, particularly our bunker buster bombs did very substantial damage to the Iranian program, but they
26:38did not obliterate it, and that is part of the objective here.
26:42And it's not just eliminating the nuclear program, it's what it says to people inside the regime in Tehran.
26:49It says, this regime cannot defend itself, cannot defend itself.
26:54And if it can't defend itself, its days are numbered.
26:57So that's what gets people thinking, you know, maybe I better not stick around here on the regime side.
27:03Maybe I ought to consider amnesty from the opposition.
27:06This is how authoritarian regimes collapse from the top.
27:09But, you know, I will keep persisting with this.
27:12I know you've always been an advocate of regime change, but the question will arise, who is the United States
27:18to arrogate for itself the right to decide on regime change in Iran?
27:25Because Iran poses a threat to us, to Israel, to the Gulf Arab states, really, to countries around the world.
27:31They've conducted terrorist attacks not just in the Middle East, but the U.S., Canada, Europe, many places around the
27:38world.
27:38There will never be peace and stability in the Middle East while this regime remains in power in Tehran.
27:44Do you get a sense, though, Ambassador, that Donald Trump is looking for an exit route?
27:49He says the war will end very soon.
27:51Only yesterday, he said, we've virtually achieved all our goals.
27:55We've virtually cleaned up the entire leadership of Iran.
28:02Do you believe that he's now looking for an exit route to claim victory without possibly going into the long
28:08battle for a regime change, which may take months together?
28:12It's entirely possible.
28:14That's that's what he'll do.
28:15As we are speaking, he could be declaring victory, but he would be he would in his mind, if he
28:20says he's a winner, then he's a winner.
28:22That's you know, you have to psychoanalyze Donald Trump to figure that out.
28:26But it doesn't mean that we would be better off.
28:29I mean, right now, the Strait of Hormuz is closed.
28:31And if Trump declared victory before the Strait is reopened, it would be a signal not just to Iran and
28:37the Strait of Hormuz, but the Houthis and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red
28:43Sea and many, many other places around the world.
28:46But this is another case of Trump backing down in the financial community.
28:50You know, they call it taco after the Mexican food taco for Trump, always chickens out.
28:55And if he does it here, it'll be another severe blow to his credibility.
28:59You know, Trump better than most.
29:01Do you think it'll be a taco moment?
29:03Trump always chickens out the longer this war goes on.
29:06Or do you believe that Donald Trump, even if his once his numbers start start dipping in particular, will he
29:13be ready for the long haul?
29:14If his popularity, if a majority of Americans are against the war, if there are more casualties, is Donald Trump,
29:21you believe, someone who will chicken out now?
29:23And if so, if he doesn't, what do you see as the most likely endgame?
29:28Well, I think Trump has a short attention span.
29:30And I think he focuses mostly on what's in the best interest of Donald Trump.
29:34If he really had thought this through, he would have addressed the people, not just once, but over a period
29:40of time, not to talk about the specific military operations or the timing, but to make the case that for
29:46the long-term safety and security of the United States, this regime had to go, or whatever his objective was.
29:53And the failure to do that and build up that political support before the war makes it difficult, although not
29:59impossible, to do it now.
30:01You know, it's very difficult to get into the mind of Donald Trump, but as someone, as I said, who's
30:06worked closely with him, what's the most likely scenario, Ambassador Bolton, that you see over the next few weeks?
30:14Well, if the Strait of Hormuz can be opened in a relatively short period of time, I'd say a couple
30:20of weeks, something like that, I think he would be ready then to declare victory.
30:24Remember, at the beginning of this, he did say four to five weeks at a minimum, four to five weeks.
30:29I was amazed he set a period that long, but he's got cover in the sense that's what he said
30:35at the beginning.
30:36So until we get to the end of five weeks, I don't think he's really under pressure.
30:40He's got flexibility up to that point to say, we've won and now we're going to get out.
30:46And this is even without regime change, he will get out in four to five weeks.
30:51And what will he really then have achieved is the question people will ask Ambassador Bolton.
30:58Well, that's for sure. His answer would be details, details. We've won. Everybody knows we've won.
31:03If you had to give him one final piece of advice, what would that be?
31:08Stick to it. This is a once in a decade opportunity to get rid of this regime.
31:14And I think if he wants peace and stability in the Middle East, greater economic growth, cooperation with the Middle
31:19East, this is the path to follow.
31:22I'm going to leave it there, Ambassador Bolton.
31:26I appreciate you joining us and sharing your views so plainly and directly with our audiences.
31:32Thank you so much.
31:55Take a look.
32:01The Strait of Hormuz on fire.
32:05Two oil tankers, one owned by the United States and another owned by Greece, are attacked off Iraq's coast overnight.
32:15Amidst the escalating war, a Liberia flag tanker, Seuss Max Shenlong, carrying Saudi crude, successfully reached Mumbai after safely crossing
32:26the Strait of Hormuz.
32:28The breakthrough comes just two days after External Affairs Minister, Jaishankar, spoke to Iranian counterpart, Syed Abbas Arachi.
32:37But on the ground, there is no immediate relief.
32:40Across the country, the shortage of cooking gas is leading to long lines at gas agencies.
32:49The LPG shortage has now erupted into a full-blown political flashpoint in Parliament.
32:56Opposition parties took the battle to the Lok Sabha, accusing the government of failing to anticipate and manage the crisis.
33:08Leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, slammed the government, accusing it of bartering away India's foreign policy to placate Trump.
33:20And this is a very puzzling fact for me.
33:22It has been a very puzzling fact why a nation the size of India would allow any other nation,
33:33the president of another nation, to give us permission to buy Russian oil to decide who our relationships are.
33:42And this has been a puzzle, and I have been trying to figure this puzzle out.
33:48And I have figured the puzzle out.
33:53And the puzzle is about compromise.
33:57He himself has said...
33:58The Congress leader was stopped by the speaker when he attempted to bring up the Epstein controversy.
34:03I am talking about economic security, sir.
34:05We have a gentleman sitting here, who is the oil minister.
34:13He himself has said...
34:15...that he is a friend...
34:18...of Mr. Epstein.
34:37The government however insists, the situation is being blown out of proportion.
34:45There is no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF or fuel, fuel oil.
34:52The availability of petrol, diesel, aviation, turbine fuel, kerosene and fuel oil is fully assured.
35:00Retail outlets across the country are stocked, and supply chains for these products are functioning normally.
35:06Additional allocation of PDS kerosene has been issued to all the states.
35:12Natural gas supply has been managed through prioritized allocation, and the position is stable.
35:20Political leaders across the country have begun raising alarm.
35:24West Bengal Chief Minister Mumta Banerjee has questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
35:29accusing the centre of a lack of planning to deal with the unfolding fuel crisis.
35:34For now, the centre says there is no cause for alarm.
35:40But with protests rocking parliament, political face-offs intensifying and concerns spreading across states,
35:47the LPG shortage has clearly turned into the latest high-voltage confrontation between the government and the opposition.
35:56Bureau Report, India Today.
36:02So let's raise the big question.
36:04Let's raise the big question.
36:05How serious is this LPG crisis?
36:07Is the government's assurance convincing or not?
36:10Was the centre court unawares?
36:12Is the opposition exploiting the LPG crisis for electoral gains?
36:17R.S. Sharma is former chairman of MD Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.
36:20J.B. Mathai, Rajya Sabha MP, Congress, Rohan Gupta, national spokesperson of the BJP, joining us at the moment.
36:28Rohan Gupta, today in parliament, Hardeep Singh Puri said there is nothing to worry.
36:33There is no crisis.
36:35If anything, it's an artificial crisis caused by hoarding, by black marketing, by some kind of demand distortion.
36:41What we are seeing, on the other hand, is that there is clearly a problem.
36:45Why would so many commercial establishments cut down or shut shop if there was no problem?
36:50How long is the BJP and the government always going to say, don't worry, be happy, everything is fine?
36:55Why not accept there is a problem?
36:58See, Rajdeep, we have to understand one thing.
37:00Nobody is denying the fact that there is an issue.
37:02There is a crisis because we are energy importing country.
37:05And when these kind of situations are there, the panic situation is quite obvious.
37:10It is bound to happen.
37:11But the government is assuring here.
37:13Today, Hardeep Puri clearly told that we have increased the domestic LPG production by 28% in the last five
37:19days.
37:20We have increased our supplies from 25 to 40.
37:23Our supply from Hormuz is now regularized.
37:25That is the news today.
37:26So, government conducted the CCS meeting on the day one of the crisis.
37:30So, government and this is the India is the only country where petroleum price apart from LPG, it has not
37:35been increased.
37:36In US, it is increased by 14%.
37:38In China, it is increased by 10%.
37:40In Australia, it is increased by 15%.
37:41We are the only country where it is not increased.
37:44So, there is nothing to panic.
37:45And that is where the opposition needs to be little more responsible at the time when they should not play
37:50this vulture politics.
37:51I agree there is nothing to panic, Mr. Gupta.
37:53But at the same time, there is also a need to accept that three days ago, government said, don't worry,
38:00be happy.
38:01Three days ago, government said, we have 40 days of results.
38:04Now, there is clearly a shortage somewhere.
38:07Maybe you didn't anticipate that the state of Hormuz would be closed in the manner that it is.
38:11Why not at least accept it?
38:13Why this unwillingness to even accept a problem?
38:15The basic, there is absolutely nobody is not accepting the problem.
38:19Obviously, there is a crisis.
38:20But the basic problem is, because of this panic button, people are trying to overbuy it.
38:25And that is what is creating the problem.
38:26You will see in a day or two, things will be normalized.
38:28So, absolutely, when the government says there is no shortage, we have planned for it, 28% production of LPG
38:34has increased, we should trust that.
38:36At the time of, at these such times, do you feel that the behavior of opposition parties is justified?
38:40No, it is not.
38:41Why to play politics at this time?
38:43Do you feel that by paying politics at such time, you are going to gain votes?
38:47No.
38:47People don't want panic.
38:48They want assurance.
38:49We are giving assurance when we want opposition parties to be with us.
38:54Sir, I am glad that Hardeeb Singh Puri gave the assurance.
38:58He could have given it, in fact, three or four days earlier.
39:01He has given it now, what, on Thursday, when the problem started four days ago, government was speaking through sources.
39:06But J.B. Mathai responded to what Rohan Gupta is saying.
39:09He is saying, look, the situation is under control.
39:11Government has, to its credit, taken various measures, brought fuel products under the Essential Commodities Act,
39:19stepped up domestic production, prioritizing household consumption rather than commercial use.
39:25They have taken various steps.
39:26What more is the government expected to do?
39:29You can't hold the Modi government for Iran blocking ships at the Strait of Hormuz.
39:38Rajdeep, High Court of Delhi canteen is not far from parliament.
39:43They have put restrictions on the canteen.
39:46Across the country, you are showing ground report.
39:50All other medias are showing.
39:51So, we are getting ground report of canteens being closed, hotels being closed, hostels being shut down, schools being affected,
40:00catering being affected, weddings being affected.
40:04These are the reports which we are getting.
40:06So, naturally, that is what is echoed in parliament today by Rahul Gandhi.
40:11He is the leader of opposition.
40:11D.J.P. says it's a temporary problem caused by panic buying.
40:14It will be sorted in a couple of days.
40:15You cannot expect overnight solutions.
40:22This should have been thought of at the beginning of the war.
40:2612 days have passed and it is now the government has started to think about it.
40:31Let me complete, Rajdeep.
40:32Now, what is the reaction of Union Minister for Petroleum, Mr. Puri, in the parliament?
40:37He says there is no shortage.
40:40There is fuel, there is turbine oil, there is kerosene, everything is there.
40:44If everything is there, why is it that business have to be shut down, hotels have to be shut down,
40:50canteens have to be shut down?
40:51Why is it that this situation has to happen?
40:53And also, about how the situation, the press conference by Joint Secretary Sujada Sharma says, 90% of the imports
41:05come from Strait of Hormuz.
41:08Okay?
41:08And she says it's a difficult situation.
41:10Whereas, Union Minister in the parliament says, before the crisis, approximately 45% of India's crude export transited through Hormuz.
41:21So, there is conflict of what contradictory statements being made by the Petroleum Minister in the parliament and also by
41:28Sujada, Mr. Sujada, Joint Secretary in the press conference.
41:33And also, this is a clear case of trust deficit and credibility gap on the government.
41:39There are various issues.
41:40Okay, you are saying it's a trust deficit.
41:42You are saying there's a question.
41:43Ma'am, I've heard you.
41:44Clearly, on LPG, there is trust deficit and credibility gap.
41:48I've heard you, ma'am.
41:49I've heard you loud.
41:50I've heard you clear.
41:51R.S. Sharma, you worked with ONGC.
41:53You were heading it.
41:54You've been in the oil sector.
41:56Is this a problem which the government should have anticipated the moment the war clouds came?
42:01Did they react too late?
42:04Well, Arsteep, this is a problem.
42:07Never before kind of situation.
42:09I don't think it could have been anticipated.
42:13Thing is, we are hugely dependent on imports and the fact of the matter is that we are not enrolled
42:22enough with the hydrocarbon resources.
42:24As a result, we have to increasingly import our hydrocarbon requirements, our petroleum products, LPG.
42:35So, that is the fact of the matter.
42:37Perhaps, I have also been checking the news.
42:40What the minister said in the parliament, his message was perhaps to convey to the masses, don't press the panic
42:48button.
42:48We are aware.
42:50We are taking measures.
42:53Are those measures, in your view, sufficient?
42:56Are those measures sufficient?
42:58The minister said we are now in contact with 40 countries to, in a way, ensure that our fuel supplies,
43:07LPG supplies in particular, we don't rely only on the Qatars.
43:10Now, we will do it across the world.
43:12Do you believe that's enough?
43:13Or, I repeat, are we heading for at least a short, the longer the war continues, more will be the
43:20pressure?
43:21We are definitely heading for a big problem, Arsteep.
43:25I agree with you.
43:27As I mentioned, it is a never before kind of thing, unprecedented crisis.
43:33Not only India.
43:34Look at the other important countries, Japan, Korea, even China, Europe, everybody is, you know, in a panic situation.
43:46So, that's the situation.
43:48But perhaps what the minister said, he wanted to give a comfort to the masses that we are aware of
43:57the situation.
43:58We are taking whatever measures required to address this problem.
44:04But to say that that is enough, I am not in agreement that that will be enough.
44:10You are making a very important point that it may not be enough given the unprecedented nature of the crisis.
44:16You see, Rohan Gupta, this again comes back to this belief that this is a denial government.
44:21For the first week, last week, every statement that came out of the government, don't worry, we are fully in
44:26control.
44:26In the last four days, you have suddenly had every secretary, every official finally coming before the media, now today
44:32the minister.
44:33All of this could have been done a week ago.
44:35If you want to assure people and make sure they don't panic, why didn't you all speak last week?
44:40Why not accept that you did not anticipate the scale of what was happening in West Asia?
44:47Rajdeep, if you see government from day one, when the war started, the same day CCS meeting was done, in
44:52the evening only, when Modiji came from abroad.
44:55Same day the meeting was organized.
44:57He went to Israel at that time.
44:59He was in Israel.
45:00Let me complete.
45:02Let me complete.
45:02So, first thing, the priority is to ensure that energy security is there.
45:06From day one, whatever should be done is done.
45:0974 days of buffer stock crude, it is there.
45:14And that is why we are the only country where the petrol prices have not increased.
45:18We have to understand that it must go to the government and the planning that even today, the petrol prices
45:22have not increased.
45:23On the second day, if you remember, there were long queues in front of petrol pumps because of the panic
45:28thing.
45:28But just next two days, when people realize that there is nothing to worry, everything got normalized.
45:33That's what I'm saying.
45:34Even today, just because of the panic consumer buying pattern, the government wants to ensure that none of the consumer
45:40gets impacted by this.
45:42That's why as a precaution, maybe there is little bit of reduction in the commercial supply, but that will be
45:47done in a one day or two.
45:48But why opposition parties will have to play politics on such issues?
45:52That's what I don't understand.
45:53Do you feel this is the time of politics?
45:55Absolutely not.
45:56There is absolutely no denial.
45:58Just give me 10 seconds.
46:00Just give me 10 seconds.
46:01Give me 10 seconds.
46:03And just say, this is the war time.
46:05Nobody is telling that there is no issue.
46:07We are dependent on oil from abroad.
46:10We never know.
46:11We don't know how long the war will continue.
46:13Every day we'll have to change our strategy.
46:14We increased our ramped up our commercial domestic production of LPG by 28%.
46:19We have increased 15 new suppliers.
46:21At least in such times, this kind of petty politics should not be there.
46:25You know, it's very interesting you're saying in such times, there should be no petty politics.
46:31You recall when the BJP was in the opposition, then they would gher out the government every time there was
46:36the smallest petrol price height.
46:37Where in politics, unfortunately, Mr. Gupta in India, where you stand depends on where you sit.
46:43Just give me 10 seconds.
46:43The BJP would gher out the government.
46:45No, no, no, no, Mr. Gupta.
46:46I'm telling you the reason.
46:47I've heard you.
46:47I've heard you.
46:48No, no, no.
46:49Then give me 10 seconds, Rajiv.
46:50You're not allowing me to answer what you're saying.
46:52You cannot monopolize the conversation, Mr. Gupta.
46:54I'm not monopolizing because if you are making the comment, I have right to answer that comment.
46:57No, are you telling me the BJP cooperated with the government during petrol price crisis in the U.P.A.
47:02here?
47:02Because when Iran, just listen to me then, when Iran crisis happened and we had to reduce our supply from
47:08Iran by 26.5%,
47:10the same central minister of Congress told that we have to close petrol pump by 8 p.m.
47:14That is where the oppositions will come about.
47:16You tell me one point where there is a lapse by government, then you cannot play the politics.
47:21Yes, if there is a specific point where you can raise that yes, government has made a mistake or there
47:24is no buffer arrangement,
47:25definitely you can question the government.
47:27I'm not saying no, but after having 74 days of buffer, you cannot question.
47:32Mr. Rohan Gupta, I have heard you.
47:33Rajdeep, Rajdeep, Rajdeep, Rajdeep, now that she has said about…
47:35Just a minute, Rajdeep, Rajdeep, now that she has said about…
47:36The question is you've got elections including your home state of Kerala, that's why y'all are ramping it up.
47:42You want to make electoral gains.
47:45This normalizing attitude and tendency of the government is just not acceptable.
47:50This is not playing politics, this is raising the concerns of the people of the country to the parliament, in
47:56the parliament.
47:57That is what the Communist Party is doing and the opposition is doing.
48:00Those concerns, instead of Epstein files, there are tiny, this was a moment to raise those concerns.
48:05Rahul Gandhi has raised, Rahul Gandhi has clearly raised the concerns of the LPG crisis, the seriousness of the crisis.
48:13No, no, but in parliament, he spoke instead of Epstein, instead of Epstein, he should have then only focused on
48:17LPG today.
48:19There are other occasions to raise Epstein.
48:20Everything is incidental, whatever is incidental also will have to be spoken.
48:24Rajdeep, you are interrupting me and you are giving all the time to Rohan Gupta.
48:28I am not interrupting you, I will give you one minute uninterrupted.
48:30When the international food price was very high, the petrol price was very less, comparatively very less and also LPG.
48:37LPG price, Rohan Gupta is saying it has not gone high.
48:40It has gone so high.
48:42He said petrol price.
48:43Earlier in UPA period, we all know what was the price.
48:45It was 300.
48:45Now it has gone to 900.
48:47I am not getting into that.
48:48Now, let me also say, let me also say this normalizing tendency of the government saying or projecting that everything
48:56is fine when everything is not fine.
48:59When there is a first, it is most important to accept the fact that there is a crisis.
49:05And that is the first and foremost thing that Mr. Pupu has to accept, that there is a crisis.
49:11JB, I have taken your point, I have heard both sides very patiently and I appreciate you joining us.
49:19I just hope that we get a reality check.
49:23The people of this country are the ones who at the end suffer and politicians need to be far more
49:28sensitive to their concerns.
49:31I appreciate my guests joining us.
49:32Tomorrow, the India Today conclave returns with the theme breakthroughs and breakdowns, exploring a world of innovation and disruption, particularly
49:40in the age of this conflict that we live in.
49:43Over two days, union ministers, global envoys, business leaders, international voices will share insights, politics, culture, India's growth.
49:51Bollywood icons, sports heroes will also grace the event, making it a forum of ideas that will shape many of
49:58the ideas of our time.
49:59Take a look at that. Look forward to your company.
50:02Thanks for watching. Stay well, stay safe.
50:04Good night, Shubhra 3.
50:05Jai Hind. Namaskar.
50:12The world is at crossroads, witnessing historic innovations on one hand and deep fractures on the other.
50:24At a time when global friendships, politics, technology and economies are rapidly shifting, the India Today conclave returns with a
50:36powerful theme this year, breakthroughs and breakdowns.
50:43Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Ashwini Vaishnav will kick off the conclave over two days with the India Today story
50:51of policy and tackling global power shifts.
50:58Amidst the West Asia war, hear every side from the envoys of Jordan and Lebanon.
51:06U.S. Ambassador to India, Sergio Gore, will be at the India Today conclave, touching upon the India-U.S.
51:14story and the shifting global order under Donald Trump.
51:23International voices will also bring diverse perspective, from entrepreneur and author May Musk to American political commentator Laura Loomer.
51:33Global thinker and travel writer Piku Ayer will reflect on culture, identity and a rapidly changing world.
51:43Business leaders like Anil Agrawal, Karan Adhani will decode India's growth story.
51:50Back home, it's an election year and look forward to big political debates on the upcoming Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
51:59Bengal elections.
52:01Fresh off the T20 World Cup victory, hear the man of the moment, Sanju Sampson, speak on his spectacular performance
52:09in the tournament.
52:11And when the spotlight shifts to entertainment, expect glamour and star power to take centre stage.
52:18With actor Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor and more, all at the India Today conclave.
52:24So tune in on the March 13th and 14th for a debate and dialogue that puts the spotlight on powerful
52:31ideas that drive the next era of global transformation.
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