- 5 weeks ago
Amid the escalating West Asia war, the United States is rushing more troops to the region with reports of an additional 1,000 to 2,000 personnel being deployed.
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00:01Hello and welcome. The Prime Minister has said that there is a COVID-like situation
00:07and a COVID-like preparation required for this West Asia war. He also spoke about a
00:14six-month pipeline and preparation that has to be done. What exactly does this mean? Is
00:20there more to be read between the lines? We'll tell you all about that on the program today,
00:25but we thought let's start by giving you an overview of what have been the top five headlines,
00:30the war headlines coming to you this Wednesday evening. Let's start with number one. The West
00:37Asia conflict at the moment is intensifying with military, diplomatic, political pressure building
00:44all simultaneously. The second headline there is that the United States is rushing more troops
00:51into West Asia with reports of an additional 1,000 to 2,000 personnel being deployed, signalling
01:00reparations for a deeper, longer conflict. Which brings us to what's happening at number three.
01:08Iran, meanwhile, has released a fresh video vying vengeance as its military leadership escalates
01:17rhetoric and continues strikes across the Gulf. They are not stopping. And then there is the all
01:24crucial question of the state of hormones. Iran says that non-hostile ships can pass, but in reality,
01:35you will see that the route remains heavily disrupted with thousands of vessels stalled and attacks
01:42reported on multiple ships. That's number four on our list.
01:51Right? And then there are reports behind the scenes. There are reports of temporary truce efforts with
01:58the US pushing proposals to pause the conflict. But Tehran has denied talks and dismissed the outreach,
02:05calling it internal posturing at max.
02:10And then the final one here really. Back in United States, the political cost is rising. Donald Trump's
02:18approval ratings have dropped to 36%. The lowest of his presidencies so far, with rising fuel prices,
02:26war concerns driving public discontent. Bottom line, as this war escalates, a conflict expanding on the ground,
02:38uncertainty at the sea and pressure mounting at home. The crisis is now entering a far more volatile phase.
02:48So that's the war headline at this point. All the updates that you need on what's happening on all fronts.
02:54Let's also quickly take you through to what else is making headlines here in the country.
03:02Well, for starters, let's start with Iran reportedly receiving a 15-point proposal from the US to reach a ceasefire
03:08in the war via Pakistan. Officials close to the matter say the plan broadly touches on sanctions relief,
03:14civilian nuclear cooperation and also a rollback of Iran's nuclear program.
03:20In response to a proposal by Donald Trump for renewed talks, Iran has reportedly set sweeping demands
03:26from shutting down American military bases in the Gulf to ending sanctions and also securing control
03:32over the state of Hormuz. This comes even as Tehran publicly rebuffed Washington's claims
03:38of the ongoing negotiation.
03:41Now, despite talk of temporary pause, signs of escalation continue in West Asia, as reports suggest
03:47that the US may deploy up to 3,000 troops from its Elite 82 or the 82nd Airborne Division.
03:55The troop is known for rapid response and parachute assault operations.
04:00The unit's potential deployment points to a shift from sort of deterrence to combat readiness.
04:10And also seems like war in West Asia is not working in America's in the president's favour.
04:16Trump's approval ratings have fallen, reached to its lowest point since the return he had to White House.
04:23According to Reuters poll, as many as 36% of Americans approve of Donald Trump's job performance,
04:30down from 40% in the same poll conducted just last week.
04:35Meanwhile, central's massive P&G push amid the West Asia tensions.
04:38The Petroleum Ministry has issued a new order saying that households will now just have three months,
04:45and this is important, to opt for P&G once notified, or they will lose access to the LPG altogether.
04:55The rupee, meanwhile, slumped 29 pesa to about close to the record low of 94.05 against the US dollar
05:05as heavy.
05:06FII's outflow and simmering tension in West Asia kept investors on the edge.
05:11Meanwhile, the markets closed on a strong note, with the Sensex gaining over 1,200 points,
05:16nifty rising above 23,300.
05:21Meanwhile, big relief for predator Sankara Acharya.
05:26The Alabad High Court has granted anticipatory bail to Swami Avi Mukteswaram in the Prayagraj POXO case.
05:37Battle for Tamil Nadu heats up tensions within the ruling DMK have come under the spotlight.
05:44Now, NTK leader Seemam has claimed that DMK avoided fielding senior leader in Lok Sabha MP Kani Mui
05:50in the upcoming polls due to concerns that she could pose a challenge to the leadership.
05:56Also, ambitions of her deputy CM, Udyan Nadi, Stalin, DMK refused to comment on the matter.
06:03Meanwhile, the Congress Party has been asked to vacate two of its most prominent offices in the national capital,
06:09setting up a fresh flashpoint between the opposition and the government.
06:12Eviction notices have been served to the party's former headquarters, the 24 Akbar Road,
06:17another key premise, which is actually five rice in a road,
06:22with the 28th March set as the final date to vacate.
06:31And finally, star Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah to bring curtains down on the illustrious spell of the Liverpool Football Club.
06:40He made the announcement in a heartfelt post on Instagram, where he stated that he'll never walk alone.
06:52All right, so those were the top 10 headlines at this hour, globally and domestically as well.
06:58But at the moment, we are looking at a developing situation.
07:02As we speak in moments from now, there will be an all-party meeting conducted within the country.
07:09Now, what this means is that the top leadership, both in the government and the opposition,
07:14comes together to discuss the West Asia war.
07:17Remember, the all-party meeting, in fact, now I can report to you, has begun already in the national capital.
07:24The Prime Minister is not attending, but we are told that the Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh,
07:29will be chairing this meeting.
07:31Along with Rajnath Singh, there will be Home Minister, Ramit Shah, External Affairs Minister, Jai Shankar,
07:37and also the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Rajiju, who will be there in the meeting.
07:42The Foreign and Petroleum Secretary, to brief the party leaders on all matters.
07:49Now, remember, this is an all-party meeting, so you will have representations from across the party line.
07:54Perhaps the first one that we have seen, right after we heard the Prime Minister just yesterday,
08:01talking about how the response required to this West Asia war will be won, just like COVID.
08:08What he meant there was that states and centre will have to work together, parties will have to work together,
08:14because this is an unprecedented situation.
08:17And though, at the moment, India seems to be absorbing the shock of the war so far,
08:25we don't know how long we'll actually manage to do this.
08:29And perhaps the parties will also be briefed on what's coming.
08:34What's coming, remember, is an extremely sort of unknown territory, one can really call it that.
08:40Across the world, different countries have already started responding to this West Asia war in a very different way.
08:46Some running out of supply, others doing work from home, others working for just four days.
08:52There is crisis on gas, there is crisis on oil as well.
08:56It has hit everyone from Europe to other countries, and India is no different.
09:02So after every day we've had briefings, remember, from the oil secretary,
09:07from different secretaries in charge, telling us about what's the scene like in the country of our reserves.
09:15Today, the first of the all-party meetings is actually just beginning.
09:20Piyush Mishra, my colleague, joins us for more on this.
09:24Piyush, it is looking more and more like that the government is prepping up for the impact of war,
09:30which has not even hit us just yet.
09:34But the government seems to understand and has the long-term horizon at the moment that it is about to
09:40hit us.
09:41And perhaps the all-party meeting today to take all parties, all, you know, leadership into one fold.
09:49In the pictures that are coming to us at the moment, we can tell.
09:53These are, okay, these are earlier pictures.
09:55But what we do know at the moment is that Rajnath Singh will be chairing this meet.
10:01Tell us more about what is likely to happen here.
10:05Well, so now, from now, we will see the meeting to begin at a summoner fight in parliament,
10:11where all leaders of all political parties have been invited.
10:15Remember, this is the all-party meeting, which the government has called for.
10:19And it has invited all political parties, including all opposition political parties.
10:24And this meeting has basically been called to brief all political parties about the current situation,
10:30about the kind of steps which the government has so far taken to deal with this situation
10:35and what the government is further planning to take.
10:39As you are speaking, leaders of the government like Defence Minister Rajnath Singh,
10:44and we have Secretary Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, External Affairs Minister Reister Shankar,
10:48and, you know, various other officials have reached at the same time from the political parties.
10:54We have Tariq Anwar, who has arrived from the Congress parties,
10:57Asmet Patra from BDD, Sallalan Singh and JDU from JDU.
11:01They have arrived.
11:02From CPM, we have John Bittas, who has arrived.
11:04And any minute from now, this meeting is going to begin.
11:07Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is going to chair this meeting.
11:10Apart from that, we will also see the presence of Mr. Amit Shah, J.P. Landa.
11:15Got it.
11:16Piyush, hang on with us.
11:17I'm told there are some reactions that we are getting, actually, from leaders there.
11:21Let's quickly listen into that.
11:29People are suffering very much everywhere.
11:32Everywhere we are going, people are crying, especially ladies are crying.
11:36LPG crisis in the pandemic.
11:55So the Congress there clearly is saying that there is a deep-rooted LPG crisis in the country
12:01that needs to be addressed, which brings me to the other big update that we are bringing
12:05to you at this hour.
12:06Now, ahead of that key all-party meeting on war, opposition is at the moment trying to
12:11talk about the LPG crisis, raising that issue again and again.
12:15Casey Vinukopal, you heard that already, talking about how a widespread LPG crisis is already
12:20underway in the country.
12:22He's also spoken about how women and poor are suffering in India.
12:27Piyush, let me come back to you.
12:29At the moment, it seems like there is a graded response already in place for LPG supplies.
12:37Every day when we hear the ministry, we do hear words like there is a crisis.
12:41We are trying to deal with it, but nothing to panic just yet.
12:44That's been the government official line so far.
12:47The opposition obviously not buying it.
12:49Do we know who from the opposition will be speaking on this matter in this all-party
12:53meeting and whether there will be room for actually conversation to take place?
12:59Well, what you are now learning from our social journal is that initially, government is going
13:03to brief all political parties about the current situation.
13:06And after the government's briefing, a chance would be given to representatives of all the
13:12political parties to put forth their views, to put forth their concern.
13:16And if there are some questions at the part of opposition, certainly these questions will
13:22be addressed.
13:23Political parties who have more than five MPs, their representatives have been invited to
13:29take part in this meeting.
13:30And government in the initial phase of meeting is going to brief in detail about this ongoing
13:37situation there in West Asia.
13:40And after that, what we are told is that government will be addressing the concerns of
13:44opposition of political parties and also if there are concerns of NDA parties.
13:48But yes, it is a very important meeting which has been called by the government.
13:52And like you rightly mentioned, that yes, in the past few days, government has been saying
13:55that no need to panic.
13:57We have very good stock.
13:58We are in talks with various other governments.
14:00But at the same time, there are some reports coming in where there is crisis to which government
14:04is trying to express to address.
14:07All right.
14:08Thanks, Fush, for joining us.
14:09We'll come back to you once we hear the end of that meeting and see actually what was
14:12the outcome of that.
14:17So the big question really on everybody's mind, what will it take to stop this war?
14:22Because what we are seeing is a direct face of demands.
14:25Iran on one side, United States on the other.
14:28On one hand, Iran's core red lines.
14:32Tehran wants full control over the state of Hormuz, while Washington is pushing for a free
14:37maritime zone to keep global oil flowing.
14:41Iran is demanding recognition of its sovereign entity.
14:45But U.S. wants Iran to roll back its influence in the region, including stopping support to
14:51proxy groups.
14:54Iran insists on its right to nuclear power and missile capability.
14:59In contrast, Trump wants nuclear facilities dismantled and zero enrichment on Iranian soil.
15:07Tehran is also seeking compensation for war damages.
15:11Something the U.S. has made no commitment on so far.
15:15And while Iran is calling for an immediate ceasefire to begin talks, Washington is proposing
15:19a time-bound one-month ceasefire to even negotiate terms.
15:26So, will this war see an end or is it just posturing before another escalation really starts
15:32on the ground?
15:34Here's a report to take you through all of that.
15:45After weeks of devastating strikes, finally, U.S. and Iran seem to return to the negotiating
15:52table.
15:54The Donald Trump administration, according to the Western media, has formally sent Iran
15:59a 15-point ceasefire plan.
16:01The proposal calls for an immediate one-month ceasefire and full negotiations.
16:06In a cryptic post, Donald Trump applauded Iran and said that the payoff from Iran was a very
16:12big present worth a tremendous amount of money.
16:17They did something yesterday that was amazing, actually.
16:20They gave us a present and the present arrived today.
16:25It was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money.
16:30And I'm not going to tell you what that present is.
16:32But it was a very significant prize.
16:39And they gave it to us.
16:40And they said they were going to give it.
16:41So that meant one thing to me, we're dealing with the right people.
16:45The core demand of the United States includes complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear weapons
16:50infrastructure, complete and permanent halt to all uranium enrichment inside Iran, commitment
16:56to never pursue nuclear ambitions, decommissioning of nuclear hubs in Netanz, Isfahan and Fordow,
17:04abandoning all proxies of Iran and stop their financing, opening the Strait of Hormuz as free
17:09maritime zone.
17:11The list of demands also includes limiting Iran's missile arsenal.
17:16The air campaign that we've conducted, that Israel's conducted alongside us, was one for the history books,
17:22truly.
17:22And it's because we have a president of the United States that when he sends his war fighters out
17:26to fight, he unties their hands to actually go out and close with and destroy the enemy
17:31as viciously as possible from moment one.
17:34After the announcement, Israel and U.S. granted temporary immunity to Iran's foreign minister,
17:39Abbas Arachi, and parliament speaker, Mohammed Bakir Kalibov.
17:44In return, Iran has demanded immediate ceasefire and right to nuclear power missile program.
17:50Tehran is also demanding an immediate ceasefire before any talks.
17:53Full recognition of Iran's sovereignty and an end to regime change efforts.
17:58Iran has also sought compensation for war damages and binding security guarantees.
18:04The coming days will determine whether this 15-point plan becomes a path to de-escalation
18:10or prolonged stalemate.
18:11Bureau report, India Today.
18:20All right, so those are the updates.
18:23But today marks a very important date.
18:25One that perhaps has been jinxed in the history as well.
18:28So we thought, let's understand why the word COVID featured in Prime Minister's speech
18:34when he was giving Parliament and the nation an update on war.
18:38Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already flagged the risks.
18:43Let's understand what they mean.
18:45Warning that global uncertainty, especially in energy and supply chains,
18:49could have a direct impact on India's economy and household costs.
18:54And what we are seeing now is a pattern that feels strikingly familiar.
19:01Different crisis, but the same pressure points we saw during COVID.
19:08Remember, this is the 25th of March that we are talking about.
19:12Six years ago, something else happened today.
19:14But let's understand that.
19:16Different crisis, same pressure points.
19:19During COVID, remember, lockdown stopped economic activity.
19:22Today, the war is disrupting our moves and hitting supply chains.
19:28Factories shut back then.
19:30Goods were not produced.
19:32Now, shipping is hit.
19:34Oil and goods are not moving freely.
19:37Essential items became costly during the pandemic.
19:40Now, rising fuel costs are pushing up food, airfares, crude oil links as well.
19:48Shortages, that drove prices higher during the COVID.
19:51And today, expensive oil is triggering a broad-based inflation all over again.
19:59Growth fell sharply during the pandemic and now growth is expected to slow as costs rise again.
20:07COVID triggered, remember, a migrant job sort of crisis.
20:12A lot of migrant workers lost their jobs.
20:15This time, Indians in the Gulf and remittances are at risk, at least so far.
20:20We don't know the impact back home just yet.
20:24Also remember, back during the pandemic, during, you know, when the lockdown was actually implemented,
20:32farm supply chains were hit earlier.
20:34Now, cost energy is sort of raising input costs and also pressuring agriculture again.
20:39Global disruption back then had made imports expensive during the lockdown.
20:45And today, a weaker rupee plus higher freight is pushing import bills up.
20:51And just like the panic buying during lockdown, fear of shortages is once again driving stockpiling behavior.
21:00The world, remember, is already suffering from the ripple effects of the war.
21:05India is in a different position, if one could say comparatively a better position.
21:13But for how far, how long can we remain on our reserves?
21:18And what's likely to happen next?
21:20The next report takes you through that entire world map,
21:24how the world is responding to the West Asia war versus how India is responding.
21:38War in West Asia is sending shockwaves across the globe
21:42and the battlefield isn't just political anymore.
21:45It's economic.
21:48Oil prices are surging, supply chains are tightening and nations are facing impact.
21:59In Pakistan, the crisis is hitting where it hurts the most.
22:03People's pockets.
22:06Gig workers, especially ride-hailing drivers in Karachi,
22:10are struggling to survive as fuel costs skyrocket.
22:14Earnings are shrinking, hours are stretching
22:17and for many, it's becoming a daily fight between filling the tank and filling the plate.
22:24In Sri Lanka, the pressure is forcing emergency action.
22:28The country has approved urgent fuel purchases after major delays in oil shipments.
22:34With reserves under strain, the government is rationing fuel,
22:38cutting office operations and issuing new tenders just to keep the nation moving.
22:46Meanwhile, Japan is tapping into its strategic reserves,
22:49releasing oil to cushion the blow.
22:51A decisive move to shield the economy as global supply disruptions ripple outward.
22:59South Korea is also in emergency mode.
23:02With heavy dependence on imports,
23:04the country is battling rising transport costs and supply strain.
23:09From subsidies to stockpile releases,
23:11every measure is being deployed to stabilize the crisis.
23:19And in the Philippines,
23:21President Marcos Jr. has declared a national energy emergency.
23:25With fuel prices climbing and tensions rising,
23:28the nation now faces possible protests,
23:31transport strikes and a growing public outcry.
23:34Keep us up!
23:40One conflict, countless consequences.
23:43From fuel pumps to households,
23:45this is no longer just a war abroad.
23:47It's a crisis at home for millions around the world.
23:52Bureau Report, India Today.
23:57All right, so in conclusion,
23:59we understand that India so far doing relatively okay.
24:03That's the word right now being used.
24:05But we don't know how long we'll be able to sustain
24:07if this war were to continue.
24:09And all indications are that it will continue and will be a long one.
24:13And Gaurav and Sandeep are back with us on the program to give us their view.
24:17Sandeep, today, let me begin with you to sort of understand.
24:19We've made a comparison of lockdown
24:21and the impact it had on the economy overall versus now.
24:26It's day 26.
24:27We are looking at almost a deja vu kind of situation.
24:31At the moment,
24:32help me understand how has the war progressed,
24:36in your view, in 26 days?
24:38And what's likely going to happen in the next 24 to 48 hours?
24:43Well, Sonal, the U.S. entered this war with Israel
24:46hoping for a quick in and a quick out.
24:50They thought that they could decapitate the Iranian leadership.
24:53There would be a regime collapse.
24:55There would be a regime that would be favorable to the United States in Iran,
24:59exactly as the case was with Venezuela in January.
25:03But that clearly hasn't played out.
25:05And what we are seeing now is that the U.S. is running out of military options.
25:10They've been bombing Iran relentlessly for 24, 25 days now,
25:15the United States and Israel.
25:17That hasn't destroyed Iran's capability, capacity
25:20to launch ballistic missiles, to launch drones.
25:24And, of course, the most important thing of all,
25:26which is to throttle the Straits of Hormuz.
25:29And that is what is causing global pain
25:31because the Straits of Hormuz is where 20% of the world's oil and gas pass through.
25:37It's a very narrow strait which Iran has blockaded as they've done in the past.
25:41They've threatened to do in the past.
25:42But this is clearly one part of the game which the United States failed to anticipate.
25:47I think this war is largely a failure of anticipation,
25:52the failure of imagination, what the Iranians could possibly do.
25:57And they've used very low technology to block the Straits of Hormuz.
26:02The technology they've used, sea mines, have been around for hundreds of years.
26:06But by imposing those mines on the Straits of Hormuz,
26:10they've blockaded, they've caused global pain.
26:12And today we are seeing the downside of that.
26:15Now, what could happen in the next 48 hours, one really doesn't know.
26:19Because the U.S. has clearly bought some time
26:22to allow its major forces to enter the theater.
26:25We've been talking for several days now of this marine expeditionary unit
26:29that left Japan, which is now in the Indian Ocean region,
26:32which could be in position to strike in a day or two.
26:36There's the 82nd Airborne, which is the United States' premier airborne division,
26:41which has also been put on alert,
26:44which could also be moving into theater.
26:46And when these two formations come in,
26:48there will be several other special forces, special units that will come in
26:52in an attempt to give the United States some kind of bargaining leverage over Iran.
26:58They do not have leverage over Iran.
27:00They don't have a bargaining chip.
27:02These military formations, either through the threat of, you know,
27:06intervention with the military or by actually landing on ground
27:11and capturing islands like Khark or the Straits of Hormuz,
27:14they could give the U.S. some kind of military leverage over Iran.
27:19Yeah, leverage that U.S. seems to not have at the moment at all.
27:23At the age of day 26, Gaurav, would it be fair to say that at the moment,
27:28it looks like U.S. is in a tight spot?
27:33And not just U.S.
27:33Even Donald Trump seems to be in a very tight spot internally.
27:38His approval ratings are down.
27:40You know, this is the lowest they have ever been since he took office for the second time.
27:45He is, on one hand, trying diplomacy, on the other, strengthening its military power,
27:52trying again, trying, as you kept saying, phase one, phase two.
27:56Are we officially now in phase three?
27:58In the next 24 to 48 hours, once this deadline ends,
28:02are we officially in phase three of the war?
28:05So, once the 82nd Airborne reaches this region,
28:09once the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the 35th Marine Expeditionary Unit
28:14both ex-Okinawa and ex-San Diego,
28:17when they reach this region,
28:19and should they be deployed, boots on ground is phase three.
28:22And boots on ground would be a disaster.
28:26You know, unless you can overwhelm Iran
28:29with carpet bombing of the mouth of the state of Hormuz
28:33all across the coastal belt,
28:36so that then when the units move in to occupy those territories,
28:40then they don't face much opposition.
28:42And prima facie, all evidence seems to indicate,
28:45at least as of now,
28:46Iran retains a very large part of its strike-back capabilities,
28:51whether it's in the form of missiles, rockets,
28:53or even the unmanned aerial vehicles
28:56and unmanned undersea vehicles.
28:59So, you know, their undersea drones are perhaps the most lethal
29:04for sea lanes of communication.
29:06And the entire world wants the state of Hormuz to be kept open.
29:09So, that is actually, you know,
29:11Iran holding the world by its juggler at this stage.
29:15How do you sort out that choke point?
29:17America doesn't seem to, at least as of now,
29:20have a way out of this.
29:22But you're absolutely right.
29:23There's a huge credibility gap.
29:25And Iran is exploiting it.
29:27Iran is saying so,
29:28that what's the point of this negotiation?
29:30While apparently back-channel negotiations are happening,
29:32twice in the past,
29:33when negotiations were happening,
29:35America was building up to strike.
29:37And Iran says,
29:38what's the credibility of such a negotiation?
29:41And now we can track all those ships moving, right?
29:43So, everybody can see where they are going
29:45and where this negotiation is also going.
29:46I have last few minutes,
29:47and I want both you and Sandeep to sort of come in on this.
29:50But Sandeep, help me understand this.
29:52Who's helping Iran and how are they still,
29:56at the end of 26 days,
29:58being able to fight and fight back strong
30:01to a country like United States?
30:04Just decode this for me.
30:06How is this still possible?
30:08Well, Sonal, this is a war that Iran has been planning for decades,
30:12at least since 1979.
30:14Now, what happened after the Iranian revolution of 1979?
30:17Iraq jumped in, tried to invade Egba on by Iran's neighbors
30:21and, of course, the United States
30:23to try and contain, firewall the revolution within Iran.
30:27Now, after that,
30:29Iran has been under tremendous sanctions.
30:31They've built up a very robust domestic infrastructure,
30:34defense infrastructure.
30:35They're focused on their strengths.
30:37Clearly, military, aviation, naval forces
30:41are not their strengths.
30:42They cannot have the kind of navy that, for instance, India has
30:45or an air force that India has.
30:47So, they've focused on their strengths,
30:48which is ballistic missiles,
30:50a robust command and control architecture
30:52and, of course, low-cost drones.
30:54They've mass-produced drones
30:56to an extent where,
30:57probably for the first time in history,
30:59you have the United States
31:00actually capturing Iranian Shahid 136 drones
31:05and reverse-engineering it
31:06to make their own Lucas drones.
31:08So, this is the kind of frugal defense engineering
31:10that Iran has brought to play.
31:13They've played to their strengths,
31:14which is, of course,
31:15that Iran is a natural fortress.
31:18Entire Iran is a natural fortress.
31:19It's covered by deserts and mountains.
31:21It's almost impossible to invade it
31:24in a way that the United States invaded Iraq.
31:27So, Iran knows that.
31:28So, it's created this kind of an architecture
31:32where it would impose costs on its adversaries,
31:35exactly the kind of war that they've been waging
31:37for over 25 days now.
31:39So, this is, you know, a war, like I said,
31:42Iran has war-gamed this for decades
31:45and now they're actually fighting the war
31:47that they've planned to fight for several decades now.
31:50And, Gaurav, backed by Russia?
31:54Backed by China?
31:56What do we know?
31:57We are just hearing theories,
31:58but we never really know who's...
32:00You know, there are allies
32:01and who's supporting US in this war
32:03that we talk about so openly.
32:04We don't really hear about
32:05who's backing Iran so much.
32:07So, Israel bombing the Caspian Sea
32:10is a signal to Russia.
32:12Do not send weapons to Iran.
32:15Satellite intelligence being given by China
32:17is what sources have talked about,
32:21or reports have talked about.
32:22Military hardware,
32:23a lot of military equipment
32:24that China sent,
32:26considering Iran was the only...
32:28China was the only country
32:29Iran was exporting oil to...
32:31the largest oil exporter to China.
32:33So, there is a lot of military cooperation
32:35also between China, Russia,
32:36all the Shahid drones
32:38that were sent to Russia
32:39to fight Ukraine war.
32:41You know, there's a very close
32:42military cooperation
32:43between these three countries.
32:45And this actually
32:46is Russia's revenge for Ukraine.
32:49America and NATO forces
32:51helped Ukraine against Russia,
32:52weakened Russia.
32:53Russia will do everything it can
32:55to weaken the United States of America
32:57in this conflict.
32:58So, it's payback time
32:59as far as Russia is concerned.
33:00Even though Israel and Russia
33:02remain engaged in conversation
33:04and several times.
33:05But this war, unfortunately,
33:07may just get very, very dangerous
33:09in the days and weeks ahead.
33:11And that is what Prime Minister
33:12Narendra Modi was cautioning
33:14the country about.
33:15You know, when you spoke of
33:16COVID time-like restrictions,
33:18the worst is actually yet to come.
33:20So far, India has navigated
33:21everything very well.
33:23Will there be shortage?
33:24You know, should the state
33:25of Hormuz get lit up?
33:27Now, if there's an escalation
33:29in conflict,
33:30then your gas supply
33:31will get more disrupted.
33:32Your oil supplies
33:32will get more disrupted.
33:33Shipping lanes of communication
33:35will be impacted.
33:36Sea lanes of communication
33:37will be impacted.
33:38Where will the supplies come from?
33:39That is the time
33:40the real crisis will come.
33:42And that's the time
33:42the Prime Minister
33:43is forewarning the country
33:44that we need to gear up,
33:46stand united
33:46and face that threat,
33:48that challenge
33:49that's coming in the months ahead.
33:50And I think the key question
33:50at the moment to understand is
33:52how long till we hit
33:53that time period
33:55and how much is that time period?
33:57Because remember
33:57the stark difference
33:58between lockdown-induced crisis
34:01versus now,
34:03the West Asia crisis,
34:04that lockdown was one fine day.
34:05It was like a cold,
34:07you know, it went cold turkey.
34:08One fine day,
34:09everything came to a halt.
34:10This is crawling to a halt.
34:12This is just building up to it.
34:14So we still have preparation time,
34:16how well we negotiate
34:17in these, you know,
34:19days and weeks
34:20before the final blow-up
34:21and how many reserves
34:22do we have,
34:23how much of negotiation
34:24and back-channel
34:25that can we get.
34:25That's going to be key
34:26at the moment.
34:27So that's something
34:27that we have to wait and watch for.
34:29Stay back with us, gentlemen,
34:30because we've got more updates
34:31coming in.
34:32But first,
34:33let's try and understand
34:34how the world markets
34:36are responding
34:38to this entire crisis
34:39on day 26.
34:41Now,
34:42across Asia,
34:43it was slightly more
34:45cautious picture.
34:46Japan's Nikki
34:46zoomed nearly 3%.
34:48The Hang Seng saw
34:51a mixed trend
34:52as investors
34:53sort of weighed
34:53China's economic outlook
34:55while Korea's Kospi
34:56also remained
34:57largely stable,
34:59tracking global
35:00tech sentiment.
35:01The Nifty and Sensex
35:03both showed resilience
35:04amid mixed global queues,
35:06supported largely
35:07by financial
35:08and selective buying
35:09in the heavyweight stocks.
35:10That's what's happened
35:11in the Indian market.
35:12But turning to commodities,
35:14crude oil prices,
35:15they have eased,
35:18trending below
35:19the psychological
35:20$100 per,
35:22you know,
35:22mark most
35:23of the day today.
35:24The Indian crude basket
35:26also,
35:28remember the difference
35:29between the crude oil prices
35:31at the Indian basket
35:32we had told you yesterday,
35:33they have also
35:34seen a noticeable decline
35:36after touching
35:36an all-time high
35:37on Monday.
35:39This offers some relief
35:40on the inflation
35:42and import bill front
35:44as well.
35:44But remember,
35:45this continues to be
35:46a volatile affair
35:47so we don't know
35:48if these numbers will stick
35:49or what will happen
35:50but we'll keep tracking
35:50this space for you
35:51for more.
35:52On the currency front
35:53as well,
35:53let's take a look at that.
35:54The rupee trading
35:55with a slight weakening
35:57bias against the US dollar
35:58reflecting again,
35:59you know,
36:00broader dollar strength
36:02and some volatility
36:03in foreign,
36:04you know,
36:05fund flows as well
36:06even as lower crude prices
36:07sort of provided
36:08a partial cushion
36:09over there.
36:10And finally,
36:11in the precious metals,
36:13gold and silver prices
36:14recovered
36:15as investors
36:16sort of sought
36:17safe haven assets
36:18also spurred
36:20on the slight dip
36:21in the dollar index
36:23today as well.
36:28All right,
36:28let me go back
36:29to Sandeep
36:30and Gaurav
36:31at this point
36:32to understand more.
36:33Gaurav,
36:34help me understand this.
36:35We are looking
36:37at a day-to-day scenario.
36:39What I'm very keen
36:40to understand is
36:41we go on saying
36:42this constantly
36:44that we are
36:46so far okay.
36:47do we have a timeline
36:49on how long
36:50we are okay for
36:51or would you say
36:52this is changing
36:53every day?
36:54One ship
36:55diplomatically brought in,
36:56another negotiation
36:57on something else,
36:59another oil trade,
37:00something that we've
37:01managed to get
37:02from Russia.
37:02It's all dependent
37:03day to day.
37:05It would be
37:06and that's the way
37:08virtually every country
37:09is grappling
37:10with this situation.
37:12So, you know,
37:12while India is also
37:13trying to increase
37:14its own production,
37:1660% of our LPG requirement
37:18comes through
37:18the Strait of Hormuz,
37:19comes from Qatar.
37:21You know,
37:2180-85% of our energy
37:22reads Amit from elsewhere.
37:24Strait of Hormuz
37:25is the easiest
37:26that can happen
37:27but should that not happen
37:28or the challenge is there.
37:30So, Russia, Canada,
37:32you're looking at
37:32multiple options.
37:3342 countries
37:34is what India
37:35gets our energy
37:36requirements from
37:37but then the time
37:38increases,
37:39duration increases,
37:40distance increases
37:41if it comes from Canada,
37:42if it comes from Russia,
37:43it will take much more
37:44time than the
37:45Strait of Hormuz.
37:46Also, there are
37:47other countries
37:47that are as desperate
37:49if not more.
37:50So, the prices go up
37:51and then you're spending
37:52the same foreign exchange
37:53on acquiring
37:54the same oil and gas
37:56that you require.
37:57So, perhaps in the times
37:58to come
37:59until the situation
38:00normalizes,
38:01there are several countries
38:02that you've reported
38:03yourself, Sonal,
38:03they're resorting
38:04to either rationing
38:06or, you know,
38:07working from home
38:08or working on
38:09a lesser number of days
38:10or, you know,
38:11replacing your cylinders
38:12at a longer distance
38:13of time
38:14or getting more
38:14LNG,
38:16PNG
38:17instead of LPG.
38:18So, there are many
38:19other permutations
38:20and combinations
38:21that the country
38:22would have to adopt
38:23over the next several weeks,
38:24God forbid,
38:25months,
38:26if the situation
38:26goes from bad to worse.
38:28Sandeep,
38:29so far we,
38:30and this is not
38:31to spread panic,
38:32all right,
38:32I want to put it out
38:33as a big disclaimer.
38:34When we discuss scenarios,
38:35this is not to say
38:36it's going to happen.
38:37This is just to be mindful
38:38of the fact
38:39that this just might.
38:40The indications
38:41are that it might.
38:42We're all still hoping
38:43for a miracle to come
38:44and sort of make
38:44it all go right.
38:46But even
38:47if the war
38:48were to say
38:50best case scenario
38:51stop today,
38:53the analysis here
38:54is that even then
38:55for global supplies
38:57to get back to order,
38:59it will at least
38:59be three to six months.
39:01Would that be
39:01a fair thing to say?
39:02Yes, absolutely, Solal.
39:04And you know,
39:04that's the nature
39:05of the beast
39:06that we're dealing
39:07with over here
39:07that even if
39:08the Straits of Homo's
39:09reopen,
39:10it's going to take
39:11several weeks
39:12for supplies to resume
39:14for all those
39:14tankers to come out
39:16because, you know,
39:16the Strait of Homo's
39:17is not a pipeline
39:18that's been shut off.
39:19It is a waterway
39:20through which ships
39:21have to sail through
39:22and there are
39:23hundreds of ships
39:24that are, you know,
39:25backed up over there.
39:26There are oil and gas
39:27facilities that have,
39:29you know,
39:29stopped producing
39:30literally because
39:31there is no offtake
39:33for their energy.
39:34Now, all of these things
39:35to restart this entire
39:36machinery is going
39:37to take several weeks
39:38and that is what
39:39that is the kind of delays
39:41that we are talking
39:42about over here
39:43and that is why
39:44it's really important
39:45that whatever happens
39:46those Straits
39:47have to really open now
39:48or this pain
39:50is going to be felt
39:51for a long time.
39:54Yes, sure.
39:55What Qatar said
39:56that the damage
39:57in the drone attack
39:58would take them
39:59between three to five years
40:00to restore
40:01any country
40:02that reduces
40:03either production
40:04because of the damage
40:05to restart,
40:07to relaunch
40:07and come back
40:08to the same level
40:08is going to take them
40:10a very long time.
40:11So, this is a problem
40:11that will be here
40:13to stay
40:13except that when,
40:15you know,
40:15the market wants
40:16predictability,
40:17the market wants stability.
40:19So, it's on that sentiment.
40:20You know,
40:21if crude comes back
40:22to 60, 70,
40:23around that range,
40:24then things will
40:25to a very large extent
40:26come back on an even keel.
40:27But how long
40:28before they come back
40:29to that?
40:29And then India
40:30is also embarking
40:31on this very ambitious plan
40:32that we should have
40:32our own ships,
40:33we should have
40:34a larger number of ships
40:35that can go and get
40:35our oil,
40:37our gas.
40:37You know,
40:38we're a seafaring nation,
40:39we need to do a lot more.
40:40How soon can we build up
40:42to that?
40:43So, all of that
40:44needs to be done
40:44at a war scale
40:45so that, you know,
40:46we're better prepared
40:47and being forewarned
40:48is being forearmed
40:49right now.
40:50That's right.
40:50And, Gaurav,
40:51in fact,
40:51on that note,
40:52there's another update
40:52coming in.
40:53Let's quickly take
40:53our viewers through that
40:54and we'll come back
40:55to Gaurav and Sandeep
40:56for more details on this.
40:57What we are now hearing
40:58is that amidst
40:59the raging war,
41:00External Affairs Minister
41:01Jai Shankar
41:02has met with the U.S.
41:03undersecretary of war,
41:05this is Elbridge Colby,
41:06in the national capital.
41:09Now, this comes days after
41:11he spoke with the U.S.
41:12Secretary of State,
41:14Marco Rubio, as well.
41:16And now,
41:17those images on your screen,
41:19and now we are getting
41:20to understand
41:21that there is
41:22a communication
41:23that has happened
41:23and a meeting
41:24that has happened
41:25in the national capital
41:26with the U.S.
41:28undersecretary as well.
41:30Gaurav,
41:30break down to us
41:32what's likely
41:33being discussed
41:34at this point.
41:35Just yesterday,
41:36a phone call
41:37between Donald Trump
41:39and Prime Minister Modi,
41:40then the meeting
41:41with Marco Rubio,
41:43now this meeting,
41:44what exactly is happening
41:45behind the scenes?
41:46So, this is
41:47India-U.S. relationship
41:48to an extent
41:49coming back
41:49on an even keel.
41:50It was disrupted
41:52for quite some time
41:53because of the tariffs
41:54and the tensions
41:55that foreign ministries,
41:57the two external affairs
41:58ministries,
41:59that's, you know,
42:00the State Department
42:00and the Ministry
42:01of External Affairs
42:02and India's Defense Ministry
42:04and the Pentagon,
42:05they remain very,
42:06you know,
42:07engaged very extensively.
42:09Right now,
42:10Colby is here
42:11as undersecretary of war
42:14to also talk about
42:15procurement
42:16of American military hardware,
42:18joint production
42:19of military hardware
42:20in India
42:21and procurement
42:22from the United States
42:23of America
42:23and also other war
42:25assistance
42:25that the two
42:26can talk about.
42:27The two militaries,
42:29especially when it comes
42:29to the Indo-Pacific region,
42:31they're very,
42:32very keenly engaged
42:33and do remember
42:34America very recently
42:35has spoken of that
42:36pivot back
42:37to the Indo-Pacific.
42:38So, in case
42:39they're coming back
42:39to that sale
42:41of military hardware,
42:42co-production
42:42of military hardware,
42:44joint, you know,
42:45research on military hardware,
42:47all of these things
42:47are being talked about.
42:49And on one side
42:50where India
42:50is being seen
42:51as sort of a negotiator
42:52between the two sides,
42:53this meeting of course
42:54comes at a very
42:55interesting time.
42:56We'll see what more
42:56comes out of it.
42:57But for the moment,
42:58Gaurav and Sandeep,
42:58thank you so much
42:59for joining us
43:00with the very latest.
43:01We've got more updates
43:02coming in.
43:02Let's move into that.
43:03This is from the
43:04all-party meeting
43:05that's happening
43:06and the huddle
43:06that's taking place
43:07here in the national capital.
43:09Now, ahead of that
43:09all-party meeting,
43:11unit ministers,
43:12we are told,
43:13are in a huddle.
43:15That is just the
43:15union ministers
43:16of the government of India
43:17are in a huddle
43:18at the moment.
43:18The meet was held
43:21at the energy minister,
43:22Mr. Khattar's office
43:23at the parliament house
43:25and there,
43:26there were ministers
43:27who attended
43:28for union minister,
43:29Prehalad Joshi,
43:30that's the food,
43:31consumer affairs
43:32and public distribution.
43:33Very important,
43:34very impacted ministry.
43:36Then it was
43:37Hardeep Singh Puri,
43:38petroleum and natural gas,
43:39again a hugely impacted
43:40ministry over there
43:42from the war.
43:43Then there was
43:44H.T. Kumaraswamy,
43:45also minister
43:46of heavy industries,
43:47also seeing
43:48a massive impact
43:49and all of these people
43:50currently in a huddle
43:52right before
43:54they sit down
43:56with the opposition
43:58parties
43:59and the opposition
44:00MPs as well
44:01for that all-party meeting.
44:03The current situation
44:04being reviewed
44:05during the meeting.
44:07Perhaps my senses,
44:08my journalistic senses
44:09at the moment
44:10that this is to ensure
44:11that all ministries
44:13are prepared
44:14and have
44:14one strong
44:16common front
44:17that we present
44:17before the opposition
44:19party.
44:19The endeavour
44:20at the moment
44:21seems to be
44:22to understand
44:23and absorb
44:24the situation
44:25to the best capacity
44:26that the country can
44:27and not spread panic
44:28but also be realistic
44:30about the times
44:31to come.
44:36All right,
44:37but having understood
44:38all of that,
44:39let's get our eyes
44:40on Ground Zero.
44:42As bombing continues,
44:43my colleague Prane Upadhyay
44:45has reached
44:46that Ground Zero.
44:47He is in Tel Aviv
44:48and he's sort of
44:49describing
44:50how people have been
44:51living under the shadow
44:52of war
44:53for the past 26 days.
44:55It's almost
44:56become routine
44:57for them.
44:58Take a look.
45:02I'm currently
45:03in the
45:03Ichiloh hospital
45:04of Tel Aviv.
45:05This is one of the
45:06most prominent
45:06hospital of Israel
45:07which caters
45:08around 2 million
45:09people every day.
45:10You can equate it
45:11with the aims
45:12of Israel
45:13and you can see
45:14behind me
45:14on the screen
45:16the alerts
45:16have been sounded
45:17and currently
45:18I am in the
45:20basement
45:20of this hospital
45:21which is usually
45:22served,
45:24you know,
45:24caters as a parking lot
45:26but now
45:27the hospital
45:27administration
45:28has converted it
45:29into a full-fledged
45:30medical facility
45:31and this facility
45:33is around 800
45:34bedded
45:34and most critical
45:35patients
45:36have been shifted
45:37by this hospital
45:38to this basement
45:38and they are being
45:39treated here.
45:40This also includes
45:41one of the Indian
45:42patients
45:43who was hit
45:44by a missile
45:45sharpness
45:46Mr. Tirupati
45:46who was recently
45:48visited by
45:49India's ambassador
45:50Mr. JP Singh
45:50as well
45:51and he's being
45:52treated here
45:52so he is
45:54doing well.
45:55this is what
45:55I have been told
45:56and in fact
45:58doctors are
45:59attending all
45:59here
46:00let me show you
46:01this medical facility
46:01you can see
46:03that how
46:04the medical facility
46:05are being provided
46:07how the critical care
46:08are being provided
46:09and in fact
46:10this is an
46:11intensive care unit
46:12before going further
46:14we have been
46:15advised
46:16to put up
46:17a mask
46:18as well
46:18and
46:19I am
46:19wearing a mask
46:21here
46:21so that
46:22we can go
46:23further
46:23and I can
46:25show you
46:25this medical
46:26facility
46:26and
46:27this hospital
46:29annually
46:29caters
46:30around
46:302 million
46:31people
46:31and
46:32you can
46:32very well
46:32understand
46:33that
46:33around
46:3420%
46:35Israeli
46:35population
46:36comes to
46:37this hospital
46:37and
46:39without compromising
46:41the safety and
46:41security of
46:42the patients
46:43here
46:45we can't go
46:46further
46:54if I ask you
46:55which is the most
46:56polluted city
46:57in the world
46:57without a beat
46:58perhaps you'll say
46:59the national capital
47:00but the next story
47:01actually tells you
47:02why it's not the case
47:03anymore
47:04this isn't the story
47:06of Delhi's pollution
47:06this is about a town
47:08right next door
47:09that has become
47:10the most polluted
47:12in the world
47:12we are talking about
47:14a place called
47:15Loni
47:15on the outskirts
47:17of Ghaziabad
47:18it's choking
47:19under
47:20toxic air
47:22with dust
47:23smoke
47:24dangerous
47:25particle levels
47:26turning daily life
47:28into a major
47:29health risk
47:29and the warning signs
47:31are much bigger
47:32than just one town
47:33from the worst
47:34hit hot spots
47:35to even India's
47:36cleanest cities
47:37failing global standards
47:38the scale of air crisis
47:40is now
47:40impossible to ignore
47:42we've already brought
47:44you reports
47:44here on the program
47:45on how
47:46pollution levels
47:47in cities like this
47:48in Delhi
47:49are far worse
47:50even compared
47:51to those
47:52where a war
47:53has broken down
47:54keep that as a thought
47:56as we leave you today
47:57and hope
47:58that perhaps
47:59all of this
48:00including the air crisis
48:02and the war
48:02would come to an end
48:03rather soon
48:04thanks for watching
48:05see you tomorrow
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