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The United States has threatened to resume bombing campaigns against Iranian targets if peace negotiations fail, escalating its strategy from a maritime blockade at the Strait of Hormuz to a broader military offensive.
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00:01Good evening. The United States has threatened to resume bombing Iran, insisting their missiles are now locked and loaded should
00:10peace talks not succeed.
00:11In fact, the U.S. has threatened to escalate from blockade to bombing and unleashing what the U.S. calls
00:18is Operation Economic Fury, beyond epic fury.
00:24This is to bring Iran to its knees. The United States insists an ironclad blockade remains in place and not
00:32a single ship has been able to either exit or enter an Iranian port since the blockade was put in
00:39place.
00:40Just a short while back, General Dan Kane, U.S. Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more than 10 ships
00:47attempted to leave the Iranian ports and cross the Strait of Hormuz, but they were challenged and sent back.
00:54On this broadcast, we shall play out the warning of the U.S. Navy destroyers to these tankers, attempting to
01:02leave the Strait of Hormuz and entering the Gulf of Oman.
01:06In fact, I want to show you the map which has been put out by the U.S. Navy.
01:11This is the map that the U.S. has put out.
01:14Just as you watch ships exiting the Strait of Hormuz between Pakistan and Iran, that is between Gwadar on the
01:23Pakistani side and Chabahar on the Iranian side.
01:26There's an imaginary red line that's been drawn Iran to the north, Oman to the south.
01:33And this actually shows the number of ships that were attempting to cross.
01:40The U.S. says in red, you see the Iranian ships or ships that were leaving Iranian ports that were
01:46trying to cross this red line after emerging from the Strait of Hormuz.
01:50But they were challenged and sent back.
01:52At least seven ships were sent back.
01:54The eighth ship, it saw the developments and returned to Bandar Abbas in Iran on its own.
02:03In fact, the United States just a short while back insisted not a single ship from any Iranian port has
02:12been able to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
02:14Those several ships from other ports, whether it's Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, they cleared the Strait of Hormuz
02:21and were permitted to pass.
02:23There is no blockade for ships exiting or wanting to go to other ports.
02:29It's only a blockade for Iranian ships that are exiting or wanting to go to Iranian port.
02:36U.S. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, he insists the blockade will continue as long as it takes for Iran
02:41to see reason and choose what he describes as the golden bridge of peace.
02:46In fact, the U.S. has now threatened Iran not just with a blockade, but also bombing and Operation Economic
02:56Fury.
02:57What is Economic Fury?
02:58The United States has warned Chinese financial institutions that they could face sanctions if found facilitating Iranian financial flows, escalating
03:09pressure on Beijing's economic ties with Tehran.
03:13Now, this has added fuel to fire in rising tensions between Beijing and Washington, D.C.
03:20The U.S. claims it has not permitted any oil and gas tanker to leave any Iranian port this week,
03:27irrespective of flag and destination.
03:29China has repeatedly urged the United States not to hamper movement in the Strait of Hormuz.
03:35China, in fact, on Thursday, condemned the United States' threat to impose secondary sanctions on two Chinese banks,
03:42calling these measures or any such measures illegal and lacking United Nations Security Council authorisation.
03:51Earlier, U.S. Secretary of Treasury, Scott Besant, Scott Besant said that the United States has sent letters to two
04:00Chinese banks saying,
04:01and I quote, if we can prove that there is Iranian money flowing through your accounts, then we are willing
04:10to put on secondary sanctions, unquote.
04:14Before we move on, I want you to listen in to U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hekset giving details
04:20of how an ironclad blockade is in place at the Strait of Hormuz.
04:26Listen in to Admiral Dan Cooper, Admiral Cooper, Brad Cooper is U.S. CENTCOM commander.
04:35Also listen in to General Dan Cain, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, on how the blockade is being enforced.
04:43Listen in.
04:45We are reloading with more power than ever before and better intelligence, even more importantly, better intelligence than ever before,
04:53as you expose yourself with your movement to our watchful eye.
04:59We are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation, and on your energy
05:07industry.
05:09We'd rather not have to do it, but we're ready to go at the command of our president and at
05:15the push of a button.
05:16You'd like to say publicly, Iran, that you control the Strait of Hormuz, but you don't have a navy or
05:24real domain.
05:26You can't control anything.
05:30To be clear, threatening to shoot missiles and drones at ships, commercial ships that are lawfully transiting international waters,
05:39that is not control.
05:41That's piracy.
05:43That's terrorism.
05:45The United States Navy controls the traffic going in and out of the Strait because we have real assets.
05:53As our negotiators have said, you, Iran, can choose a prosperous future, a golden bridge, and we hope that you
05:59do for the people of Iran.
06:02In the meantime, and for as long as it takes, we will maintain this blockade, successful blockade.
06:07This map is a pull from our common operating picture that we use to allow commanders and key leaders to
06:16see what is happening in near real time.
06:19We just grabbed screen grabs to highlight the actions and activities.
06:24What is not shown is how incredibly congested this area is and the incredible work that our sailors are doing
06:33to ensure that they can work in and around an incredibly busy water space.
06:40What is also not depicted here is the massive force of fighters, intelligence aircraft, helicopters, and other embarked forces to
06:52include aerial refueling tankers that are up overhead this blockade area.
06:59So, the U.S. military says it's turned back at least 10 vessels attempting to leave Iranian ports in the
07:06first 48 hours of the blockade that was imposed on Iran.
07:10In fact, you will hear a broadcast that the United States has put out.
07:15They've called it a final warning to a ship that attempted to break through the blockade.
07:21Listen in how that ship was warned that it will have to face the full force of the U.S.
07:29Navy, that that ship would be boarded.
07:32And then, once that message was conveyed, the ship turned back.
07:38Eight such ships were turned back by the Navy.
07:42Two went back on their own.
07:45This message has now been shared by U.S. Central Command.
07:48How they cautioned vessels of severe consequences if they attempted either to enter or exit Iranian ports after the blockade
07:57came into effect on Monday.
07:59The United States has announced a formal blockade of Iranian ports in all coastal areas.
08:04This is an illegal action.
08:08According to reports that are coming in, all vessels are advised to immediately return to port if departing to discontinue
08:15any transit towards Iran.
08:17CENTCOM said, do not attempt to breach the blockade.
08:21It warned vessels moving to or from Iranian ports that they would be subject to boarding and possible seizure.
08:31Turn around and prepare to be boarded, the message said.
08:35If you do not comply with this blockade, force will be used.
08:39The full strength of the U.S. Navy stands ready to ensure compliance.
08:44Listen in.
08:47The U.S. has announced a formal blockade of Iranian ports in coastal areas.
08:51This is a legal action.
08:52All vessels are advised to immediately return to port if leaving and discontinue transit to Iran if that is your
08:57next port of call.
08:58Do not attempt to breach the blockade.
09:00Vessels will be boarded for interdiction and seizure, transiting to or from an Iranian port.
09:04Turn around and prepare to be boarded.
09:06If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use ports.
09:10The whole of the United States Navy is ready to force compliance.
09:12Now.
09:15Before we move on in this broadcast, I quickly want to bring in India.
09:19Today's Sandeep Unnithan joining us with the latest on this big story.
09:23Sandeep, the United States insists the blockade is successful.
09:28When you look at all that the U.S. has put out in terms of how at least 10 ships
09:33have been turned back.
09:34Iranians were claiming that the ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz.
09:38But that may well be true because it was only at the Gulf of Oman that they turned back.
09:44Is the blockade working?
09:47Is it hurting Iran?
09:48Is it hurting China more?
09:51Absolutely, Gaurav.
09:52You know, it's been more than four days now since the blockade has been in effect,
09:56since the U.S. Navy announced what it was going to do on Monday.
09:59And until now, we have not seen any ship crossing from Iranian ports,
10:04crossing into the Gulf of Oman or into the Arabian Sea.
10:08That very clearly shows that the blockade has been successful.
10:10And yes, this is actually aimed at China because China is the largest importer of Iranian oil.
10:16Something like 80% of Iran's oil output flows directly into China.
10:22So China would actually lose a lot from this not having access to discounted Iranian oil.
10:29That's one big issue there.
10:31And the other is, Gaurav, that the United States has shown the fact that it is the preeminent naval power
10:37in the world.
10:37It has the ability to mass ships, aircraft off the coast of any country and announce a blockade.
10:44It has, as of now, turned Iran into a landlocked country.
10:48Now, Iran would possibly be leaning on its land borders with Turkey and, you know, with Pakistan, Iraq,
10:56to get its, you know, sustenance, to get its supplies.
10:59Or perhaps a minuscule through the Caspian Sea route.
11:02But that would be very, very limited, you know, trying to get to Russia, Azerbaijan.
11:07We'll talk about that in greater detail.
11:09But the Iranian media continues to insist that shipping data they have access to
11:15confirms that a second U.S.-sanctioned supertanker entered the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz
11:22despite a blockade and it is visiting Iranian ports.
11:26In fact, an Iranian vessel identified as a VLCC or a very large crude carrier capable of transporting two million
11:37barrels of oil
11:38entered Iranian waters without any concealment and its positioning device was turned on and not switched off.
11:46So, it wasn't a ghost-lead ship.
11:48It travelled across the open sea, through the Strait of Hormuz.
11:53Iranian media insists that the tanker, which is on the U.S. sanctions list,
11:58maintained active positioning signals throughout the journey.
12:02They went on to say, and I quote,
12:04This supertanker, capable of carrying two million barrels of crude oil by keeping its positioning system on effectively,
12:12challenged the sanctions and threats of the U.S. terrorist army and reached its destination without the slightest disturbance.
12:20Unquote, FAR's agency has reported this.
12:25So, let's try and make sense of these developments.
12:28Joining me on India first is Major Mike Lyons.
12:32Major Mike Lyons is a retired U.S. Army Major, a military analyst.
12:37He joins us from New York.
12:38Major Lyons, welcome.
12:40Ryan Ball is a senior Middle East analyst at RAIN Network, Risk Assistance Network.
12:46Joins us on the show.
12:48Sandeep Unnitan, my colleague, with me on this.
12:51Major Lyons, military build-up does take time.
12:54U.S. may be talking peace, but is it systematically building up for a bigger offensive, as some experts argue?
13:03USS George W. Bush, the aircraft carrier strike group, some reports seem to indicate,
13:08is now crossing the Cape of Good Hope and heading to this region, sir.
13:13Yeah, a military blockade is a difficult mission from the Navy,
13:18and that's why they're moving more aircraft, another aircraft carrier to the location, and it has to be resupplied.
13:25The Navy is going to do all it can to make sure it has all the assets in theater ready
13:29to go.
13:30This is all about leverage that the president is looking to apply to the Iranian officials,
13:35that once the ceasefire is over, if the United States decides to start combat operations again, they could do that.
13:42So I'm not surprised.
13:43This is what we're doing to plan for the worst possible situation.
13:46The blockade also likely has some leaks in it.
13:49It's not perfect.
13:50Perfection is the enemy of good enough at this point.
13:52But again, this is all about positioning U.S. forces in an area in order to give the president the
13:57leverage he needs for the negotiation.
13:59But is this coercion? Is this like Bismarck's gunboat diplomacy coerce Iran into accepting any negotiated settlement?
14:08Or is there a bigger plan to take control, let's say, of either the mouth of the state of Hormuz
14:15or the Khark Island and Iranian oil?
14:18No, I think it's a great analogy. It is somewhat gunboat diplomacy.
14:21It's frankly what the Chinese have tried to do the past few years if they've built up their naval presence.
14:26The United States is behind, actually, in shipbuilding.
14:29But being able to apply naval forces to this space right now gives us that opportunity to coerce the Iranians
14:36into what we would like to do.
14:37Now, I'd like to think the president is going to give the Iranians enough wiggle room, negotiation room.
14:42This is not necessarily our way or nothing.
14:45There will be some face-saving things that will be given to the Iranians for the hardliners that are there.
14:50And I think the smartest thing the Iranians could do is try to align itself with the United States right
14:56now.
14:57The United States has recognized that Russia and China can no longer support its proxy there in Iran.
15:02And it would be smart for the Iranians to do a deal with the United States and move forward in
15:05that direction.
15:06So, yeah, gunboat diplomacy, and that's exactly right, from 100 and something, 20 years ago.
15:11But that's exactly what it's—the world hasn't changed, the geography hasn't changed, and that's what's happening.
15:15So, that's an important point to make, that Russia and China are unable to help Iran.
15:21That's the American assessment.
15:23But Ryan Boll, the aircraft carrier strike group hasn't taken the Suez Canal route.
15:29It hasn't come through via Bab al-Mandab.
15:32Is that an indication that the Bab al-Mandab choke point threat is being taken very seriously?
15:37Or the aircraft carrier strike group with the aircraft would anyways take the Cape of Good Hope route to West
15:45Asia?
15:46Well, I think that the Bab al-Mandab threat is a serious one.
15:50It's hard to tell exactly what the threshold would be for the Houthis to intervene in the war,
15:54in part because the Houthis are an independent actor.
15:58They're an ally of the Iranians, a partner of the Iranians.
16:00They don't act like a proxy, the way that Hezbollah does in Lebanon.
16:04And that creates some uncertainty as to what their action would be going forward.
16:08So, there is probably a security element of this, of avoiding the strait,
16:12in order to provide security for the aircraft carrier.
16:15After all, it doesn't take a big incident to sideline one of these carriers.
16:20The Ford, for example, it was an accident that caused a fire that's now waylaid that carrier for a significant
16:26amount of time.
16:27So, I think for the sake of risk aversion and the uncertainty surrounding Houthi behavior,
16:32it was simply safer to go around Africa at the moment.
16:36Now, if the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier strike group is seen as risk-averse, Sandeep,
16:44what's the signal to merchant vessels in the region?
16:48The VLCCs, the very large gas carriers or oil carriers and tankers,
16:55the situation already appears very alarming.
16:59Well, the shipping companies, they have this risk approach where they want 0% risk.
17:05Not 1%, not 2%.
17:06They want 0% risk or they won't transit these locations.
17:10Now, at the moment, the Houthis are not striking targets in the Red Sea.
17:14So, traffic is still going forward normally.
17:16The Americans were not willing to necessarily put a target in that area because it's not necessary for their military
17:23plans to have that level of urgency to get the carrier there that quickly.
17:27But at the same time, the shipping companies are simply waiting for action on the ground
17:31and reassurances from those primary actors like the Iranians that they won't be a target of strikes.
17:37And because they have that high-risk aversion, that's where shipping gets paralyzed.
17:41And we can think back to World War II and the merchant marines.
17:44There were significant casualties there in the convoy system.
17:47Shippers back then were willing to accept that as the price of the war effort.
17:52They're not willing to do so right now.
17:54So, they're waiting for a clear diplomatic signal from the Iranians, from the Americans,
17:57that there is some sort of normalization of Hormuz before they resume normal operations.
18:03But honestly, there is an open question of if this continues for months,
18:06will shippers continue to have that 0% risk with their crews trapped behind the Gulf?
18:11That, I think, is an open question.
18:13Oh, that is the cause for real concern, Sandeep, isn't it?
18:17Merchant shipping would be very, very worried.
18:20And prices then, sadly, will only go up with this uncertainty.
18:25Yeah, I think, what do I want to do with this?
18:31...missiles and drones to target merchant shipping.
18:34We saw that in 2023.
18:36Their attacks peaked in 2024, and 2025 is when they subsided again.
18:41But who knows whether they could be actually preparing for a fresh round of attacks on merchant ships,
18:46because merchant ships are slow-moving.
18:48They move at, you know, 8, 10 knots.
18:51That's how, you know, they're designed for moving at economical speed.
18:55Whereas for a carrier strike group, they move their high-speed transit is what protects them, 20 knots plus.
19:02And the reason why the carrier, as you mentioned, has taken the Cape of Good Hope,
19:07which is 10 days extra, is because of that Suez Canal passage,
19:11where the carrier, the George Bush, would have to, you know,
19:16mandatorily go down to about 8 or 10 knots in a very narrow stretch of that state.
19:21And that's where it would virtually be sitting ducked.
19:24Most vulnerable, absolutely.
19:25Okay, stay with me.
19:26There's breaking news coming in.
19:28And is there hope for peace?
19:30U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken to the President of Lebanon,
19:35according to reports in U.S. media.
19:37This comes after Lebanese officials told Washington, D.C.
19:41that President will not speak to Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, after what's happened.
19:48Remember, right now, the conversation so far was between diplomats.
19:53Again, the first contact in over three decades between the ambassador of Lebanon and the ambassador of Israel.
20:00They met in Washington, D.C., Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State.
20:04He facilitated this conversation and then there was a conversation that it will be escalated to the summit level.
20:11There would be a conversation, but the President of Lebanon did not speak to the Prime Minister of Israel,
20:17especially at a time when Israel insists it will continue its military offensive in the southern part of Lebanon.
20:24They continue to try and secure that area, have at least a 10-kilometer buffer zone between forces of Hezbollah
20:34targeting northern part of Israel.
20:38But this actually brings us to another point.
20:41And Major Lyons, I want to expand this debate to epic fury, economic fury.
20:48In the line of fire is not just Iran, but it's also China.
20:53Is the United States initially indirectly, but subsequently directly taking on China?
20:59First, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that impacts energy supplies to China directly,
21:03and then U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson's warning to put secondary sanctions on Chinese banks
21:10if there is evidence of Iranian money flowing through them?
21:14No question that there's leverage being applied against China right now.
21:18Look, the China energy strategy started going south when the United States had the Venezuela operation.
21:24China didn't have necessarily the access to the billions of oil that was in reserve there.
21:30And now you multiply that by what's going on in Iran, and China's energy security is, frankly, threatened here.
21:37And the way the United States works and the way this president works is all about leverage once again.
21:41And he's warned China about not sending kinetic arms to the Iranians,
21:46even the small, the anti-aircraft defense missiles and stuff that he could send there.
21:50So, yes, China's security is threatened in a lot of different manners.
21:54And I'm a little bit concerned about those secondary sanctions because that, frankly,
21:57could then hurt the Indian market as well as other things and other trickle-down impact comes from that.
22:03So, this is, again, all about the president applying leverage to where he wants to have the upper hand
22:08when he talks to China in a month.
22:10He wants an upper hand when he talks to China.
22:13But does the U.S. ultimately want to take on China in your military assessment
22:18and not let China be that superior emerging, you know, world power
22:24that can challenge the United States directly?
22:27Or Trump doesn't want to go the whole way?
22:30Venezuela oil, as you rightly pointed out, so he curtailed supplies to China in Venezuela.
22:35Now he's trying to curtail it in China.
22:37What's the larger game plan?
22:38Is this leverage for that rare earths material?
22:42No, there's no interest for the United States to take on China militarily.
22:45I think you have almost a conventional, mutually assured destruction that would take place.
22:50That would not be beneficial to either country, to the world.
22:53That would be scorched earth.
22:55I don't see, I don't even see the United States, frankly.
22:58I know it's ambiguous for a policy perspective, but for what's happening in Taiwan.
23:02But right now, let's say the Chinese don't even have the energy necessarily to take on Taiwan
23:06if they wanted to go militarily there.
23:08But the United States is not interested in any manner taking on China from a military perspective.
23:13But they are from an economic perspective, because from Trump's side of the world,
23:17that's what the United States wants to project power.
23:19You know, America First does not stop at the borders of America.
23:23It projects power throughout the world for our allies.
23:25Our allies want us to do this.
23:27Our allies want us to project power in this manner as well.
23:31Ryan Ball, is this likely to escalate into greater U.S.-China tensions?
23:37Is China in a position to directly challenge the United States, either militarily or otherwise?
23:45The Chinese aren't well positioned to do a direct confrontation.
23:48They've been very reactive to American moves.
23:50And we've seen that through the trade wars, through maneuvers where the U.S. is providing arms to Taiwan.
23:56Even with Iran, which is a notable energy partner for the Chinese, the Chinese are still being quite reactive in
24:03this.
24:03Because, after all, their laser focus is on Taiwan.
24:05It's on their own internal stability and economic development.
24:08That means that they have not yet gained that great power look of viewing things from further abroad or a
24:14few steps ahead.
24:15So I do, you know, I agree with your other guests.
24:18It would be not only mutual military destruction, but mutual economic destruction for the Chinese if they directly confronted the
24:24U.S.
24:24But if Trump is coming into this meeting with Xi Jinping believing, look, we've cut off your energy, we now
24:30control the Strait of Hormuz, you need to give us concessions on the trade front,
24:34that could be a recipe for the Chinese to move back into a retaliatory position on the trade front for
24:40things like rare earths that they do have leverage on,
24:42as well as exports to the United States in an attempt to pressure the Americans economically such as they did
24:48last year.
24:49So it's leverage versus leverage, the Chinese leverage of rare earth versus the American leverage on energy that President Trump
24:57hopes to acquire.
24:58But Sandeep, the current peace talks where Pakistan is, you know, one day in Iran, the next day in Washington,
25:06D.C.
25:06with their prime minister traveling to Saudi Arabia, to Doha, likely to go to Turkey.
25:12Are these peace talks an excuse while the U.S. builds up once again, epic fury plus economic fury?
25:20Is that a change in tactics for the U.S., that military pressure plus economic pressure on Iran?
25:25Yes, absolutely, Gaurav.
25:26You know, they've looked at boots on the ground in Iran, you know, possibly capturing the islands,
25:34using that as leverage, possibly launching special forces missions into Iran to capture that nuclear, highly enriched nuclear material.
25:44But all of those seem to have been given up now.
25:46And this is a low cost option as far as the United States is concerned.
25:50Build up pressure in the Arabian Sea, play on your strengths, which is the ability to mass, you know, forces,
25:57which is carrier strike groups, amphibious ready groups, far, you know, beyond the brown waters that Iran controls.
26:04So they're, you know, applying pressure there.
26:06And meanwhile, you have Pakistan that's, you know, a useful agent that's doing your bidding,
26:12you know, running around, you know, carrying your messages to and fro from Tehran.
26:16I mean, these are kind of things that few self-respecting countries would do.
26:20But Pakistan clearly is in a spot, it needs the money, it needs the IMF, World Bank loans to keep
26:27its economy going.
26:28So Pakistan never loses an opportunity to make money when there's a crisis.
26:34And what better, you know, option for them than this global crisis that's enveloped West Asia,
26:40where they can, you know, play these, you know, useful messenger boys and make some money in the bargain.
26:45Oh, absolutely. It's already got $5 billion and then another $3 billion from Saudi Arabia.
26:50Now it hopes to get more from the IMF.
26:53Now, Iran, meanwhile, is actually projecting a very strong posture of resilience
27:00and perhaps rising from the ashes, even as tensions remain extremely high in the region.
27:05So I want you to look at that railway bridge that you see on your television screen.
27:09Tehran says the damaged Aminabad railway bridge.
27:12Now, that is in Zanjan area that's been rebuilt and rebuilt in just four days.
27:19Within days, it was struck by the United States and Israel.
27:23Iran says we've rebuilt that bridge.
27:25Now, according to Iranian authorities, about 35 metres of the bridge deck
27:29and about 150 metres of the railway track, they were destroyed in the airstrikes, in the missile strikes.
27:35Officials insist railway connectivity has been fully restored and checked,
27:40calling it rapid reconstruction effort and a sign of the country's infrastructure, resilience.
27:47And Sandeep, that's a very big message Iran is sending out.
27:50It anyway requires the rail route.
27:53And you and I, we've spoken of that rail route that goes into Central Asia,
27:59then connects to China.
28:01That's that wider network that Iran wants to keep open, Sandeep.
28:06And, you know, the fact is that the route through Turkmenistan that, you know, resupplies Iran
28:13could become very important in the days ahead, given the fact that Iran has no access to the sea now.
28:19All its ports are pretty much, you know, landlocked now.
28:24They have no access to the sea.
28:26And therefore, possibly they're looking at, you know, using the land routes for their essential supplies.
28:31And their railways become really important.
28:34There are other routes, of course, as you mentioned.
28:36The Caspian is one route where they've used, you know, to resupply, supply weapons to and fro the Russian Federation.
28:44They have three ports on the Caspian where they've used, which they've used to resupply themselves.
28:51That could become important in the days ahead.
28:53So, Iran is, you know, exploring all its options, Gaurav.
28:56You know, the biggest thing that they have done in the last 40-odd days is regime survival, Gaurav.
29:01And that was the number one goal before the United States.
29:04It was to decapitate the regime.
29:06That has not happened.
29:07So, now the U.S. has moved on to the other big asks, like the highly enriched uranium reopening.
29:14So, they may claim a regime change has happened.
29:15America may claim that.
29:17But the regime clearly has survived.
29:19Perhaps has taken a generational shift.
29:21There's more breaking news coming in.
29:23And this is coming in closer home.
29:25The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, he's spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
29:31The French President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a long discussion, we are told, on the West Asia situation.
29:37In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, discussed West Asia crisis with Macron.
29:44The Prime Minister said, Hormuz must be reopened.
29:48Hormuz must be reopened.
29:51Modi-Macron urged dialogue over West Asia war.
29:55Both India and France have repeatedly said it's only through dialogue and diplomacy that countries must move forward.
30:04And we'll talk about this in greater detail.
30:08Forced namaz, religious coercion, attempted conversion, sexual abuse.
30:15At least nine FIRs have now been filed.
30:18Charges include forcing Hindu employees to offer namaz, religious coercion, attempted conversion, sexual and mental abuse.
30:29The seven accused, including Danish Sheikh, Arif Ansari, Shahrukh Khureshi, Shafi Sheikh, Raza Meman, Tawseef Attaar.
30:42Most of them were team leaders.
30:45Now, they've been arrested, they've been taken into custody.
30:49The alleged mastermind, the human resource manager at TCS in Nasik, Nida Khan, is still absconding.
30:59Major developments coming in on the alleged TCS BPO conversion ring case.
31:04A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court urging Suomutu cognizance on religious conversions.
31:11The plea claims the alleged racket has shaken the conscience of the nation and points to what it calls is
31:17an organized pattern of religious conversions.
31:21The petition urges the Supreme Court to issue directions to curb deceitful and forced conversions, terming them a serious threat
31:28to the country.
31:29The petition argues that when carried out in a systematic and coercive manner, such acts could amount to a terrorist
31:39act and a larger conspiracy.
31:42It also claims such campaigns may be foreign funded with the intent to disturb India's unity and demographic balance.
31:50The plea reminds that freedom of religion is subject to public order and morality.
31:55It seeks strict action by the centre and the states, including setting up of special courts to deal with these
32:02forced conversion-related cases.
32:04TCS has issued an official statement over the allegations and the ongoing investigations.
32:10The TCS statement reads, and I quote,
32:13TCS has a long-standing zero tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any form.
32:20We have always ensured the highest standards of safety and well-being of our employees at workplace.
32:26As soon as we were made aware of the matter in Nashik, we took swift action.
32:31The employees being investigated have been suspended pending inquiry.
32:35We are cooperating with local law enforcement authorities and any further action will be based on the conclusion of this
32:42investigation, unquote.
32:44Preliminary findings indicate seven male accused allegedly operated in a coordinated manner, targeting Hindu employees, particularly women.
32:57At least nine victims have come forward detailing what they described as sustained mental and even physical harassment.
33:06India today has spoken to two of the victims.
33:09A male employee in his complaint said he was forced, coerced to wear a skullcap, forced to offer namaz, recite
33:19the kalma.
33:20Repeatedly pressured to abandon his faith by his colleagues, Tawseef Akhtar and Danish Sheikh.
33:29He further claims he was deliberately overburdened with work, singled out for his religious identity and subjected to derogatory remarks
33:39about Hindu devis and devtas, Hindu deities.
33:43This alleged harassment, he says, went beyond the workplace and it turned deeply personal.
33:51He recounts being humiliated over his inability to have children with one accused allegedly making an obscene remark suggesting that
33:59he send his wife to them if he wanted a child.
34:04A female survivor in India today also spoke to a female survivor.
34:09Detailed her ordeal in an interview to India today.
34:12She said she first met Danish Sheikh in January 2022 when he promised her a job.
34:21Their interaction increased over time.
34:24Frequent meetings because he helped her get a job.
34:27In July 2022, she claims Danish forcibly kissed her, pushed for a relationship, even speaking of marriage despite her resistance.
34:37Over time, she alleges Danish, along with Tawseef and Nida Khan began meeting her together and attempted to influence her.
34:46She claims repeated pressure was exerted on her to convert to Islam with assertions that Islam was superior to the
34:55religion she followed.
34:56The survivor then says that in 2024, Dhanish forced physical relations, Tawseef threatened her, attempted to assault her and behaved
35:07inappropriately inside office premises.
35:11She also insists that the accused threatened to leak private photographs if she refused to convert.
35:18There are many other layers to this shocking story.
35:22We will discuss more about that and as more details come in, we will get you the latest.
35:27But first, India Today's Devesh Singh with this report.
35:36TCS, India's biggest IT company, is in the eye of a scandal involving serious allegations of sexual harassment and religious
35:45conversion attempts.
35:48India Today has accessed the complaint filed by the male survivor which details the harassment faced by him.
35:56The complainant alleges he was forced to read namas and kalma.
36:00He claims the accused abused Hindu gods and rituals.
36:05The survivor alleges he was made to wear a skull cap.
36:08He alleges that he and his wife were mocked for not being able to conceive.
36:13The victim also claimed that he was told to convert during his father's paralysis.
36:19A female survivor has levelled similar allegations against the accused.
36:27She alleges that the suspect, Danish, forced physical relations on her in 2024, while another suspect, Tosif, threatened and attempted
36:37to sexually assault her.
36:39The survivor has accused Danish, Tosif and Nidha Khan of sustained harassment, religious coercion and physical exploitation.
36:49Police have intensified the probe.
36:51Seven accused have been nabbed, while the main accused, HR manager, Nidha Khan, remains absconding.
37:18Meanwhile, the TCS BPO office, where the alleged crimes happened, has been shut.
37:25And you can see behind me, there is heavy police deployment done at the campus.
37:31Nidha Khan, who was also an employee at the same TCS BPO at Nashik, accused of attempted conversion, accused of
37:41hurting religious sentiments of other employees,
37:45has now approached court seeking anticipate rebel.
37:49She is still wanted in the case.
38:17The case has dented the image of India's top IT firm.
38:20While the TCS has ordered an in-house inquiry, it is silent on how the alleged crimes went undetected for
38:27such a long time.
38:28With Deviesh Singh, Bureau Report, India Today.
38:36And joining me now with the latest is India Today's Deviesh Singh, who's been tracking the story very closely in
38:42Ground Zero.
38:43Also with me is Shishpal Vaid, former Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, for a wider perspective on this
38:49story.
38:50Deviesh, you spoke to Shah Rukh's wife and she says there is no corroborative evidence.
38:57Is there any evidence to suggest that there was a forced conversion racket that was on at TCS?
39:03Is this just based on the statements of the victims and survivors and what more do we know of those
39:1178 emails and chats?
39:13What corroborative evidence, if at all, do they have?
39:21Well, Gaurav, as of now, the complaint, the FIR, the first information report has been registered on the basis of
39:28the complaint statement that has been made by the complainants.
39:33The victims who revealed or who narrated their ordeal to the police and that is how the FIR was registered.
39:42Also, it should be remembered that police, after receiving the first complaint, the first inputs regarding the complaint,
39:49they had sent four or five police constables, lady police constables undercover to work as housekeeping staff at the BPO
39:59office.
39:59After these police constables worked there for a brief period, they noticed, they noticed the advances,
40:08they noticed that this kind of treatment was happening to the victims.
40:14People were, the subordinates of these team leaders were targeted for conversion, they were being harassed sexually,
40:21there were lewd remarks passed on them.
40:23That was reported back by the police constables and that is when, after that, the police FIR was registered.
40:31After that, the first FIR was registered.
40:33Other than that, in terms of evidence, police is saying that they are getting the help of forensic experts
40:39and all the mobile phones of the accused persons are being scanned for WhatsApp chats.
40:47These WhatsApp chats, many of which they have also deleted, that has also been learned that many chats have been
40:53deleted.
40:54But with the help of forensic experts, these chats will be retrieved and that will be used as key evidence
41:01in the case
41:02that will be built against the accused by the police, by the special investigation team.
41:07Other than that, there will be witness statements.
41:10Where is Nida Khan? Has Nida Khan joined investigations?
41:12The police are not only speaking.
41:13Okay.
41:18Well, Nida Khan is still at large.
41:20She is wanted and she is shown as wanted in the first FIR, in the primary FIR that was registered.
41:27And also, we hear that she has moved for anticipatory bail at the Nashik court.
41:32But hearing is yet to happen on her anticipatory bail application.
41:36But she remains at large.
41:37Her whereabouts are not known and police has launched a manhunt to nab her.
41:42She remains at large.
41:43Keep tracking that story.
41:45I will come back to you for more.
41:46I want to bring in Mr. Vaidh into this conversation.
41:49Mr. Vaidh, there is a special investigation team that has been formed.
41:52And that found incidents at TCS Nashik which spanned from 2022 to 2026.
41:58So, that is a four-year-long period.
42:00From the law enforcement standpoint, what does a four-year pattern of unreported or unaddressed harassment tell us about this
42:10racket perhaps operating with impunity?
42:12Four years, there should be enough corroborative evidence?
42:17Good evening, Gaurav, to you and to your viewers.
42:21See, the investigation which was conducted by the DCP and how she had put her own lady constables as implies
42:36in the TCS.
42:37And then CCTV footage was taken.
42:41I think the digital evidence should be quite speaking.
42:46It will help the investigation.
42:48In addition, I think the digital evidence in terms of laptops, in terms of mobile, the so-called close WhatsApp
43:02group which they were conversing, targeting the young girls.
43:06So, all those things will actually become part of the investigation and will definitely be very crucial evidence.
43:15What are the instructions Nida Khan was giving or were they conversing who to target as per what I have
43:22not interacted with any investigating police officers.
43:26Sir, what I want to understand from you is, on the one hand, you have Maharashtra Minister Nitish Rane who
43:33calls this corporate jihad.
43:35On the other hand, you have one of the accused's wife who says it's an affair gone sour and several
43:44unrelated cases have been put together to give out this impression that there was a grooming gang that was operating.
43:52You know, how will police investigations, in your view, bridge the gap?
43:57I mean, was this an affair gone wrong?
43:59Is it being blown out of proportion that it's corporate jihad?
44:03Or does it appear to be a very serious case of a grooming gang operating in one of the country's
44:10most reputed companies?
44:13Gaurav, I'm sorry, I don't think it is a love affair gone astray or something.
44:21It appears to be what I have seen in the media, an organised way of grooming gang, the kind you
44:30see in UK.
44:33It is, in fact, the kind of stories which I am seeing on the social media, the narration these victims
44:44have been putting on.
44:47It shows very, very, very, very well organised and it comes out of the mentality of, you know, what we
44:53have seen,
44:54Kya Naam Thoos Ka Baba, what, Jinguur Baba in UP.
44:59Remember?
45:00Yeah.
45:00Oh, absolutely.
45:02I remember that, then Mia Mithu in Pakistan, then the, you know, the UK grooming gangs.
45:08Absolutely.
45:09It actually emanates from that ideology which believes in not only jihad but Ghazbae Hinn.
45:17And what actually needs to be done, seen is, during the investigation, who was behind all this?
45:24After all, the inputs are also coming that these girls were to be not only converted, raped, but trafficked to
45:34Malaysia.
45:34What is the Malaysia angle?
45:36What is the Malaysia angle?
45:36Yes.
45:37The NIA now has stepped in.
45:39They should see what were the linkages between the Nida Khan and somebody handling her and Malaysia.
45:49And also, the linkage between, I am told, the Delhi blast accused, the doctor, some, I am not getting her
46:02name, lady doctor from now.
46:03You know, we are still waiting for confirmation on that, though there has been some conversation.
46:10But, you know, on India today, we only gave out information that has been verified by the police and given
46:16out by the police on this, sir.
46:17And we'll come back to you on this.
46:19But you're absolutely right.
46:21It's very, very distressing.
46:22And perhaps that's the reason that the National Investigation Agency and the Anti-Terror Squad both are being roped in
46:28to probe a wider network.
46:30Mr. Vaith, for joining me here on India today, many thanks.
46:32There's breaking news coming in.
46:34This is from the suburbs of the national capital, Delhi.
46:39This is coming in from Noida.
46:40And it's a very big claim that's been made by the Uttar Pradesh police in connection with the violence that
46:46we saw earlier this week in Greater Noida, Noida Phase 2, in one of the sectors of Noida.
46:52There is a Pakistan angle that's currently under investigation in the Noida violence case.
46:59That's the information that's just coming in.
47:00On the day of the violence, two X handles, apparently, based out of that state sponsor of Radical Islamist terror,
47:09were almost non-stop fueling the unrest, according to the Uttar Pradesh police.
47:14Both handles were being operated from Pakistan.
47:18The names are Ansui Tiwari and Ilyas, Meer Ilyas.
47:24They fueled unrest on X.
47:26This is the cyber cell of the Noida police and following the circulation of posts, tensions actually escalated on ground.
47:34Were there elements on ground who were operating in tandem with this is a matter of investigation.
47:40An aggressive crowd resorted initially to stone pelting, attacked people on ground.
47:44Vehicles were damaged.
47:46Property, both public and private, was vandalized.
47:49Vehicles were set on fire.
47:51During investigations, authorities sought details of account users from social media platform and carried out independent technical analysis.
47:59And the probe found that both X handles were being operated from Pakistan.
48:04Investigators also found the VPN service were used to conceal real identity and mastery origin of the posts.
48:10Officials believe similar attempts were made to incite unrest even earlier by the same handles.
48:19The findings have raised fresh concerns over the role of cross-border misinformation and disinformation campaign, triggering law and order
48:27situation in India.
48:29I quickly want to cut across to my colleague, Arvind Ojha who joins us with the latest.
48:34foreign
48:47foreign
48:49foreign
48:49उसकी से चलने कार्टेंटanız रहा था और पूसलिक प्रोस्ट के उपर decision ukp
49:02अबर नीन सोचिसल मीडिया एक्स पर पोस्ट कीजा गया जिस्में ये बताया गया कि लोड़ में वरकर्स के उपर
49:11attack
49:11and there were 14 people
49:12who died
49:13and 33 people
49:14who died
49:15after this message
49:16after all the protesters
49:19were in the middle of the week
49:21very much
49:22and after all the people
49:25were in the back
49:25and after all the police
49:26who died
49:27when the two media handle
49:30which is the one
49:33one is Anushi Tivari
49:35Proud Indian
49:36and the other is Mir Elias
49:38when he comes to the cyber sale
49:40foreign
50:11There's more breaking news coming in.
50:13In a major development that's coming in from across the border in Pakistan,
50:17a top Lashkar-e Taiba terrorist, in fact, the co-founder of Lashkar-e Taiba, Aamir Hamza,
50:22has been critically injured after being shot at by unidentified gunmen in Lahore.
50:29Reports say this attack took place outside a local news channel office.
50:34He was at the local news TV office as Hamza stepped out.
50:38Unknown gunmen approached his vehicle.
50:42They fired, they opened fire, multiple shots were fired in his direction.
50:48He was rushed to a nearby hospital where reports from Pakistan seem to suggest he is critical.
50:54Incidentally, Hamza, the man that you see on your television screen, Aamir Hamza,
50:58he's one of the founding members of the Pakistan-based UN-designated banned terrorist organization Lashkar-e Taiba.
51:05He's been a close aide of a UN-designated global terrorist, Hafiz Mohamed Saeed,
51:11one of the key accused of 2611 Mumbai terror attacks.
51:15Hamza, incidentally, has been linked to operations of Lashkar-e Taiba and their propaganda.
51:21He was designated a terrorist by the United States.
51:24He's said to be involved in several terror incidents in India and his current role was indoctrination and raising funds
51:34for recruitment of Lashkar-e Taiba.
51:36Now, this incident is being seen as a targeted attack, though the identity of the attackers remains unknown.
51:42These unknown gunmen, they fled the scene after the shooting.
51:47And this incident actually adds to a growing list of terrorists wanted in India being targeted in Pakistan and Pakistan
51:56-occupied Kashmir.
51:58Take, for example, in March this year, Mohamed Tahir Anwar, the brother of Jaishya Mohamed Chief Masood Azhar.
52:05Now, he was found dead in rather mysterious circumstances in Bahawalpur, in Pakistan's Punjab province, the southern part of Pakistan's
52:13Punjab province.
52:13Then a year earlier, this was in March 2025, and we're showing you some of those images.
52:18Abu Katal, a close aide of Hafiz Saeed, he was shot dead again by unknown gunmen in Pakistan's Punjab province.
52:25Then in March 2024, Sheikh Jamil al-Rahman, the Secretary General of the United Jihad Council, he was found dead
52:33under rather mysterious circumstances.
52:35This happened in Abbottabad. Abbottabad is right next to Pakistan Military Academy in Karkul.
52:40Incidentally, Abbottabad is where Osama bin Laden was also found and killed by US forces.
52:46Then in October 2023, Shahid Latif, believed to be the mastermind of the 2016 Pathan court attack,
52:52he was gunned down by unknown gunmen. This happened in Sialkor the same month.
52:57Daud Malik, again one of the founders of Lashkar-e-Jabbar, he was shot dead by unknown gunmen.
53:04This, of course, happened in North Waziristan.
53:06And when you look at the map of Pakistan, there's hardly a province where unknown gunmen haven't gone and killed
53:12terrorists wanted in India.
53:13It seems no part of Pakistan is safe.
53:16Then in September 2023, Ziaur Rehman, Ziaur Rehman incidentally is the man who was accused of radicalizing youth to take
53:23up arms.
53:23He was killed by unidentified bike-borne assailants and this happened in Karachi.
53:28I once again want to bring in my colleague to, okay, we'll try and get you more on this story.
53:37But look at the number of killings that are happening in Pakistan.
53:41May 2023, Pakistan-based Khalistani terrorist Paramjit Singh Panjivar, he was gunned down again by unidentified gunmen in Lahore.
53:51Now, we'll track that story very, very closely.
53:54But that is all I have for you on India First this evening.
53:58Many thanks for watching.
53:59News and updates continue on India Today.
54:01Stay with us.
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