00:00We've got the first reaction coming in from Iran on Trump's statement.
00:04Let's quickly understand that.
00:05Iran now saying that Trump retreats after firm warning.
00:09Iranian embassy in now Kabul has made a statement to say that after the Islamic Republic threatened
00:14that in the event of U.S. attack on Iran's energy infrastructure,
00:18it would target the energy infrastructure of the entire region.
00:22Trump backed down and stated that he has issued an order to postpone the attack.
00:29All right, so not accepting the five-day pause, not responding to Trump,
00:35sort of just beating a little bit, if I can say that, Sandeep,
00:39to say that this is the reason why the pause has happened,
00:42not really responding to the pause, are they?
00:46Well, clearly not.
00:47And if you see the statements over the last 48 hours or so from Iran,
00:51Foreign Minister Aragachi has said that there's no point of having talks with the United States.
00:56this, the military spokesperson of the Iranians kind of, you know,
01:01cocked a snook at Trump and he used his lines, you're fired and all of that.
01:05The Iranians seem to indicate that they have the escalation dominance here.
01:11And that is what they are constantly, you know, reinforcing.
01:14The fact is, they possibly sense that the US is running out of options here
01:19and they want to indicate that they have the high ground.
01:21Because as we discussed, Sonal, the fact is that Iran seems very unhappy
01:26over the fact that they were attacked when talks were on.
01:29And they believe that this could be a pause
01:31and there could be another series of attacks by the United States, say, next year.
01:35They want some kind of cast iron guarantees that there will not be more attacks on the Iranian regime.
01:41Vulnerable as it is, the regime has continued, it survived.
01:45And that is, you know, for the weaker side, all the weaker side has to do is to survive.
01:49The stronger side has to enforce a defeat, a comprehensive military defeat.
01:55The other side has to say, I surrender.
01:57That has not happened in this situation.
01:58So, for Iran, whatever little victory that they sense,
02:02they possibly think that they have the high ground,
02:04they have escalation dominance in this case
02:06and they are buttressing that fact by all of these statements that we have just witnessed.
02:11And this statement is also anything but surrender.
02:13This statement is actually anything but accepting talks as well.
02:16This statement is anything but accepting that pause either, Gaurav, wouldn't you agree?
02:21Oh, absolutely.
02:22There is nothing that suggests and, you know,
02:25there is nothing that suggests that Iran is backing down.
02:27So far, Iran hasn't escalated.
02:31Iran has responded measure for measure, bomb for bomb.
02:35If their nuclear facilities were targeted,
02:38they've targeted nuclear facilities of Israel.
02:40If their desalination plant was targeted, they've done the same.
02:44If their gas was targeted, they targeted oil, you know, of Qatar.
02:50So, they have responded and indicated and shown, proven to the world
02:54that they retain their ability to strike.
02:55Now, Iran may not have a navy, Iran may not have an air force,
02:59but they have the weapons that are required to keep the adversary on the back foot.
03:03In this case, it's the United States, most powerful country in the world,
03:07unable to get into the Strait of Hormuz.
03:10NATO alliance partners, not very keen to get into the Strait of Hormuz.
03:14Japan, unwilling to get into the Strait of Hormuz.
03:17Even if they do, they want to talk to Iran and come out and find a solution.
03:23And they still retain the undersea drones.
03:25They still retain the Shahid drones.
03:27This is the changing nature of the battlefield.
03:29This is 21st century warfare, where a far superior country does not really have the kind of advantage
03:35it seeks to have, even after 24 days.
03:38I want to quickly add to what Gaurav just said.
03:41You know, what Gaurav has actually said is that Iran retains the C-2.
03:46The command and control has not been disrupted.
03:48I mean, imagine this.
03:4924 days of relentless bombing by two of the most powerful, most competent air forces in the world.
03:55The Israeli Air Force and the US Air Force.
03:57I actually rate the Israeli Air Force better than the US Air Force.
04:00They have been pounding Iran for 24 days, but Iran retains its command and control over all its missiles and
04:07its drones.
04:07Whatever little forces they have, they are able to marshal the forces and respond within hours, retaliate.
04:13That is a very important aspect.
04:15And they retain command and control, which is remarkable for, you know, after almost a month of non-stop bombing.
04:23So that tells you something about the fact that Iran has prepared for this situation for several decades now, Sonal.
04:30Any nearpie?
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