00:00Hello and welcome to World News. I am Pankaj Mishra. Big day. From back-channel whispers in
00:05Tehran to drones hitting critical tech infrastructure in the Gulf to oil markets and
00:11messaging wars shaping geopolitics. And finally, North Korea too sharpening its nuclear posture.
00:18Let's begin in Iran where power, perception and possible diplomacy
00:22are all being put to test behind closed doors.
00:30Is Washington quietly exploring a new power center inside Tehran?
00:34Reports suggest Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagheer Ghalibaf has emerged as a
00:41potential interlocutor, even a possible future pivot, in efforts to end the ongoing war.
00:47A former Air Force pilot, police chief, Tehran mayor and now a powerful political insider,
00:54Ghalibaf represents a blend of establishment authority and strategic ambition.
01:00But here's the contradiction. Even as U.S. media signals back-channel interest,
01:04so is the diplomacy or psychological signaling. And more importantly,
01:10who is really speaking for Iran right now? Let's take a closer look.
01:16Is the United States secretly negotiating with Iran? Or is this all a carefully crafted illusion?
01:23Because while Donald Trump claims productive talks, Iran's top leadership is firing back with a blunt
01:30message, no negotiations with America. So who's telling the truth? Reports suggested a top-secret
01:38back-channel between the U.S. and Iran, with one name at the center, Mohammad Bagheer Ghalibaf.
01:44A powerful figure, parliament speaker and key decision-maker during the war. But now he's speaking
01:51out. Ghalibaf has completely rejected the idea of talks with Washington. His message is clear,
01:58no negotiations with America. Claims of talks are fake news. Accuses the U.S. of trying to manipulate
02:05oil and financial markets. And he went even further, saying the Iranian people demand complete punishment
02:12of aggressors. This isn't diplomacy. This is defiance. Now compare that to Trump's version.
02:19He says talks are happening, claims Iran wants a deal badly, and even paused strikes because of
02:26productive conversations. A top person, don't forget. We've wiped out the leadership phase one,
02:33phase two, and largely phase three. But we're dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected
02:41and the leader. You know, it's a little tough. They've wiped out. We've wiped out everybody.
02:46Is that the Supreme Leader?
02:48No, not the Supreme Leader. We don't.
02:50Well, nobody's ever. Nobody heard of the second Supreme Leader, the sun.
02:54Are these direct laws?
02:55Nobody. We have not heard from the sun. Every once in a while, you'll see a statement made,
03:00but we haven't. We don't know if he's living. But the people that seem to be running it,
03:05and they seem that based on really fact, because things they've said have taken place.
03:11Two completely different realities. One says diplomacy. The other says deception.
03:16There are two possibilities here. Quiet back-channel negotiations are happening,
03:21but being denied publicly. Or one side is shaping the narrative for strategic advantage,
03:27because in war, perception is power. This is unfolding in the middle of an intense conflict
03:33involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran, with tensions high around the Strait of Hormuz
03:39and global markets reacting to every move. Even a rumor of talks can shift oil prices and
03:45geopolitical pressure. Iran is projecting strength. We are winning. No talks. The U.S. is projecting
03:52control. We're negotiating. We're in charge. Both narratives serve a purpose.
03:58So is Mohamed Bagher-Ghalibaf secretly negotiating or publicly shutting it down to maintain leverage?
04:05Is Trump revealing diplomacy or creating pressure?
04:11From political back-channels to battlefield spillover into technology, the Middle East conflict is now
04:17hitting global digital infrastructure. Amazon has confirmed that its AWS facility in Bahrain
04:23has been disrupted not by cyber attack, but by drone activity. Because what's under threat here is not
04:31just hardware, but the cloud backbone powering businesses, governments, and financial systems
04:37across regions. Are we entering an era where wars don't just destroy cities, but disable data?
04:44Here's the full report. A major escalation in the Middle East conflict has taken a shocking new turn,
04:52this time targeting the digital backbone of the modern world. In a first-of-its-kind incident,
04:59Iranian drone strikes have hit Amazon Web Services, or AWS, data center infrastructure in the Gulf
05:06region, specifically in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. These facilities are not ordinary
05:13buildings. They power cloud services used by businesses, governments, and millions of users
05:19worldwide. The attacks reportedly took place shortly after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets,
05:27marking a new phase in the ongoing confrontation. In the UAE, two AWS data center sites were directly
05:35struck. The impact caused structural damage, fires, power disruptions, and even water damage triggered
05:43by fire suppression systems. In Bahrain, a drone strike occurred close to an AWS facility. While the
05:50building itself was not directly hit, the nearby explosions still caused outages, connectivity issues,
05:58and operational disruptions. Amazon confirmed the incidents, warning users about degraded performance
06:04and possible outages across multiple services. These include widely used cloud tools like storage
06:12systems, computing services, and databases that power everyday digital operations. As a result,
06:19companies across the Gulf region experienced disruptions. Banking systems, payment platforms,
06:25ride-hailing apps, and enterprise software all reported issues. For many businesses,
06:30the outages created real-world consequences, delays, service interruptions, and financial impact. Amazon has
06:39advised customers to activate backup systems and shift workloads to other regions, but recovery is
06:45expected to take time due to the physical damage involved. Meanwhile, Iranian state-linked sources have
06:52claimed responsibility for the strikes. They described the operation as a targeted move, suggesting that such
06:59data centers could be supporting military or intelligence-related activities. However, Amazon has not confirmed
07:06these claims. It also remains unclear whether any U.S. military-linked systems were affected. What is clear
07:13is that this event marks a turning point. For the first time, large-scale cloud infrastructure, once
07:20considered relatively safe, has become a direct target in a geopolitical conflict. Experts say this could
07:27redefine how wars are fought in the future. Data centers are no longer just tech hubs. They are
07:34strategic assets. As artificial intelligence, data processing, and digital networks become central to
07:40global power, these facilities may increasingly find themselves in the crosshairs. The attacks raise
07:47serious questions about the security of critical infrastructure in conflict zones.
07:53U.S. President Donald Trump says strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure are being postponed for five
07:59days, citing, quote, productive conversations. But with whom? At the same time, Iran is responding not
08:06through diplomacy, but through narrative warfare. A provocative, quote, open Hormuz poster,
08:13a subtle message of control and perhaps a hint of leverage. We break it down all about that poster.
08:22A missile with a message, not just aimed at a target, but at a president. Because Iran just responded to
08:30Donald Trump's ultimatum in a way no one expected, by putting his face on a weapon. As Trump gave Iran
08:3848 hours to reopen the street of Hormuz, Tehran didn't comply. It didn't negotiate. Instead, it mocked.
08:46Images now circulating show an Iranian missile carrying a striking visual, Trump holding a sign
08:53that reads, help me open Hormuz, alongside sarcastic captions and hashtags. This wasn't random. This was
09:01deliberate, a mix of propaganda, provocation, and psychological warfare. The Strait of Hormuz isn't
09:08just any waterway. It carries nearly 20% of the world's oil supply. So when Trump demanded it be reopened
09:16without threat, he was drawing a red line. Iran's response? Turn that pressure into ridicule. At the same
09:24time, Iran didn't stop its symbolism. New missile waves were launched. Threats to shut the Strait
09:30completely intensified. Warnings of strikes on U.S. bases and Gulf infrastructure escalated. This is
09:38messaging backed by real firepower. For Iran, this serves a bigger purpose. Show strength despite U.S.
09:46pressure. Boost morale at home. And reshape the global narrative. It's not just about winning battles.
09:52It's about controlling perception. And then came the twist. Trump announced a five-day pause on strikes
09:59against Iran's energy infrastructure, claiming productive talks are underway. But Iran denies
10:06any negotiations, making the situation even more unclear. So what was this really? A joke?
10:13A warning? Or a signal that the rules of conflict are changing?
10:20And as tensions deepen elsewhere, North Korea is watching and responding. Kim Jong-un has accused the
10:27United States of state terrorism directly linking Washington's actions in Iran to global instability.
10:35At the same time, Pyongyang is doubling down on its nuclear doctrine while keeping the door nominally
10:41open for peaceful coexistence. In a world already on edge, North Korea is reminding everyone that it
10:49remains a live, unpredictable front. Here's more. A fresh geopolitical flashpoint is emerging,
10:58as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has now called the United States a terrorist state, directly linking
11:05Washington's actions to rising tensions in the Middle East. This explosive statement came during a key
11:12parliamentary session in North Korea around March 23rd to 24th. And the timing is critical. Kim's remarks
11:20come amid escalating tensions following recent U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iranian targets,
11:26operations that have already triggered global concern. According to North Korea's state media,
11:32Kim accused the U.S. of carrying out state terrorism and described its actions as
11:37hegemonic aggression that violates national sovereignty. In simple terms, Pyongyang is flipping the narrative,
11:45branding the U.S. as the aggressor. Kim didn't stop there. He called the United States a rogue state,
11:52accusing it of interfering in global affairs, including what he described as terrorist activities
11:57in Iran. This isn't entirely new. North Korea has a long history of using such rhetoric,
12:03often labeling the U.S. as imperialist or gangster-like. But this time, the language is sharper, and the
12:10context far more volatile, because it directly ties into ongoing conflict involving Iran, a country with
12:16which North Korea shares strategic ties. And then came a major declaration. Kim reaffirmed that North Korea's
12:28nuclear weapons program is irreversible, not just a deterrent, but a permanent pillar of national
12:34defense. He justified this by pointing to what he sees as growing threats from the United States.
12:41Experts say this is classic North Korean strategy, strong words aimed at sending signals to its people,
12:48to its allies like Iran, and to its adversaries. But for now, this remains a war of words. No immediate
13:01military escalation has been reported.
13:07From Tehran to Pyongyang, from oil routes to data centers, what we are witnessing is not
13:12an isolated conflict, but interconnected pressure across the globe. We will keep tracking every shift.
13:20Until then, keep watching One India.
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