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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your prime time destination, news, newsmakers, talking points, Eid Mubarak
00:07to each and every one of you.
00:08The big talking point tonight, petrol gets more premium. Three weeks into the war in West Asia, the impact is
00:15hitting home.
00:16Rupee also breaching the 93 mark. We're going to focus on that.
00:20Raghuram Rajan is my special guest today. He will offer prescriptions.
00:25Where does the global economy go from here? What does India do to handle an oil crisis of a kind
00:33that we haven't seen in a very long time?
00:36Also, we'll have a view from inside Tehran amidst reports of anti-government protests and a teen athlete being executed.
00:45The question is, what is life in Tehran like?
00:48A former Secretary General of the Asian Mayor's Forum will join me from inside Tehran.
00:55But first, as always, it's time for the nine headlines at night.
01:01Fuel prices in India soar amidst the escalating war in West Asia.
01:06Premium petrol prices hike by rupees 2 per litre.
01:10Regular fuel rates remain unchanged.
01:12Rupee slips past 93 to the dollar for the first time.
01:19Zomato hikes its charges for the second time in 12 months.
01:23The food delivery platform fee is raised right now at par with Swiggy.
01:28It's another impact on your pocket because of the rising prices.
01:36U.S. President Donald Trump doubles down on allies over the West Asia war.
01:41Now calls them a paper tiger for not joining the fight to stop what he says is a nuclear power.
01:47Iran says they are cowards and we will remember.
01:52Amidst the global energy crisis, U.S. looks to cool down oil prices.
01:56U.S. energy secondary now claims Iranian oil could be unsanctioned soon.
02:03A belligerent Iran warns that it will attack enemies' tourist destinations worldwide after Iran forces spokesperson
02:12General Ali Mohamed Naini was killed in a U.S.-Israel strike.
02:19Sri Lankan president claims to have denied permission for two U.S. jets from Djibouti to land in their country.
02:26President Disunayake says Lanka wants to maintain neutrality amidst ongoing war.
02:33On the eve of Eid, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese heckled at a mosque in Sydney.
02:39Worshippers accuse him and his deputy of being genocide supporters.
02:45West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee keeps the heat on the election commission for transferring several officers ahead of polls.
02:53Claims Bengal moving towards an undeclared emergency matter to be taken up in the Calcutta High Court.
03:01And Durandar 2 frenzy across India, Ranveer Singh Starrer reportedly opens to a staggering 100 crore plus net in India
03:09on day one.
03:10Firmly announcing its arrival as another box office juggler.
03:42Firmly announcing its arrival in the Calcutta High Court.
03:43States, another Trump aide is dropping a big hint on Iranian oil and a possible big U-turn
03:50by America because Energy Secretary Chris Wright has now told U.S. media that the United States
03:57may soon remove sanctions on Iranian oil currently stranded on tankers at sea and supplies may reach
04:06Asian ports within three to four days. The Energy Secretary adding that oil from an unsanctioned
04:13Iran would be absorbed by the market within the next 30 to 45 days. All of this coming of course
04:1824 hours after that gas installation supply in Qatar was hit and that has caused panic across
04:26the world. Oil prices were rising so there is some hope now of the U.S. government also doing a
04:33U-turn
04:34to handle those escalating oil prices that are hurting global economies. The big story that's
04:41breaking at the moment. In fact let's bring you all the top war developments at this moment.
04:50Now Iran has claimed to have struck the unkillable U.S. F-35 lightning. If true this will be the
04:57first
04:57time an F-35 jet has been shot down but the U.S. said that a F-35 fighter jet
05:02only made an emergency
05:03landing at an air base in West Asia even as reports emerged that a second F-35 jet was hit
05:09over Iran's Bandar Abbas area. Reports also claiming that the United States has lost at least 16 military
05:16aircraft in the Iran war. According to these reports the losses include three F-15 fighter jets that were
05:21mistakenly shot down by Kuwait in a friendly fire incident as well as a KC-135 tanker that crashed
05:28during a refueling operation over Iraq. All six crew members aboard the tanker were killed in the crash.
05:33The U.S. has now launched a major air offensive to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. A-10
05:40warthog jets
05:41are targeting Iranian fast attack boats while apache helicopters are neutralizing Iranian drones.
05:46Reports claim that 120 Iranian vessels have been destroyed in U.S. operations.
05:52Another top Iranian official killed today in Israeli strikes. Iran forces spokesperson
05:56General Ali Mohamed Naini was killed in an airstrike launched by Israel. The strike marks a significant
06:02escalation hitting a senior military voice of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards.
06:07Kuwait has claimed another attack on its oil refinery. Kuwaiti media said that the Meena al-Ahmadi
06:12refinery was hit by a drone attack overnight causing fire in some units. No casualties reported in the attack.
06:24But to our top focus, what's unfolding in West Asia at the moment is not just a geopolitical
06:32flashpoint. It's now turning also into a major global economic crisis, almost unprecedented.
06:41Remember, energy hubs across West Asia are under attack. Oil supply chains are being disrupted,
06:48and the ripple effects are already hitting markets, currencies, and of course, oil prices, and thereby
06:58everyday expenses, including here in India. Our next report breaks down why this conflict in West
07:06Asia is no longer distant. It's directly impacting your wallet. Take a look.
07:22This is no longer just a war zone story. It is an economic shockwave. From the Gulf to your wallet,
07:29the cost of conflict is rising fast and unforgiving. Critical infrastructure is no longer off limits,
07:38and the impact is spreading far beyond the battlefield. Six crucial energy hubs have been targeted.
07:47Israel attacked Iran's South Power's gas field. In retaliation, Iran hit Ras Laffan Industrial City,
07:55Sam Raif refinery, Meena al-Ehmadi, Meena Abdullah refinery in Kuwait,
08:02and the Haifa refinery. The fallout is imminent. Saudi Arabia has halted oil loading at Yanbu.
08:09Ras Tanura and East-West pipeline flows have been cut by 50%.
08:13UAE's Fujairah port has suspended operations. Shah gas field is shut. Qatar has halted LNG shipments.
08:21Iran's South Power's has gone offline.
08:27Global energy arteries are now under stress.
08:34Brent crude prices are surging. From $73 per barrel before the conflict, prices have been trading
08:41firmly above the $100 per barrel mark. And in India, the impact is no longer looming. It is already here.
08:51fuel prices are climbing. Premium petrol is getting costlier, with oil marketing companies passing on the
08:58pressure. Premium petrol prices have been hiked by around 2 to 2.3 per litre rupees, even as regular
09:05petrol and diesel rates remain unchanged across the country.
09:11petrol pump in New Delhi, where the prices have been increased of the premium category of
09:17petrol by 2 rupees. The IOCL and the HPCL has increased these prices by 2 rupees. And across the states,
09:27this price hike, this price hike has happened. Sir, the price is increased in which category?
09:32It is increased in speed petrol.
09:34The price of the regular petrol price, does it have any impact on it?
09:37No, there is no impact on it.
09:39People are worried that as the prices of the international crude oil go up,
09:44government making efforts that the safety and the energy security of the country remains intact.
09:55The ripple effect is immediate. Even your online orders are hit. Zomato hikes its platform fee,
10:02signalling rising operational costs across the board. The currency is under pressure. The rupee has slipped
10:10to a record low, breaching 93 against the dollar as expensive crude widens the import bill. Higher oil
10:17also means rising inflation. Airfares, cab fares, groceries, everything is under pressure.
10:27Markets are already reacting and brutally. On Thursday, Dalal Street saw massive sell-off.
10:34Nearly 12 lakh crore rupees were wiped out in a single session. Investor sentiment shaken.
10:39Volatility is back with force. This is the new reality of war. Not just fought with missiles,
10:46but felt in markets, fuel bills and household budgets. Bureau Report, India Today.
10:56As the US-Israeli war against Iran now firmly in its third week, the world is increasingly concerned
11:04about the costs on global economy. And in India too, the costs of war are being now looked at closely.
11:13Who better to try and give us a sense of what lies ahead or what this war means for global
11:20and
11:21Indian economy than Raghuram Rajan, former RBI Governor, former Chief Economic Advisor to Government
11:29of India and also the Catherine Dusak Miller, Distinguished Professor of Finance at Chicago Booth.
11:34Appreciate you joining us. Dr. Rajan, thanks very much. I want to understand from you,
11:40what's your sense of this war's impact on global economy? I've been speaking to people who are now
11:47tentatively using the R word, suggesting that we could be entering a recession if this war is prolonged.
11:54What's your own sense? I think the important question is how long it lasts. Even, of course,
12:03if it ends in weeks rather than months, the damage will be significant, both in terms of the fact that
12:14we've got disrupted energy for about 20 percent of the total production of energy sources across the
12:23world. It will take time to revive that. It will take time to transport that. So there is damage already.
12:33But because a number of large countries have buffer stocks, have managed to use some of the
12:42sort of oil that is floating on the seas and attract them towards their countries,
12:47some of that has been alleviated. But of course, the longer this this goes on, the more impact it will
12:55have. And the worry people have is if you're trying to adjust to the fact that 15 to 20 percent
13:02of
13:02world energy sources are shut in, you have to have tremendous demand destruction to make that
13:10possible, which means oil prices will be in the $150, $200 a barrel range, which we haven't encountered
13:20before, certainly the $200. And so there's a lot of anxiety, a lot of uncertainty. But remember,
13:27this is coming on top of the fact that, you know, in countries like the United States, inflation is
13:34still not dead. And so with high energy prices, with sort of the stagnation, stagnation, stagflationary
13:45effects of, you know, oil shut in, there's also the fact that the interest rates have to stay higher to
13:54combat inflation. And economies aren't positioned for that. Many were sort of prepared for a gentle
14:03sort of slowing of interest rates. Many have large fiscal deficits and huge amounts of debt.
14:09And financing that will become a problem. So you will start seeing risk from the financial sector
14:14if this lasts much longer. So you're saying the length of the war, of course, is key.
14:19You mentioned $150, $200, the price of oil. That's going to send shockwaves in itself.
14:26And Raghuram Rajan is pointing out the possibility that if this goes on for a month and longer,
14:32oil prices could go as high as $150. That's a real threat. Because the moment that happens,
14:38then every economy is going to have to find ways to safeguard itself against the oil shock.
14:46India, for example, its exposure to the Strait of Hormuz, 50% of our crude oil imports, 85% of
14:53LPG
14:53supplies, 55% of LNG shipments. So several countries, India, Japan, China, all very dependent
15:00on the Strait of Hormuz. What you're saying is the worst case scenario is oil climbing to $150 and above.
15:08Absolutely. And remember, these are all sort of tentative estimates. Nobody really knows
15:13how much it would have to go up to slow down demand to the extent that demand equals supply.
15:22You're absolutely right that the biggest exposure comes from the big Asian economies, Korea, China,
15:31Japan, India. But also, what happens in Asia doesn't stay in Asia. These prices for natural gas,
15:39I mean, there's already competition between Asia and Europe for natural gas resources that are still
15:46available. So prices will show up everywhere, including the United States, which is somewhat
15:53protected because it produces much of its energy needs itself. But still, the prices will show up there.
16:02And remember, one of the biggest concerns for US consumers is the price of gas, because they drive
16:10a price of petroleum, I should say, because they drive long distances. And with the midterm election
16:17coming with affordability being a big issue, it definitely has to weigh on the administration's
16:24mind. And that's sort of the one reason people think this war will perhaps be over sooner rather than
16:34later, because the pressure, the political pressure on the administration to bring the price of oil down
16:41will be will be huge. And that's that's primarily from the fact that US consumers are going to be hit.
16:49Let's for a moment look at inflation, Dr. Rajan, because we've seen one of the successes of the
16:55Narendra Modi government over the last 11-12 years is they've been very conscious of ensuring that inflation
17:01is kept under check. They've largely been successful in that exercise. Now they are faced with an external
17:09pressure point. Yes, some shipments have come in. But if this war gets prolonged, there will be
17:14growing pressure as oil prices rise. Do you believe that India is is vulnerable, therefore, that despite
17:22all the efforts of the government, inflationary pressures now will become the big challenge in the
17:28next in the near future? Every government is vulnerable because oil prices affect so much
17:35much of the economy. What is important, however, is that we today have a framework by which the
17:43central bank sort of tries to keep inflation under control over the medium term. And I think that has
17:50added credibility to the RBI's efforts on inflation, which is one reason why inflation has been contained
17:57for so long. What is important, however, is that we adhere to that framework, that the RBI sort of
18:06at this point will see inflation going out of its, potentially going out of its comfort zone. But so long
18:15as there is widespread sense that the RBI will bring it back under control over the medium term, which is
18:23typically true of many developed countries' central banks, I think it can be managed. But absolutely,
18:31the more this war lasts, the higher energy prices sort of filter through everything in the economy,
18:39the harder it will be to keep inflation sort of within the bounds and to bring it back if it
18:46does
18:46exceed the bounds. Because we are already seeing some effects of that, Dr. Rajan. Prices for urea,
18:52a widely used nitrogen-based fertilizer, already reportedly over 40 percent higher across
18:58South Asia than they were at pre-war levels. This could impact, therefore, the food supply chain. Now,
19:05again, we come to it. Are some economies better placed than others or is this now going to affect
19:11every economy across the world? Economies that have more fiscal room to help its consumers
19:23and its producers adjust obviously are in a better position. And economies that had deflation,
19:30China as an example, have more room to allow inflation to pick up. But I think what is important
19:38is to make the judgment. If you think this thing is transitory, it's short-term, you don't want your
19:45producers and consumers to have too much pain. Intervening to help them is okay. But if this is going to
19:52last
19:53longer, intervention is a bad idea because you need the consumers and producers to adjust, otherwise
19:59your fiscal deficit will rise to alarming proportions. In India, for example, we haven't let the price of
20:07petrol, the price of energy to consumers move very much. Essentially, a lot of it is absorbed by the
20:17companies. They get more when the price is low, they get higher margins, so they benefit in good times,
20:23and they pay back a little bit in bad times like the current one. The problem is, if the bad
20:28times last
20:29for a long time, they simply cannot absorb the large deficit. The government will start having to
20:34absorb it. And we got away from subsidizing oil way back at high cost. It's a bad time to start
20:42subsidizing again if this lasts long enough. The consumer will have to adjust, the farmer will have
20:48to adjust, producers will have to adjust. That's a judgment call the government has to make. When does it
20:53decide that this thing is really more permanent, more structural, and it has to allow adjustment rather
21:00than subsidizing the cost? Because just a couple of days ago, on the 9th of March,
21:05IMF's managing director, Kristina Georgiova, warned of inflation risks, saying a 10% increase in oil
21:12prices is persistent through most of the year, will result in a 40 basis point increase in global inflation.
21:19So there is a growing concern that these are the kind of projections being made now at the moment.
21:24Yeah, for sure. There's the inflationary concerns. And for India, because we import so much of it,
21:31there's also the external deficit concern. Again, these are rule of thumb numbers, but a $10 increase
21:41in the price of oil increases India's current account deficit by around $17 billion, which is
21:48approximately, you know, 0.5% of GDP. And that's not a small number. If you think that the oil
21:57price can
21:57go, you know, $30, $40, $50 up, it can be a fairly big concern, which is why at some point
22:09we need to
22:10think about adjusting the economy rather than, you know, trying to buffer these costs and ensuring there
22:18is no adjustment. Because rupee now nearing 93 a dollar, inflation at a 10-month high, higher oil
22:27prices, global uncertainty, stronger dollar. Where do we go from here? You know, what happens next?
22:34Well, this is the war that very, very few people wanted. And the consequences were widely warned
22:44about. But we're seeing them happen. So, yes, you know, this is what we call geopolitical risk.
22:53It has to be dealt with. It means that our past projections, if this continuesтАж Again, I keep
23:02saying if this continues for much longerтАж Well, what does that mean? If it continues,
23:06what is short term for you? What is it? It's already three weeks. When would you say that it really
23:12gets
23:12to becoming something akin to a real global oil shock? Well, I would say that it's already
23:19a shock whether it is something that will have to be addressed. Remember, many countries are now
23:26eating into their reserves. Moreover, into their petroleum natural gas reserves. But also,
23:34when the shipments resume again, and it will take time for the shipments to resume,
23:39countries will also want, in addition to meeting their production needs and consumption needs, they
23:47will also want to build up reserves, perhaps to a higher level than before. So, what this means is
23:54already the demand for energy will be higher than it was before. And so, yes, there is already a shock.
24:02But I would think that if this went on for another month or so, I think the world economy is
24:09in serious
24:09trouble at that point. Certainly, many countries will have to find new ways of adjusting.
24:16The government of India, Dr. Rajan, has created a 1 lakh crore economic stabilization fund to provide
24:22fiscal headroom for the country to respond to these global headwinds, to respond to emergencies and
24:30supply chain disruptions. Do we need to look beyond that? Is that enough to have this
24:341 lakh crore economic stabilization fund?
24:39Again, if we need more than 1 lakh crore, I think we need to adjust rather than subsidize.
24:45Yes. That's really the situation as it is. A lakh crore is to help sensitive sectors. You mentioned
24:57the farmers before sowing for the next crop. So, there may be targeted support there. But almost surely,
25:05if it lasts much longer, the government doesn't have the fiscal room to subsidize oil on a
25:11you know, semi-permanent basis. And so, it will have to pass through the oil prices to the consumer,
25:18to the producer. And so, I would say 1 lakh crore is pretty much the outer limit,
25:25given our fiscal situation. And it has to be very well targeted. And that's important to the really
25:33needy. Small and medium enterprises, the farmers, people, entities like that, rather than on a widespread
25:42scale to people who can afford it. Of course, the government is also
25:46saying we are going to diversify our risk or diversify our oil basket, look for new
25:52places from where we can import oil. But all of that, I presume, we are entering a very uncertain
25:59period. And uncertainty is the last thing in particular that anyone wants, particularly the
26:03markets. The markets have lost what? $639 billion in value, the Indian stock market since the conflict
26:11began. So, clearly, there is this uncertainty. And that, I guess, is the biggest worry at the moment.
26:17We don't know, as you rightly say, how long the war will last.
26:21We don't know. But almost surely, once it's over, we need to plan with a new world in mind,
26:28right, where these shocks can happen, which means more buffers. Our strategic petroleum reserve has
26:35to be increased substantially. We need to think about whether we need to store natural gas, LPG.
26:42And clearly, those kinds of buffers are buffers that the government will have to pay for because
26:48the private sector is not going to do it on its own. We need to diversify sources, which is what
26:53you
26:53talked about. But we also need contingent plans. If this starts slowing down, what else can we do?
26:59What we're doing on LPG, for example, moving more production within the country towards that. That's
27:06something we need to think about very seriously for every element in our input supply. And it's not just
27:15oil and natural gas. I mean, these kinds of disruptions are going to be more common, partly because of the
27:21geopolitical situation, but partly also because of climate and so on. So we need a strategic
27:27resilience plan across the country, across many, many inputs. And what is important there is to be
27:34very, very careful that we don't try and produce everything. We simply cannot do that. But we are
27:41much more strategic. But what is key? What is a real source of vulnerability? And can we develop
27:48sensible plans to mitigate that rather than try and produce everything at home?
27:53Can you give me an example? You know, you mentioned strategic resilience. Give me a concrete example
27:58where you think the strategic resilience can be turned from a concept into reality.
28:03Yeah. So, for example, many sort of inputs to our pharmaceuticals, APIs, active pharmaceutical
28:13ingredients, come from one source. And we are vulnerable there in case there is some dispute to
28:19that being cut off. So the question is, can we diversify those APIs across more countries? Second,
28:28can we develop some production possibilities? Not that we produce everything today, but we can ramp up
28:35production relatively quickly if needed because we have the technology, we have sort of factories that
28:42can be positioned to do that. So for that, we need some spare capacity. We also need perhaps buffer stocks
28:49for some of the key APIs, you know, maybe a few months. We need to think about all that. How
28:57do we do it?
28:58Let me give you one more, and I'll stop there, which is chips. We absolutely cannot make high-quality chips
29:07in the short run. Even medium-quality chips that go into cars and so on, it's going to take us
29:13time to be
29:13completely resilient ourselves and independent of global supply chains. So there, thinking of
29:20building strategic buffer stocks is one. But also, you know, how is Russia managing its war where it
29:27uses chips in all its military equipment without producing any? It has a smuggling network through
29:33many countries where it smuggles in, you know, chips because you can carry a ton of chips in a suitcase.
29:40So the question is, can we build up alternatives to official supply chains also for small items
29:48where we absolutely are dependent on the rest of the world? It seems like an out-of-the-box thought,
29:55but we need more out-of-the-box thoughts as we try and build resilience to what might come. And
30:01the
30:01answer is not always producing it domestically, especially if it's very costly.
30:05So in conclusion, as we look at the impact of the war and go back to that, your sense is,
30:12correct me if I'm wrong, the medium-term concern, a near and medium-term concern is if the war is
30:18protracted and oil prices cross $150 a barrel, that really is going to have a major impact on inflation,
30:26on the economy, on the balance of payments. You will need to have some kind of a stabilization fund.
30:32You will need to go beyond the stabilization fund, build new ways of a strategic resilience,
30:38as you're calling it. In that sense, would you say this war is a wake-up call? Because we're seeing
30:43more
30:43and more global conflicts play out, and those conflicts are, in a way, adding to uncertainty and the state of
30:49our economy.
30:50Right. I would just add an intermediate step. I would say buffer to the extent it's short.
30:56Allow adjustment into prices to the extent it's longer, because you simply cannot subsidize your
31:02way out of this. We don't have the fiscal resources. You have to let prices adjust. And the third element
31:08is start thinking medium-term. What kinds of strategic responses can we have across the economy to build
31:15resilience? But you're absolutely right. This is a wake-up call. It is forcing us to look inwards
31:21in this new world, a world without order, I would say, a world with enormous risks. And that's an
31:29important concern we have to maintain. Dr. Raghuram Rajan, for joining me and giving us your
31:35perspective and your analysis, always good to have you on the show. Thank you so much.
31:40Thanks, Raji. Thanks for having me.
31:44Okay, from the global economic crisis that Dr. Rajan spoke about there, let's turn to the situation
31:50inside Tehran, the capital city of Iran, a city which is now the epicenter of many of the targeted
31:58strikes by the Israeli and American air machine. The fact is, this is a capital city which is now facing
32:07twin threats. Airstrikes from outside and the ever-present danger of their own government watching
32:16from within amidst reports that Iran has executed three men over their anti-government protests.
32:23As Iran celebrates its new year today, the big question, what is life like inside Iran? Here's a report.
32:39Even as it battles American and Israeli assault, Iran has executed three men over the anti-government
32:46protests in January. These are the first hangings to be carried out over the demonstrations.
32:54Among the three men was 19-year-old Saleh Mohammadi, a member of Iran's national wrestling team. The three
33:01men have been accused of killing police officers during the protests and even charged of enmity against
33:07God. As the war escalates, these executions mark a turning point in Iran. Just weeks ago,
33:15before the U.S.-Israeli operation, Donald Trump had warned of strong action if protesters were executed.
33:22They were going to hang 837 people. And I gave them the word, if you hang one person, even one
33:29person,
33:30that you're going to be hit right then and there. I wasn't waiting two weeks and negotiating.
33:35And they gave up the hanging. They didn't hang 837. Supposedly they didn't hang anybody.
33:42After the threat, Iran had dropped any plan to carry out hangings.
33:47Now, with U.S. military action already underway, that warning is no longer a deterrent, but a backdrop.
33:54Activists have expressed concern that wartime conditions are being used to justify stricter
34:00internal control. Inside Tehran, people are now living with two parallel pressures тАУ airstrikes
34:07from outside and the ever-present danger of their own government watching from within.
34:13As per estimates, more than 3,000 people have been killed in Iran since the U.S.-Israeli attacks began.
34:18And with the human toll, Tehran's struggling economy that citizens were protesting against
34:24in the first place has deteriorated even further.
34:29With the war situation, you definitely see that people are just wandering around, like myself.
34:34I just came to wander around. We don't know what to do. We have been unemployed for over 20 days,
34:39over a month. When the economic situation is like this, there's no joy in our hearts.
34:46For Iranians, the reality is a double whammy. A conflict playing out across borders,
34:52and a crackdown within. Bureau Report, India Today.
34:58And to get a view from inside Tehran, I'm joined by a special guest, Hamid Reza Gholamzadeh,
35:03former Deputy for International Affairs at Tehran Municipality, Secretary General of Asian Mayor's
35:08Forum and now Director of Diplo House from Tehran. Appreciate your joining us, Mr. Gholamzadeh.
35:14Eid Mubarak, Navroz Mubarak to you. But it is a rather dark Eid for the people of Iran and Tehran.
35:21There's been incessant bombing of your city. Can you give us a sense from inside Iran,
35:26what you've been seeing around you in the last 24 hours or the last few days?
35:32Thank you very much and Eid Mubarak to you as Tom. You know, it was actually a dark year, we
35:39can say.
35:39We lost a lot of people. We had two wars for the Iranian year. For recent days, we did not
35:47have that
35:47much attack inside Tehran. There were some, actually, assassination attempts, some of them
35:53successful, some of them unsuccessful, unfortunately, in Tehran. But the other, the main attacks were in
36:01other areas. For example, in the northern part of the country, against the naval forces and also
36:07in the southern border of Iran, all around the Persian Gulf and Sea of Amman, the border areas were
36:15attacked. So we did not have that much attacks in Tehran in recent days.
36:20The reason is that the command is now in control of the Israelis. And Israelis are not that type of
36:29massive bombardments, usually. They are more of a fascination style, and they attack, assassinate
36:38people and Iranian people. And in border, in the southern part, it is American style, massively
36:46bombarding different places and buildings. And it seems that they are actually running out.
36:54But is there a sense of fear? Is there a sense of fear and uncertainty among people?
37:02Are people afraid to go out? Or is there a palpable sense of uncertainty? What happens next?
37:12No way. You know, life is going on very normally in the country.
37:18You know, there is a grand ballpark in Tehran, and people were massively there, and any shopping
37:25centers around the city, because people were buying for no rules and things that we have culturally and
37:32traditionally, we have for no rules and Iranian New Year. Everything was going very normal. And life is
37:40no different, actually, compared to a month ago. And people were doing their jobs. They were doing
37:47their lands. They were doing everything they liked that they had. And there is no fear among them.
37:54Actually, every night, people go to the streets to commemorate the martyrs, to chant against the enemy,
38:01and to support the government. And it has been for every night, every single night has been done
38:09massively in several places in the city, especially in the city of Tehran, which is a large city.
38:15And today, actually, about an hour from now, later today, people are going to celebrate the
38:24no rules together on the streets. So there is a call for people to gather there and to
38:31not break the no rules massively together.
38:35Yeah, you're saying people are going to celebrate you're going to you're saying people are going to
38:40celebrate now, Rose, it's the Iranian New Year, the Persian New Year. But is there the assassinations
38:48that you spoke about the fact that so many of the top leaders have been assassinated by the Israelis
38:55in particular? Is that a cause of concern? Who is there to lead the people of Iran?
39:00Is there a sense of a political vacuum? And people don't know, therefore, as I said, what happens next?
39:09There is no latency in power, actually. The Supreme Leader, which was the top one,
39:15has been replaced by his son. And actually, we have the Supreme Leader right now. Other positions have
39:22mainly been replaced by the others. Actually, after the 12-day war that he had in last June,
39:28there was this order from the Ayatollah Khamenei that every high-ranking official, either in the
39:35armed forces or in the government among politicians, they were ordered to appoint and dedicate three to
39:43five people to replace them. So the chain of command for every single official is what
39:51is actually clear, after three to five people. And when one commander, one politician, one figure is
39:59removed, another person takes the place and continues their job as it is supposed to go on.
40:05So there is no, actually, meditation in activities. And everything is going on over.
40:12You're saying, you're saying, you're saying, you're saying, Mr. Gholamzadeh, there is no vacancy,
40:20but are the people really fully behind the regime? Because the Israelis and Americans are saying that
40:28the regime is slowly but surely losing support. Are the people really behind the regime even now,
40:35given the kind of economic fallout this war is causing on your country? Are the people behind
40:41the regime? Or are they losing confidence in the regime?
40:46There is no, behind the regime, I don't know what you mean, but what is behind the regime and
40:53supporting regime is Iranian people. They are supporting the government. So I don't call them
40:59the quality regime. I call it the government that is supported by the people. And you can easily see
41:04them in massive rallies every night, every day across the country. So as long as people are supporting
41:12and there is not a republic, there is no challenges in the power of the country. And it has been
41:18actually
41:19more important than missiles and drones that Iran is using military to defense itself. People have been
41:25more significant either in June or last year or January this year in the ROH and also in this
41:32Ramadan war that is going on. So people are supporting and there is no challenge for the people,
41:38no problem for the government. And in terms of economic damages, that's what's happened. Iran has said that
41:46if there is going to be a ceasefire, that we need to include compensation for the damages. So Iran is
41:54going to ask for compensation, not only from the Americans and the Israelis, but also from other
41:59countries, including the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, who have been advocating and helping and
42:04every time when Israel is attacking. So right now some attacks are being carried out.
42:09But it's very unlikely that those damages are going to be given. I just want to understand the
42:19human and economic costs. One report from a human rights website in the US, a human rights group in the
42:26US is saying more than 3000 people have have been killed in the in the latest wave of attacks in
42:32Iran,
42:32including more than 200 children. There is also, of course, I repeat, the fact that prices have gone up.
42:41There's inflation on the street. You're still telling me despite the human cost, despite the economic costs,
42:47the people of Iran are standing by your government. Am I correct? That's what that's the message you're trying to
42:52give today.
42:54That's exactly correct. First of all, the latest number that they have is not that much. It is less
43:01than 2000. Maybe I'm not updated, of course. There are hundreds of children have been killed,
43:08especially on the very first day that they attacked a school and killed 168 students. It was actually a high
43:15number. Inflation does not happen. Actually, the currency value has risen for the past three weeks.
43:21And there has been no inflation. And the rising expenses and prices are all around the world,
43:29nothing in Iran. We didn't have any rising prices or any inflation or something like that,
43:34as I said. And currency value has actually increased and has improved in Iran.
43:45So people are not supporting the government. How do you respond? How do you respond?
43:52Go on, please. Right. How do you respond, though, Mr. Gholamzadeh, to those who are saying Iran is being
43:58isolated? The Gulf countries are angry with you. You've targeted gas installations in Qatar.
44:05You've there have been drone and missile attacks on Dubai. There have been attacks on on Saudi Arabia,
44:12on Kuwait. So the Iranians are getting isolated within West Asia. How will you respond that Iran
44:19already? We are told that all Iranian establishments in Dubai are being closed down. Do you concede that
44:26Iran is being isolated or not? Those who interpret like that are thinking a cliche and stereotypically
44:35thinking based on the world order that was in place in the past. But with this war, the genie is
44:43out of bottom and the new Iran is emerging. And the order, the regional order is totally different from
44:52three weeks ago. So now on, they depend on Iran. They need Iran for their own security. And the whole
45:00world needs Iran for the security and possibility of using the strata foremost. So Iran is not going to
45:07let the strata foremost be like it was a month ago or three weeks ago. And if countries want to
45:13use that,
45:14they need to pay some tariffs for passing through that, for the security that Iran is making for the
45:20future of this, straight and foremost. And also the Iran equation that Iran has set for the Russians to
45:30go, that will change the order of the region. And so you are in the past.
45:39So you're telling me that you are confident that Iran is going to win this war? Are you telling me
45:44that
45:44despite all that we've seen in the last two weeks, the supreme leader being assassinated,
45:50top security official being assassinated today, a military spokesperson being assassinated,
45:56you're telling me you are confident that Iran will win this war?
45:59Iran has already won the war. Iran has already won the war. They wanted to make the regime change, and
46:04they have
46:04now gone from that. Iran, they said that they are going to send the terrorist groups to the Kurdish
46:12terrorist groups to destroy the country. They failed to do that. Iran could prevent it. They said that there would
46:18be liars and there would be implosion and to change for the regime change by the people inside the country.
46:24They failed to do that. So Iran has already won the war. Iran has defeated,
46:28the largest army in the world. Iran has, for the first time, hit an F-35 fighter jet, which is
46:37a radar
46:37staff fighter jet, a modern one. Iran has destroyed, actually damaged the aircraft carrier of the Americans. Iran has been
46:48actually successful in fighting against Israeli and the Americans.
46:54You've also struck energy and gas fields in Qatar. You've also struck energy and gas fields in Qatar.
47:01And many believe that that is a reckless act.
47:05No, it was actually retaliation. The reckless act was the strike that the Israelis carried out against Iranian infrastructure. It
47:13was something that
47:13President Trump even admitted that, and some we can say he apologised for that. Iran retaliated, and it was a
47:21warning that Iran had given. Anything that they use, Iran would retaliate
47:25stronger. So they attack infrastructure, Iran impacts infrastructure. They attack oil facilities. They attack
47:32water disalination, Iran impacts water disalination. So everything is actually an equation that Iran has said. If you attack anything,
47:39I would attack more than that. So it was not a reckless act from the Iranian side. It was a
47:45reckless act from the Israeli side to attack Iranian facilities.
47:49And they are making the whole world to pay for that. If oil prices have risen more than half 50
47:56percent, it's because they attacked Iran. If Europeans were paying more
48:01prices for gas because of the attack, Iran. And if Indian currency value had dropped and the government has paid
48:10a lot of money to compensate that, it is actually because of the American-Israeli attack.
48:15So that's the point. So that's the point. The main mistake was by U.S.-Israeli to strike Iran.
48:28Okay, I'm going to leave it there. I think that's a view from Tehran, from someone who's worked closely with
48:35the administration there. I appreciate you joining us there. Mr. Ghulamzadeh, thank you so much for joining us in these
48:42difficult times. I appreciate it.
48:45Let's turn to today's ground report, which comes from the West Delhi colony of Uttam Nagar, where there is a
48:50large security presence as Eid is being celebrated.
48:54The reason? There was violence during Holi, which led to one person being killed. Since then, there's been plenty of
49:01incendiary rhetoric, warning of retaliation, and the Delhi police is taking no chances. Take a look at the tense calm
49:10that now prevails in Uttam Nagar.
49:28What began in Holi is now simmering into Eid. Two weeks after a clash between groups from two communities led
49:35to the death of a young man, Tarun Kumar, Uttam Nagar in Delhi remains tense.
49:40The police have arrested 14 people and apprehended two minors in the murder case.
49:47Currently standing right outside the spot where this entire alleged incident had happened. And you can see over here that
49:52this entire area, even two weeks after the incident has happened, is still heavily barricaded and has absolutely been fortified.
49:59Members of the Rapid Action Force have also been deployed on Ground Zero just to make sure that if at
50:04all anyone tries to create any sort of a law and order situation, that can be taken into control.
50:09Entry to the colony is still restricted. Only locals are being allowed inside after verification.
50:16Daily movement is disrupted, though some residents say the situation is improving.
50:41On the street where the incident took place, businesses are struggling. Shops are opening late and shutting early, taking a
50:48toll on live yards.
50:50The situation is to be okay. The situation is correct. The environment isn't supposed to be closer.
50:57I'm known for my before shooting as a Latvonsla is still fine.
50:58Over one of our days that seems to haveх╗║уБж lessх╕Гwalk nation.
51:02funded twice taking a toll queue, keepingф╕Ащ╗Ю.agers
51:04planning on staying close. Everywhere
51:05are complete, I don't know what happens. Even
51:15people already end up at getting the need, but in the future aren't problem. I
51:19of the environment going back, saying things are opening and breaking alluper progress.mens╨░
51:19is getting back to normal. But what will transpire on the day of Eid, that is something that remains
51:24to be seen. But yes, the situation on the ground is slowly getting back to normal. Life is getting
51:28back on track. But yes, the manner in which the security has been deployed over here, massive
51:33security arrangements that have been made. Definitely due to that, there are people who
51:37are getting affected.
51:39With Eid approaching, the area remains tense amid what locals described were threats by
51:44some right-wing groups to play Khoon Ki Holi.
52:17The Delhi High Court is also direct
52:19the city police and administration to ensure a conducive atmosphere for the peaceful and
52:24dignified observance of Eid and Uttam Nagar. It clarified that police arrangements in the
52:29area shall continue until the upcoming festival of Ram Navami.
52:33The political war is also intensified. Leader of opposition, Raul Gandhi has urged the BGP
52:39of fueling divisions and urged people to not fall for provocations.
52:43Barricades up, ID is being checked and now nerves on the edge.
52:48What began in Holi now hangs over Eid with Uttam Nagar walking a tightrope as a test of peace
52:54approaches. We are a report, India Today.
53:00Well, that's all that we could pack in on the show. Let me leave you today with images and wish
53:04you a happy
53:05Navros and an Eid Mubarak to each and every one of you. May there be peace and harmony in our
53:12lives.
53:12Bye for now.
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