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The United States has initiated its largest military build-up in West Asia since the Iraq War, deploying three aircraft carrier strike groups, nuclear submarines, and destroyers near the Strait of Hormuz.
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00:01Good evening, you're watching India First. I'm Gaurav Savan. For the first time in decades,
00:07the United States has three aircraft carrier strike groups in West Asia. More than a dozen
00:13warships, submarines, minesweepers, amphibious assault vehicles and ships, 200 aircraft,
00:23more than 15,000 additional sailors. They're all now deployed in West Asia. And this is the first
00:29time incidentally, since the 2003 Iraq war, that America has deployed so many assets in this region.
00:37How should one read this? Are we looking at round two of Operation Epic Fury? Or is this just a
00:44very
00:44massive show of strength in the Strait of Hormuz, around the Strait of Hormuz to ensure that Iran
00:50reopens the Strait of Hormuz? Is it an attempt to browbeat Iran into dialogue that Pakistan claims
00:57may happen very soon? A third U.S. aircraft carrier, that's USS George Bush, along with its
01:06Aale-Burg-class destroyers, with its Virginia-class submarines, they've now reached waters not very
01:13far from Iran. The carrier was moving along the eastern coast of Africa. So it didn't come in
01:21through the Strait of, you know, the Cape of, it came via Cape of Good Hope. It did not take
01:26the Suez Canal, did not
01:27come through Bab al-Mandab, but it came via the Cape of Good Hope. Crossed the coast of Africa, came
01:35into the
01:36Indian Ocean region and has now joined USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln, already in the Mediterranean Sea
01:45and the Red Sea
01:46areas respectively. Just a short while from now, I'll explain in detail the entire U.S. Navy deployment
01:53in the region and why it is so significant. But before that, there's breaking news coming in and this is
01:59information
01:59that's coming in from Pakistan. Pakistani government sources are saying Iran's Foreign Minister,
02:06Syed Abbas Araqchi, may arrive in Islamabad later tonight. But he is also travelling to Oman's capital,
02:13Muscat and the Russian capital Moscow. Earlier today, Iran's Foreign Minister held a telephonic
02:21conversation with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishak Dar. Reports say Pakistan is
02:27confident there will be a breakthrough in talks. Now, whether the American delegation will also fly for
02:36this briefing or there are some papers that are being exchanged. We are still waiting for more clarity on this
02:43subject. Why? Because U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hexit says the ball is now in Iran's court. It's time
02:49for Iran to strike a deal.
02:52But Iran does not have indefinite. Time is running out for Tehran. He said a blockade will remain in place
03:00as long as it takes.
03:01He's described this current moment as a historic opportunity for Iran to arrive at a serious agreement with the United
03:10States of America.
03:11Remember, Iran had said, remove the blockade and then we turn. America says sign a deal, then we remove a
03:19blockade.
03:20U.S. media is reporting that Iran has now dropped more mines in the Strait of Hormuz this week.
03:26This is very important given that Pentagon had informed the Congress that they would take at least more than six
03:33months,
03:33at least another six months, once the war is over, to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz.
03:39So, there is a tit-for-tat response to Iran seizing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
03:45The U.S. says its forces have boarded a sanctioned ship carrying Iranian oil.
03:51The U.S. Department of Defense or the Department of War, as Pete Hexit calls his new department,
03:56they've said in a statement that they've carried out a maritime interdiction on Majestic X.
04:05We'll get you more on that.
04:07Now, just listen in to what Pete Hexit is saying.
04:11Listen in to what the United States is saying.
04:12I'll get you more on this story.
04:31President Trump has authorized the United States Navy to destroy any Iranian fast boats that attempt to put mines in
04:38the water
04:38or disrupt passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
04:41To shoot and kill.
04:42President Trump has authorized the United States Navy to destroy any Iranian fast boats that attempt to put mines in
04:49the water
04:49or disrupt passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
04:52To shoot and kill.
04:54In this new phase, as Iran has an important choice, a chance to make a deal.
05:00A good deal.
05:01A wise deal.
05:03As part of that effort, the United States has imposed an ironclad blockade
05:08that grows more powerful by the day.
05:12Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely.
05:15As we said previously, choose wisely at the negotiating table.
05:19A blockade as long as it takes.
05:23Whatever President Trump decides.
05:26The choice is theirs, but with this blockade, the clock is not on their side.
05:34The choice is theirs.
05:37The ball is in their court.
05:39This is what America says about Iran.
05:42The U.S. has intercepted multiple ships after imposing a blockade on the maritime traffic entering
05:47and leaving Iranian ports.
05:49This happened on the 13th of April.
05:5133 vessels have been asked to either turn back since the blockade began
05:55or not leave the ports at all.
05:58Iranian ports.
05:59From other ports, they can come.
06:01Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Karth Greenweil says,
06:04Israel is prepared for a renewed war with Iran.
06:08They're just waiting for a green signal from U.S. President Donald Trump.
06:12And he spoke after a security assessment in Tel Aviv.
06:15So, Israel's cards is very clear.
06:17Israeli Defence Forces are already prepared,
06:22either for defensive action or offensive action.
06:25He claims targets have been identified.
06:28He said Israel is awaiting an approval from the White House
06:31to resume the conflict.
06:33There will be more intense targeting.
06:36And those people who are blocking dialogue,
06:40they will be targeted first.
06:42Israel's Defence Minister says,
06:44this time the attack will be different.
06:45It will be even more deadly.
06:48It will deliver devastating blows in the most sensitive areas in Iran.
06:53Israel is also threatened to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader,
06:57Mustafa Khamenei, openly stating he's among the targets awaiting President Trump's approval.
07:03Other targets include the IRGC Chief, Major General Wahidi.
07:09Because according to Israel,
07:11he's the one who's currently blocking dialogue and an agreement with the United States.
07:17There's enough evidence to suggest that the United States may be preparing for another assault.
07:23A full-blown, perhaps, even a ground attack in Iran.
07:27At the centre of this build-up is USS George W. Bush,
07:32a Nimitz-class nuclear-part aircraft carrier,
07:35part of the strike group.
07:37And it's already arrived in West Asia.
07:40Now, this warship alone carries a crew of about 5,000 sailors
07:44and air force personnel or naval aviators on board.
07:49It serves as a floating air base.
07:52It's capable of launching dozens of combat sorties every day.
07:56Its significance lies in its sustained power projection very far from continental America.
08:02It can strike targets deep inside enemy territory without relying on any land bases.
08:08Now, alongside is USS Abraham Lincoln.
08:12Again, a battle-tested Nimitz-class aircraft carrier,
08:15part of the strike group.
08:16Again, with a complement of 5,000 personnel.
08:19It's already deployed in the Arabian Sea.
08:21And even though it's decades old,
08:23it's still actively involved in major military operations.
08:26Now, normally, it carries between 70 to 90 aircraft.
08:31Capacity to carry more during emergencies.
08:33And these are not just F-A-18 Super Hornets, the fighter jets,
08:37but it also has the E-2Cs, the surveillance aircraft.
08:41It has communication aircraft.
08:43It has electronic warfare aircraft.
08:45It has anti-submarine helicopters.
08:47The ship has been part of multiple operations over years,
08:51including the Iraq War and Afghanistan War.
08:53It's carried out patrols and missions in the Pacific Ocean,
08:57currently deployed in West Asia.
08:59The US Navy can modify the carrier's air wing
09:02to include larger number of fighter jets
09:04or electronic warfare aircraft and surveillance aircraft.
09:08Completing this trio is the USS Gerald R. Ford,
09:12the most advanced aircraft carrier.
09:14This has a crew of between 4,500 and 5,000 sailors.
09:18It's currently in Red Sea.
09:20Remember, Gerald R. Ford had certain issues.
09:23It was built in 2017.
09:24It's the largest and the most powerful carrier.
09:27Unlike the Nimitz-class carrier,
09:28its capacity can carry up to 90
09:31and in some instances up to 100 fighter jets
09:34and other aircraft and helicopters.
09:36The carrier has a better flight deck design.
09:39It's again repositioned as the island structure.
09:44It also has the electromagnetic launch system, the EMALs.
09:49And that's, you have to see this in action,
09:52the way it can catapult an aircraft into the sky.
09:56The carrier can launch around 160 aircraft missions per day,
09:59which can go up to 270 missions in high-pressure situations.
10:03Now, supporting these carriers,
10:04the R.A. Berg-class guided missile destroyers,
10:08each armed to the teeth.
10:11Now, it's designed for what is known as MDO or multi-domain operations.
10:16The USS Spruance, it's already seen action.
10:19USS Michael Murphy, they're equipped with the AG's combat system.
10:24Now, that's capable of tracking and intercepting incoming ballistic missiles.
10:27So, that's the shield around the aircraft carrier strike group.
10:31Then, you have the USS Donald Cook and other aircraft,
10:35they have all a part of a layered defense system.
10:38They carry the Tomahawk cruise missiles.
10:40They can strike land targets hundreds of kilometers away with pinpoint accuracy.
10:46That's the capability of precision strikes.
10:49Then, you have the USS Winston Churchill and USS Frank Peterson Jr.,
10:55both capable of air defense and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
10:59So, that is, in a way, massive power projection against threats,
11:04both in the air, on surface, and subsurface.
11:09Protection from incoming torpedoes or the undersea drones.
11:13They create such a wide bubble around the aircraft carrier
11:17that there are multiple layers of protection of the aircraft carrier.
11:22USS Mason, USS Ross, they're, again, a part of the formation.
11:26They create a protective shield around the carrier.
11:29Each destroyer, typically, carries about 300 personnel,
11:33but more importantly, each is part of a node for a much larger integrated combat network.
11:40Now, this is network-centric warfare.
11:43One aircraft flying in the air sees something on its radar,
11:47conveys it down to the entire group, not just one strike group,
11:52but all the networks operate in tandem.
11:55Together, these nine ships ensure that the carriers are not exposed.
11:58They provide missile defense, air defense cover, anti-submarine screening,
12:02and, of course, offensive strike operations.
12:05Now, the real aim is the strike arm of the aircraft carrier.
12:10Over 200 fighter jets deployed across the three aircraft carrier strike groups.
12:17The backbone, of course, the F-A-18 Super Hornets.
12:20Multi-role fighter jets.
12:21They can conduct air superiority missions, air dominance missions, ground strikes,
12:26close air support missions.
12:28Then, the E-A-18G, the Growler, specialized electronic warfare aircraft.
12:33They can jam enemy radars, disable enemy's air defenses,
12:37and create an opening for strike missions to just slice through enemy air defenses.
12:42And then, of course, the sword arm of the United States Air Force and Navy,
12:47the F-35s.
12:49The F-35 Bravo and the F-35 Charlies.
12:52The Lightning II.
12:52Fifth generation stealth fighters.
12:54Significance lies in the ability to penetrate heavily defended airspace undetected.
13:00Why?
13:00Because they are the fifth generation stealth fighters.
13:03They gather intelligence.
13:05And they have the ability to strike high-value targets with pinpoint accuracy.
13:11Then, the E-2C and the E-2D Hawkeye.
13:15They act as eyes in the sky.
13:18Airborne, early warning, and command and control systems.
13:21They can detect incoming threats from hundreds of kilometers away,
13:25and coordinate the entire air battle.
13:29Logistics and sustainment come from aircraft like the C-2A, the Greyhounds,
13:34or the CMV, the Osprey.
13:37They ensure supplies, movement of personnel, critical components.
13:40They reach the aircraft even when it's out at sea.
13:44And finally, the MH-60, the Seahawk helicopters, anti-submarine warfare capabilities,
13:51search and rescue capabilities, maritime security.
13:53They add another layer, and a very important layer of operational flexibility.
14:00So, this is how America is gearing up for the next round of operations.
14:04As America does that, a very prominent Iranian MP, Mahmoud Nabavian,
14:11he was a part of a delegation that held talks with US officials in Islamabad.
14:16He's criticized the decision to hold negotiations in Pakistan.
14:20An Iranian MP has come out and opened,
14:24and he's called negotiations in Pakistan a tactical error.
14:30Speaking to journalists in Iran, the Iranian lawmaker said,
14:34allowing nuclear issues to be discussed in Pakistan-hosted forum was a mistake.
14:40He's argued such matters should be kept separate from regional mediation efforts.
14:46Now, he is a hardline cleric.
14:48He is a member of the Paidari Front,
14:51and he says he's dissatisfied with the government's decision
14:54to accept Pakistan as a mediator.
14:58He also suggested that the format of talks permitted the United States
15:01to push demands that went far beyond Iran's stated red lines.
15:06Because increasingly, there are commentators in Iran who say,
15:10Pakistan is pimping US agenda.
15:14Pakistan is not an honest broker.
15:17It is not balanced.
15:19It is desperately peddling American agenda,
15:22because Asim Munir is desperate to be in America's good books.
15:26There's also growing concern among Iranian lawmakers that Pakistan was unable to effectively manage the scope and direction of these
15:34negotiations,
15:34prompting calls for future negotiations to be held in actual neutral settings,
15:40and not peddlers of US agenda that Pakistan is.
15:45Now, this brings us to our discussion of the day.
15:50Three aircraft carrier strike groups,
15:52their nuclear submarines,
15:54the Ale Burke-class destroyers,
15:56200 fighter jets,
15:5715,000 soldiers and sailors,
16:00minesweepers,
16:01amphibious assault ships.
16:02This kind of power is not assembled just when a country is indulging in some kind of posturing.
16:08Is it just to get Iran to accept a ceasefire and open the Strait of Hormuz?
16:13Or is it to decimate Iranian defenses along the Strait of Hormuz?
16:18Or does America have a bigger plan?
16:21Joining me on this special broadcast,
16:23Colonel Jeffrey Fischer,
16:24former US Air Force military aviator,
16:27former defense official at the US Embassy,
16:29joins us on the show.
16:30Colonel Fischer, welcome.
16:31Syed Akif Zaidi is a research scholar and a well-respected research scholar
16:35and a political analyst joins us from Qom in Iran.
16:38Sir, welcome.
16:39And of course, my colleague and senior journalist, Sandeep Unnithan.
16:42Colonel Fischer,
16:43the kind of firepower that America has put together,
16:46the largest since Gulf War 2003 in West Asia,
16:51what does that indicate about America's plans?
16:55Is it just to get Iran to accept a ceasefire and sign an agreement,
17:00reopen the Strait of Hormuz,
17:02posturing or something much bigger in your military appreciation, sir?
17:08Yeah, first of all, I'm having a little trouble hearing your mic.
17:11I don't know about the other guests in the panel.
17:14It's all good.
17:15But I think I got the gist of your question.
17:16I think we're good.
17:17Look, you know, where we are is very precarious.
17:22And you've got a ceasefire that's lasted for a while,
17:25a little bit of a truce,
17:26but you've not seen any headway in closing the gap between the United States and Iran on that.
17:31And, you know, this truce is going to have to come to some kind of expiration.
17:36And that's either going back to warfare or it's going forward with further negotiations.
17:41But there has to be some kind of give and take.
17:43And we've seen none.
17:45You just and quite well, actually, I'd say that you covered the air power capability.
17:51It's laid out by the United States Navy, the United States Air Force.
17:54I mean, we have, you know, three carrier air wings going through all the different airplanes.
17:58I flew off the the USS Constellation years and years and years ago.
18:02So I know the power that an air wing can bring.
18:06It's massive.
18:07And, you know, to be fair, the United States and Israel did have air superiority.
18:12They lost a couple of jets, but this is this is somewhat expected in warfare.
18:16But even with air superiority and constant bombing, they were unable to achieve their strategic objectives.
18:22They could not find that center of gravity that really would force Iran to kind of relent and actually cede
18:29to its demands.
18:31True.
18:32Sayyad Akif Zaydi, Pakistan is reporting that Iranian Foreign Minister Sayyad Abbas Araki is traveling to Islamabad with a much
18:40smaller delegation, we are told.
18:42Talks of war.
18:44Pete Hexit says the ball is in Iran's court.
18:47What do we expect, sir?
18:51Well, we can expect a continuation of what's been happening over the last, you know, almost close to two months,
18:57which is the Iranian domination on the field, on the field of warfare for the first 38 days, and after
19:05that in the field of politics and diplomacy.
19:07We can continue to see more of that.
19:10I think the last example of that was when Mr. Trump was forced to declare a unilateral one sided ceasefire
19:17after the expiration of the 14 day joint declaration.
19:21He was forced to do this because he knows that the Iranians are not willing to talk to America unless
19:27America begins to behave rationally,
19:30rationally, commensurately with ground conditions.
19:34America has been beaten very badly in 38 days of warfare.
19:38So it needs to negotiate from a position of defeat and weakness.
19:42That's the only rational way for America to enter into talks.
19:46And Iran is waiting for America to come to that point.
19:51And it is confident that through the military pressure applied for the first 38 days,
19:56and through the diplomatic and political pressure that continues to be applied.
20:00And Mr. Araqchi's trip to three cities, Islamabad is only one of them.
20:04He has gone on a trip to Moscow, Muscat, and Islamabad.
20:08And it's part of that effort to continue to ratchet up the pressure on the weakened American side
20:15till it finally begins to behave in a rational manner.
20:19And surrender is just that it surrendered to the Ansar Allah Yemen in May of 2025,
20:24surrendered to Taliban in the Doha agreement of 2020,
20:30surrendered to the North Vietnamese side in the Paris Peace Accords of 1973.
20:35America has a pattern of being defeated, surrendering.
20:38It is now time for it to do so again, but it is finding it very difficult to do so
20:42this time.
20:42And there are reasons for that.
20:44So let me bring in Sandeep into this conversation.
20:47Stay with me, stay with me.
20:49Sandeep, clearly no middle ground in the American perception and the Iranian perception
20:55of how the war and peace or no war, no peace is progressing.
21:00But the US military buildup in the region, the largest since 2003,
21:05minesweepers and amphibious assault ships,
21:07do they indicate that America no longer wants to stay in the Gulf of Oman
21:11and is now looking to penetrate this trade of Hormuz?
21:15Of course, that's easier said than done.
21:17Absolutely, Gaurav.
21:17And you know, three carrier strike groups convey a very powerful message
21:20and that's what the United States is doing.
21:23And you know, in a different way of looking at it,
21:26it's actually the US sledgehammers versus Iran's mosquito fleet.
21:30The kind of swarm boat tactics that Iran has been using ever since the tanker wars of the 1980s,
21:38where it perfected this art of literally creating thousands of these speedboats.
21:42And that is actually the real Iranian Navy.
21:45So while Secretary of War Pete Hexit said they have sunk the real Iranian Navy,
21:49the real Iranian Navy is actually the ones that you see now,
21:53which we just, you know, flashed across the screen, the small speedboats.
21:56That is what Iran is really good at.
21:59They have the world's largest speedboat Navy.
22:01They have something like 3,000 to 5,000 of those little speedboats
22:05that are around 10 meters long.
22:07They displace about 17 tons.
22:09They're fitted with heavy machine guns, rockets, even missiles.
22:13So that is the kind of capability that Iran has worked on.
22:16They've played to their strengths because they need a small Navy like that, Gaurav,
22:20that can work around the Strait of Hormuz.
22:22That's all they need to do.
22:23That's a very interesting point to make the Strait of Hormuz.
22:26And at the other end, you have the US Navy with the most powerful grouping of warships
22:31the world has ever known, which is a carrier strike group,
22:34a Nimitz class carrier strike group, which as you mentioned, Gaurav,
22:37can generate something like each Nimitz class carrier can generate 120 combat sorties,
22:43going up to something like 240 combat sorties a day.
22:47That's a lot of firepower and aircraft that they can generate.
22:51Now that is something you're going to see in the next couple of days
22:54because if you look at what Secretary of War Pete Hex had said,
22:57he repeatedly mentioned the speedboats.
22:59They're going to be looking at targeting these Iranian speedboats
23:03using every, you know, power at their disposal.
23:06Sir, let me bring in Colonel Fischer to talk about the vast difference in the capabilities,
23:12but also, Colonel Fischer, the fact that geography favours Iran here,
23:18the narrow entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
23:21Now that enables better defence for Iran with their, you know, with their mosquito fleet,
23:26as it's called, 70 meter boats with their missiles, with their guns, with their rockets.
23:31No aircraft carrier would want to go in.
23:34You know, the minesweepers can be stopped, the amphibus assault ships can be stopped.
23:38Unless you're a naval aviator, sir, the aircraft destroy these boats and then the Navy goes in.
23:45How do you look at, you know, this war progressing?
23:49Should the US have softened the targets from air in the 40 days that went by?
23:52Was that action not taken along the Persian Gulf?
23:57Yeah, the airplanes are beautiful that the United States military has.
24:01And I love the fact you keep putting them up.
24:02But I would tell you the United States has been a very poor student of learning from the Ukrainian war.
24:08And that war has been going on for many years.
24:10And what I mean by being a poor student is, you know, we, the United States, China and Russia,
24:16have been in a very long arms race to build faster and faster and hypersonic missiles.
24:22And who can have the fastest hypersonic missile?
24:25And our hypersonics faster than you.
24:26And I point that out because what's truly being effective in Ukraine and what's being effective for Iran
24:32is actually really slow drones.
24:35So, you know, Ukraine and Iran has done a wonderful job of exploiting the gap, right?
24:40What was the gap?
24:41The gap was slower items, radars are overlooking, because radars are looking for super fast missiles
24:48and faster and faster missiles.
24:49So your earlier, my colleague here who's also speaking, he's 100% correct.
24:56The United States may have the upper hand from a vast amount of weapons capability.
25:01But the truth of the matter is whether they can generate 120 to 200 sorties a day,
25:06I think it's really important to remember where does the U.S. military usually resupply its military warships in the
25:15Gulf, right?
25:16And it's in all those nations that are on the other sides of the Straits of Hormuz, right?
25:22So they're going to have, if they want to rearm and resupply and do that, either they're going to have
25:26to do it at sea,
25:27which is going to be a challenge, or they're going to have to be able to get into Bahrain
25:31or get into the United Arab Emirates or get into the locations where they would normally do their refits.
25:36So this is, the logistics challenges are going to become extremely complex as days go by.
25:42And that perhaps explains why Iran is so confident it holds more aces, if not all aces in this conflict.
25:51Sayyad Akif Zahidi, U.S. Secretary of War, says Iran no longer has a navy.
25:58158 ships have been sunk. It's just a gang of pirates with a flag.
26:04Time is running out. Accept a deal or there could be more that would follow, sir.
26:10How do you look at that?
26:12Well, your guest and my colleague, Colonel Fisher, he pointed out that America is a very poor student.
26:18And I agree, but the Iranians and the Islamic resistance axis that has been formed around Iran,
26:25they are very good students. And their object of study above all has been the American empire.
26:32They understand the American empire. They understand its posturing, its swagger.
26:36They understand its bluster. They understand that it is at a very weak position right now.
26:42It is all this talk of blockade. There is no blockade here.
26:46Iranian ships are passing by every day. Yes, they have captured two or three Iranian ships,
26:52but that's not a blockade. That's piracy. Piracy is when you pick on a few weak commercial ships,
26:58while you can't—obviously you can't attack all of them and you can't touch any military assets of Iran at all.
27:04So Iran views this as piracy, firstly, not as blockade.
27:07And it understands that the bigger an aircraft carrier is, the bigger a target it is for Iranian hypersonic missiles,
27:16hypersonic missiles and drone technology. This is a field in which Iran clearly has technological superiority over Iran.
27:24So all this adolescent excitement about three aircraft carriers and so many aeroplanes, et cetera,
27:30in Iran this is viewed with some kind of amusement, because it is this—the USS Abraham Lincoln has been hit
27:38several times when the war was on
27:40and ran away to the Indian Ocean. The USS Gerald Ford never dared to come near Bab al-Mandab,
27:47let alone the Strait of Hormuz. Then there was this story about a fire in the laundry and some toilet
27:51blockages.
27:52It went and hit in Greek ports and later on in Croatia. Now, apparently, it's back in the Red Sea.
27:58And now the USS George Bush, which the media likes to say has arrived in the Middle East,
28:03it's arrived in the USS CENTCOM area. The USS CENTCOM area begins from Tanzania, thousands of kilometres away from Iran.
28:11The Iranians understand this is bluster. The Iranians understand this is the last hurrah.
28:16And they are waiting for that eventual internal collapse to happen within the Western Empire.
28:22It's the last hurrah, you say? Very interesting.
28:25For rational negotiations to actually happen. They are waiting patiently and they are applying pressure, political pressure, diplomatic pressure.
28:32Sir, rational negotiations. Would you agree with your lawmaker who says Pakistan wasn't a good choice?
28:37Pakistan is not impartial. Pakistan leans on the American side more and it's not good for Iran.
28:45Do you agree with that assessment, sir, before I bring in Colonel Fisher?
28:49I have not seen this kind of a report in the Iranian media at all, so I cannot comment on
28:54it.
28:55And as a fellow Indian, I am not an Iranian. I live in Iran. I understand Iran, but I am
29:00not Iranian.
29:01As a fellow Indian, I would also urge all of us to make sure that we don't fall into infantile
29:08conversations,
29:10Pakistan jealousy. We are a bigger country.
29:13No, there is no Pakistan jealousy here and there is no one who is infantile here.
29:15You know, Sayyad Akif Zahidi, let's be very clear about that.
29:18You know, all this pontification is not required. Let's be very clear about that, sir.
29:23I ask you a simple question because this is one of your lame lawmakers who said it.
29:27You may not have read it. I will send you a copy for you to be better, you know, prepared
29:32next time.
29:33But be that as it may, nobody is infantile here.
29:35But Colonel Fischer, U.S. says Iranian leadership is weakened. Iran says if the war is going on so well,
29:43why is the U.S. sacking so many generals from Secretary Navy recently to a list of dozen generals and
29:49admirals who have been sacked in the past?
29:51Do you see a connection, sir?
29:55Yeah, first of all, I don't think I don't think the sacking of all the generals and the SEC NAV
30:00in the most recent situation.
30:02It's not a good look for the United States, but, you know, the Civil War, I know Abraham Lincoln, our
30:06president at the time.
30:07He was quite fierce at firing many, many flag officers and leaders throughout the Defense Department.
30:14Look, I agree in part with my colleague here on the panel that, you know, that the Middle Eastern nations
30:22are very good.
30:23They've learned very good lessons from warfare and they've learned how to actually be very effective against a more larger
30:29dominant force.
30:30But I think we have to be very, very careful.
30:33The U.S. might not be a very good lesson of the war in Ukraine, but its ability to actually
30:40leverage an industrial base
30:42and its ability to actually build R&D and technology to address things once they feel like it's important is
30:50unmatched on this world, right?
30:52So it might take them a little time to actually figure out how to target some slower drones, but they
30:58will eventually get there.
31:00The question is, okay, so time could favor the United States from that perspective because they would be able to
31:06build weapons to counter.
31:08But the problem is time usually also favors the nation that's being attacked, right?
31:14So it's a draw.
31:15The United States gets an advantage by being able to counter it, but, you know, the home team, if you
31:20will, usually gets an advantage from time.
31:24So, again, I don't see that there's no clear outcome and there's no clear path to this other than I
31:31think both sides almost taking a loss and accepting where they're at at this point.
31:36Well, that is if both sides are rational and Sandeep at this point of time neither appear to be rational
31:43in the manner in which the war is progressing or this no war, no peace is progressing.
31:49But for a weaker side than Iran is, to fight the world's biggest superpower for 40 days counting and this
31:56week and even in the narrative battle would be seen as disadvantaged US.
32:01Absolutely.
32:02You know, Gaurav, the fact that Iran has held out for so long, it's taken the, you know, hard power
32:08of the United States for 40 days and it's, you know, still remains standing, it's unbowed.
32:14That's one thing.
32:15And the other one is, of course, the soft power.
32:17If you look at the way the US, you know, has been outmaneuvered by Iranian social media, whether it is
32:23your memes, whether it is the Lego shots, all of this Iran has carried out beautifully.
32:28I don't think there's ever been an example of this in the 21st century, at least, where one nation, you
32:34know, has faced the bombing for 40 days from two of the most powerful air forces on the planet and
32:41has come out, you know, undefeated and, of course, mounted a very effective social media campaign on social.
32:49This is unparalleled, a hard power and a soft power mix.
32:52But, you know, the fact is, Gaurav, let's face it, Iran is also undergoing a blockade.
32:57It needs, you know, to export its oil to the world.
33:01It is the world's third largest, you know, oil producer and it needs to keep those oil supplies flowing.
33:07And if there is a blockade, they're going to run out of space to store the oil.
33:13And that is why they need the United States to lift that blockade.
33:16It's going to hurt them at some point, Gaurav.
33:17So, it might not be the carrier strike groups that are going to affect Iran as much as that blockade
33:23of its oil supplies, Gaurav.
33:25And will we see forward movement?
33:27That's a story we'll be tracking very closely.
33:29I want to thank all my guests.
33:32Welcome back.
33:33Once considered a blue-eyed boy of Arvind Kejriwal, Raghav Chadha, along with fellow Rajasabha MPs Ashok Mittal and Sandeep
33:41Pathak, has quit the Aam Admi Party and joined the Bhartiya Janata Party.
33:45Now, tensions between Raghav Chadha and the Aam Admi Party had been out in the open ever since he was
33:50removed as the deputy leader of the Aam Admi Party in Rajasabha, early April.
33:55But then the person who was made the deputy leader of the Aam Admi Party in Rajasabha also quit.
34:00Few anticipated that three of the Aam Admi Party's most prominent faces in parliament would quit together.
34:06Now, Raghav Chadha has claimed four others in Rajasabha, including Turbinator, Harvajan Singh, Swati Malival, Rajinder Gupta, and Vikramjit Singh
34:17Sani have also resigned a crucial assertion that would help them avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
34:24If seven out of ten MPs split, then it crosses the two-thirds threshold and the anti-defection law does
34:32not apply.
34:32Now, in the presence of BJP President Nitin Nabeen, the three MPs formally joined the Bhartiya Janata Party.
34:39The Aam Admi Party, meanwhile, has termed this move a betrayal of Punjab and Punjabis, noting that six of the
34:45seven MPs who have quit are from the region.
34:48Aam Admi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of cheating Punjabis.
34:54The party has also approached Rajasabha Chairperson seeking action against the three MPs under the anti-defection law, arguing they
35:02joined the BJP even as the other four have not said so in public domain.
35:07Listen in to what Raghav Chadha and then Sanjay Singh said.
35:13Aam Admi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of cheating in the U.S.
35:24and the other two have been
35:27and the other two have been
35:30and the other two have been
35:30and now,
35:32the party is not for the country,
35:34the country's hit,
35:35but they are working for their personal benefit.
35:39Some of you have been saying this past few years,
35:43and I personally felt this past few years
35:47that I am the right man in the wrong party.
35:51I repeat,
35:52I am the right man in the wrong party.
35:55This is why,
35:57today,
35:58we are announcing this.
35:59I am announcing this.
36:00I am going to go far from the party and go to the people of the party.
36:06The Bharti People Party,
36:10Narendra Modi and Amish Shah,
36:14Operation Lotus,
36:17Ghatia Rajneetii Ka Khail,
36:20and Pajab Ke Bhagwant Maan Sarakar Ke
36:24Achhe Kaamu Ko Rokne Ka Sharyant,
36:30Bade Paimane Par Suru Ho Gaya.
36:36So Raghav Chadha claims not one, not two,
36:38but seven MPs have jumped ship and joined the BJP.
36:41Raghav Chadha,
36:42once a blue-eyed boy of Arvind Khejriwal.
36:43But how will this impact the Aam Admi Party overall,
36:47especially in Punjab?
36:49Joining me on India first is Abhinandita Mathur,
36:52spokesperson of the Aam Admi Party.
36:54R.P Singh is national spokesperson of the Bharti Ajanta Party.
36:56And Aarti Jairath is a senior journalist and political commentator.
37:00Abhinandita,
37:01seven out of ten Rajya Sabha MPs is what Raghav Chadha has claimed.
37:06He says he gave 15 years of blood and sweat to the Aam Admi Party,
37:09but the party had strayed from its core moral values.
37:14How is the party viewing this, ma'am?
37:20Gaurav, thanks.
37:21And this is a very typical BJP Operation Lotus playbook.
37:25So honestly, nobody is surprised.
37:28And I'm also amused to see the way in which Raghav Chadha has claimed to say
37:32that he is merged.
37:33Now, this is not a corporate organization.
37:35You know, let's not call it that.
37:37It is simply, legally, clearly, you know, they have just moved its deficit,
37:45and that is what has happened.
37:47It is very clearly a cheating of the people, of the mandate of,
37:52you know, the huge mandate that the people of Punjab gave the Aam Admi Party.
37:56It is anti-defection.
37:57There is nothing worse than a bunch of climbers, you know,
38:03betraying the thousands and lakhs of voters of Punjab and lakhs of volunteers
38:08on whose hard work, you know, they have gone through the Rajya Sabha.
38:12So it's very troubling and amusing and obviously not a surprise.
38:16I mean, this is the…
38:18You're not surprised.
38:18It's troubling and amusing.
38:19And I'll ask you to elaborate on both those points,
38:21but a very pertinent point you raised.
38:23Let me take it to R.P Singh.
38:25The Aam Admi Party calls it Operation Lotus.
38:28Of course, Aam Admi Party leaders have also said
38:30this is a result of Enforcement Directorate action.
38:33There was a raid on Ashok Mittal,
38:35and fear of agencies led to him joining the Bhartiya Janta Party.
38:39Respond, sir.
38:41Well, Gaurav, who all have joined?
38:43Is it Tony Ashmitar, Sinbhi, Part of Batcha,
38:46the Deputy Director,
38:47or for that regard,
38:49the Arubajan Singh Cricketer,
38:51or for that regard,
38:53Mr. Vikamji Singh Shani,
38:54or Swati Malibar?
38:56So,
38:57I don't understand what sort of pressure they are under.
39:00And also,
39:02she's talking about that,
39:05some sort of opportunist thing that they've done.
39:08Now, I remember,
39:09I was going to name Shazia Ilmi.
39:10She left the party,
39:12when the party was at the peak,
39:13and joined BJP.
39:15Yugandar Yadav left the Aam Admi Party,
39:18who,
39:18the famous girl,
39:20who will kill the Pishwara.
39:21Yugandar Yadav.
39:22I'm sorry to use this whole language,
39:24but this is what Mr. Kedri was said for Mr. Yadav.
39:40They were seen as core,
39:42part of the core,
39:43looking after,
39:44you know,
39:45not just elections,
39:46and strategy that was being formed,
39:49backroom boys,
39:50and,
39:50you know,
39:50the on-air face,
39:51if I may,
39:52as far as Raghav Chadda was concerned.
39:54And there's a long list,
39:55as the BJP points out, ma'am.
39:57What is your reading,
39:58of what's happening inside the Aam Admi Party?
40:01You know,
40:03firstly,
40:03Raghav Chadda's exit is not entirely unexpected.
40:07Gaurav,
40:08he's been having a problem with the Aam Admi Party leadership,
40:12since before the Delhi elections in 2025.
40:16As you know,
40:16he was absent,
40:18he was living,
40:18he was in London ostensibly,
40:20for an eye surgery,
40:22did not come back when Arjun Kejriwal was arrested,
40:25and so on.
40:26So I think his exit has been on the cards.
40:28It was just a question of when.
40:30And I think they needed to build up the numbers,
40:33so that it could be,
40:35they could skirt the anti-defection law,
40:38and call it a merger with the BJP,
40:42if they got enough numbers.
40:44Now,
40:45there is one provision of the anti-defection law,
40:47which they still have to fulfill.
40:50And that is that all the MPs,
40:53who are supposed to be,
40:55you know,
40:56merging with the BJP,
40:57all seven of them,
40:58have to actually go in person,
41:01to the Rajasava chairman's office,
41:04and sign the papers.
41:06So that,
41:07you know,
41:08there can be no claims of coercion,
41:10and so on.
41:11So far,
41:12only three people have come out of the open.
41:14Harvajan Singh is away doing commentary for,
41:17you know,
41:18IPL.
41:19I think one of them is in the United States,
41:23you know,
41:23having a critical surgery.
41:25So we have to see whether these seven people actually show up in the,
41:29in the chairman's office,
41:31to sign the papers,
41:33and say that,
41:34yes,
41:35they have willingly decided to leave our Mahabhi bathroom and join BJP.
41:40Okay.
41:41But whatever,
41:42I mean,
41:42this may actually become a protracted legal battle,
41:45because the Ahmadineh party can take this to court,
41:47and I think they're planning to do it.
41:49So it can become a,
41:50you know,
41:50protracted legal battle.
41:52But whatever,
41:53the fact is that this is a huge blow to Ahmadineh party,
41:57there's less than a year to go for the Punjab polls,
42:01and you know,
42:02Sir, let me get Abhinandita to respond to that.
42:05are on the verge of exiting.
42:07So, you know,
42:08this is a crisis.
42:09Oh, absolutely.
42:09And that too in poll-bound Punjab,
42:11in a while.
42:12Okay, Harvaj Singh,
42:13you want to complete your point,
42:14kindly complete your point, sir?
42:15Then I'll bring in Abhinandita Mathur.
42:17Go on, sir.
42:19Well,
42:19well,
42:20I was,
42:20I was going through the list,
42:21Yuguddin Riyadh,
42:22Prashant Bhushan,
42:23Ashutosh.
42:24Well,
42:25they,
42:26they also left party.
42:28And then,
42:29without joining other parties,
42:31or,
42:31or forming their own party for that regard.
42:33They didn't join BJP.
42:34So,
42:34it was no ED,
42:35no CVA for them.
42:36It was the,
42:37the,
42:38way Arjun Kjriwal treat his people.
42:41That's the problem.
42:42Okay.
42:42The way he,
42:43treat his close,
42:44close associates.
42:45Let me bring in Abhinandita Mathur to respond to that.
42:48Ma'am,
42:49you want to respond to this point,
42:50that did the ED put the fear,
42:52let's say in Prashant Bhushan,
42:54as R.P. Singh points out,
42:56or Mayang Gandhi,
42:57or Yogendra Yadav,
42:58or Captain Gopinath,
42:59or,
42:59you know,
43:00journalist,
43:01Ashutosh,
43:02or Kumar Vishwas,
43:03or Swati Malewal.
43:04Does the Ahmadi party leadership,
43:06and specially Arvind Kjriwal,
43:08do they need to look within ma'am?
43:10Not at all actually.
43:12I think that these two categories of people are,
43:16you know,
43:16they're both in different,
43:17they're in different categories.
43:18Primarily because,
43:19people like Yogendra Yadav,
43:21and Prashant Bhushanji,
43:22did not take the position that Raghav Tadda has taken,
43:25for example,
43:26right?
43:26And this, therefore,
43:27is clearly,
43:29you know,
43:29he's a victim,
43:30or he was a partner in the Operation Lotus.
43:33That is what has happened,
43:34therefore it is different.
43:35I would also like to take this opportunity
43:37to actually congratulate Mr. R.P. Singh,
43:39on now having Raghav Tadda as his colleague.
43:43And, you know,
43:44a climber is a climber.
43:46So, R.P. Singh Ji,
43:46brace yourself for what is to come.
43:49You already have a very special unit in your party,
43:52of, you know,
43:53people who get raided by the ED,
43:55the corrupts of the world.
43:56They join your party.
43:57That is one kind of lobby in your party.
44:00Be ready to make Raghav Tadda your boss.
44:02I mean, you know,
44:04beware, be ready,
44:06all the best to you is what we can say.
44:07There is a problem with you.
44:08There is a problem with you.
44:09There is a problem with you.
44:11Sir, the moment she finishes a point,
44:13I am coming to you to respond.
44:14Time and again,
44:14let us just complete a point.
44:15Go on ma'am.
44:16Time and again,
44:16people have been in a rush to write the obituary for,
44:20obituary for the Ahma Admi party.
44:22But Ahma Admi party is unique,
44:24you know, it's very young.
44:25And because we grew fast,
44:27we are also having to see these defections a little early.
44:31Within 13 years,
44:32we have formed governments in two states,
44:34we have MLAs in multiple states,
44:35we have a national party.
44:36Going by that,
44:38you know,
44:38it's not unusual for all kinds of opportunists to be in the party,
44:42all kinds of people to be in the party.
44:44Also important to say,
44:45that specially for example,
44:47in the case of Mr. Mittal,
44:49four times the ED raids his house.
44:51Less than a week ago ED raids his house.
44:54Chadda then takes a jive at him in the parliament and says,
44:58let's have it fixed.
44:58He's not here today.
45:00You know,
45:00so I'd actually like to hear.
45:02Okay.
45:02Respond, R.P. Singh.
45:03The very direct charges being levelled,
45:05including ED action on Mr. Mittal,
45:08over the weekend,
45:10Ahma Admi party says,
45:11and that followed him joining the BJP.
45:14In fact,
45:15Sanjay Singh says,
45:16in some instances,
45:17you put the knife to their throat.
45:20In some instances,
45:21it's just the fear that's worked.
45:24Well, Sandeep Patak,
45:27he's their ideologue.
45:28So what happened with him?
45:31And also,
45:32he just mentioned,
45:33it is boss and the junior relationship there.
45:37I mean,
45:37because Mr. KGO behaves like a boss.
45:40That's why people don't like to work with him.
45:41There's nothing like colleagues in the party.
45:43Here in the party,
45:44we all work like colleagues.
45:46We work as a family,
45:48not like boss.
45:48Oh,
45:49because you,
45:50ma'am,
45:51you also go and salute your boss.
45:52I'm here.
45:53What to do?
45:54What to say?
45:54There's nothing like that.
45:56There's nothing like the party.
45:57You better understand this.
45:59I didn't understand this for you.
46:01Otherwise,
46:01you will also leave the party after some time.
46:03But what is the issue?
46:04He's talking about Punjabi.
46:06I read,
46:07he was talking about Punjabi and Punjabis.
46:10I mean,
46:11one of the ministers,
46:13Lagjit Singh,
46:14is in jail for corruption,
46:16because man committed suicide,
46:19hot pressure,
46:21because he wanted him to commit corruption.
46:26So,
46:26this is how the Aam Admi party is.
46:28I'll get Ms. Mathur to respond to that,
46:29but let me bring in Aarti Jairat.
46:31When Sanjay Singh,
46:32Aarti Jairat says,
46:33that these seven MPs are traitors.
46:36The people in Punjab will never forgive them.
46:38Now,
46:39is that a face saver of sorts?
46:42Because one,
46:43these are Rajya Sabha MPs,
46:44two,
46:44two thirds of Aam Admi party in Rajya Sabha.
46:48The earlier deputy leader,
46:49the new deputy leader,
46:50all of them quitting.
46:52Does that indicate,
46:53Aam Admi party has trouble in the ranks?
46:56You know,
46:58Gaurav,
46:59look,
46:59there may have been an element of coercion involved.
47:02After all,
47:03the link with Ashok Mittal and the raids that happened to,
47:06you know,
47:07on his institutions.
47:09I mean,
47:09you know,
47:10there are,
47:10we can join the dots and draw a conclusion from that.
47:14Harbhajan Singh,
47:15Swati Malewal.
47:16But,
47:17but having said that,
47:18I think that there is a problem within the Aam Admi party.
47:23You know,
47:24it burst on the scene,
47:25promising to be a party with a difference.
47:28But as it got deeper and deeper into the mess that Indian politics is,
47:34it has lost a lot of the,
47:36uh,
47:37sheen that it had the,
47:39you know,
47:39the hope,
47:40the optimism that it had generated amongst,
47:43uh,
47:43a lot of middle-class supporters in Delhi.
47:47And I think that there needs to be some introspection on the part of
47:51Aam Admi party.
47:52You know,
47:53how much compromise are they willing to make on the,
47:58the ideals that they started off with,
48:00just to remain in politics.
48:03So,
48:03I mean, I think that this is a...
48:04Abhinanda, you want to respond to this quickly?
48:05And,
48:06and especially how will this impact the Aam Admi party,
48:09especially in poll-bound Punjab,
48:11if seven Rajasabha MPs,
48:12uh,
48:13are quitting,
48:14and,
48:14uh,
48:15somebody like Raghav Chadda,
48:17who was seen as an heir apparent,
48:19if I may,
48:20or a very powerful,
48:21uh,
48:21person in Punjab,
48:23helping Bhagawan Tman.
48:24When he says the party is straight from its core moral values.
48:31You know,
48:32Raghav Chadda,
48:33if he holds a public rally today in Punjab,
48:36I would be very curious to see how many people he manages to bring organically.
48:41So,
48:42that's sort of a claim,
48:43especially because it is Raghav Chadda,
48:44I would not even take seriously.
48:47Um,
48:47as far as introspection is concerned,
48:49most certainly,
48:50we would like to take every opportunity to introspect.
48:52And,
48:53and that is also the nature of the Aam Admi party,
48:55which is why it keeps afloat.
48:57It keeps alive,
48:57despite all the setbacks.
49:00You will agree that in the last two,
49:02three years,
49:03you know,
49:03since this alleged liquor policy,
49:05uh,
49:05scam that the BJP,
49:06the party has been cornered.
49:08Arvind Kejriwal has been cornered.
49:10People have left.
49:11What has not happened in this small journey of the Aam Admi party,
49:15we have probably seen everything,
49:16but what remains is really the commitment of our volunteers
49:20and the delivery that we are able to do for the voters.
49:24Ultimately,
49:24the reason why we keep winning or kept winning
49:27till the BJP stalled our work in Delhi,
49:29was because we are able to deliver.
49:31We are able to give some governance,
49:32which in comparison to any other government,
49:36you know,
49:36whether it is the Akali government
49:37or the Congress government in Punjab,
49:39similarly in Delhi,
49:40is path breaking and much better.
49:43And that is our power.
49:44That is where our strength lies.
49:45So as long as we will build schools,
49:47we are not worried.
49:49Okay.
49:49The Aam Admi party says,
49:51as far as Punjab is concerned,
49:52they are not worried.
49:53In fact,
49:53both Bhagwantman and Arvind Kejriwal
49:55accused the BJP of giving a dhakka to the Punjabis.
49:58Bhagwantman says,
49:59this is treachery with the people of Punjab
50:01in the manner in which their trust
50:02has been hit by the BJP.
50:05I'll just mention a bit of treachery
50:07which Mr. Bhagwantman and Mr. Kejriwal
50:09has committed to Punjab.
50:10One district has asked for 207 schools
50:13out of which 83 have no principals.
50:16In the 91 high-skinned schools,
50:17there are no headmasses.
50:19There are no headmasses.
50:20And I can give you a detail of district-wise district.
50:23This is what they have done to the Punjab.
50:25And every day,
50:27I'm not sure I start sending you
50:29to the newspaper from Punjab.
50:31Every day,
50:31every district,
50:32there are gunfire
50:33that their people are dying.
50:35Every day,
50:36there are gangsters
50:37who are taking ransom
50:38from people.
50:40They are twisting people
50:43to pay ransom.
50:44Not only the...
50:45So, 30 seconds that I have on the show,
50:48Aarti Jairat,
50:48in Punjab.
50:48How will this impact the Amadmi Party,
50:51especially in Punjab?
50:54Well, I think it will impact the Amadmi Party in Punjab.
50:58Although, whether Raghav Chadha can attract crowds
51:01at a rally or not,
51:02I mean, you know,
51:03that's...
51:04that can be disputed.
51:06But the fact is that
51:07if a party looks to be in disarray,
51:10if a party cannot hang on to its MPs
51:14and, you know,
51:15people who have been its show boys,
51:18then, I mean,
51:19I think people will begin to question,
51:21you know,
51:22whether this party is worth investing in.
51:24Voters will question.
51:26And also,
51:28you know,
51:28as far as delivery is concerned,
51:30I would just like to point out
51:32to the Amadmi Party spokesperson
51:34that yes,
51:35Amadmi Party delivered well
51:36in Delhi in its first term,
51:38which is why it got a second term.
51:40But towards the end of its second term,
51:43the delivery really faded.
51:45And which is why I think,
51:47you know,
51:47I mean,
51:48there were lots of reasons for that,
51:49but that's what...
51:50That is what...
51:52You know,
51:52that's a debate for another time.
51:55As far as Punjab is concerned,
51:57I think the delivery in Punjab
52:00is questionable.
52:01They certainly have not delivered in Punjab
52:04the way they did in Delhi.
52:06So, I mean...
52:07We leave it at that today,
52:08but this debate shall continue
52:10over the next several days,
52:12weeks,
52:12perhaps even longer,
52:13especially when it comes to
52:14the Amadmi Party and in Punjab.
52:16I want to thank all my guests
52:17for joining me.
52:18That is all I have time for
52:19on India First this evening.
52:20Many thanks for watching.
52:21News and updates continue on India Today.
52:23Stay with us.
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