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After months of war, Iran and the United States agreed to a peace deal to be signed on 19th of June, but Israel refuses to leave Lebanon.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your primetime destination news,
00:05newsmakers, talking points, Monday night, the big talking point, who has gained the upper hand
00:10in the US-Iran deal? Is Iran emerging stronger from the West Asia crisis? Will Benjamin Netanyahu
00:19honour Donald Trump's peace pact, that big global story with huge impact on India? We'll have guests
00:26from all the stakeholder countries on the show tonight. But first, as always, it's time
00:31for the Nine Headlines at 9. After months of war, Iran and the United States agreed to a peace deal
00:39to be signed on 19th of June, but Israel refuses to leave Lebanon. Tehran asserts that Lebanon peaks
00:48is key part of the deal. Traffic slowly begins to move at the Strait of Hormuz after the announcement
00:56of the peace deal. Oil prices fall below $85 per barrel. Reports say scouring the Strait of Hormuz
01:03for mines could take 50 to 60 days. Ahead of a key G7 summit, Prime Minister Modi visits Slovakia,
01:13becomes the first Indian Prime Minister to visit that country, holds bilateral talks with his Slovak
01:18counterpart. 11 MOUs signed across various sectors.
01:2420 TMC rebel MPs merge with the little-known NCPI, but the state's MLA say there are no talks yet
01:33on any such merger. Expelled TMC MLA and Bengal LOP, Ritavrato Bhattacharji says no questions arise of
01:41them merging like the rebel MPs.
01:47A big buzz over the Shiv Sena, UBT split in Maharashtra after five MPs missed a crucial
01:53unity meet. Uddhav Thakre issues a stern directive to the absentees, orders them to publicly clarify
02:00their stance immediately.
02:05The Congress versus RSS war intensifies. Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kargay writes to RSS Chief
02:11Bhagwat demanding transparency on registration and finances. The RSS Chief slams this as a political
02:18gimmick. Kokrit Janata Party founder Abhijit Deepke slapped during a protest in Jaipur over the alleged
02:27neat paper leak and unemployment protests.
02:33Britain becomes the fourth country after Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia to ban social media use for
02:39kids under 16 who aims at protecting children's well-being. And 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi
02:48loses his school, pushes away a Sri Lankan player after India aid lose in a super over thriller.
03:03But tonight our top story. After weeks of war, missile strikes and fears of a wider regional conflict,
03:10Washington and Tehran say peace is finally within reach. But even as a ceasefire framework takes
03:18shape and there is talk of a deal to be signed on the 19th of this month in Geneva, there
03:25are two
03:26major shadows that remain. Iran's unresolved nuclear program and Israel's growing unease with the deal.
03:33So after all the off's and on's, will we finally have a peace deal in West Asia? And what will
03:41it mean
03:41for us here in India? Take a look at our top story tonight.
03:52The US and Iran finally announced an end to a war that has burned West Asia for weeks and put
03:58the
03:59global economy on the edge. US President Donald Trump has declared the conflict is over and a peace
04:09framework is ready. A formal signing is expected in Geneva later this week with Iran's Supreme National
04:17Security Council also confirming an understanding to end hostilities.
04:24Trump has promised the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz while Tehran says restrictions around the
04:30strategic waterways will be eased in phases.
04:38The official signing of the Islamabad memorandum will take place on Friday in Switzerland. An immediate
04:44and permanent end to the war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, is declared from
04:51tonight, he said. The lifting of the US naval blockade against Iran also begins from tonight.
05:00But questions over Iran's nuclear program remain unanswered. What happens to Iran's highly enriched
05:08uranium? Will Tehran dismantle its nuclear infrastructure or retain a civilian program
05:15under international monitoring? And who takes custody of the enriched material?
05:23The framework reportedly gives negotiators up to 60 days to settle the most contentious issues.
05:30The uncertainty is significant because Trump in an interview to New York Times warned that if Iran
05:36ultimately refuses to sign a final nuclear accord, military operations could resume again.
05:44Meanwhile, America's ally in the war, Israel, is not pleased with the likely pact.
05:52Israeli leaders have rejected key elements of the proposed arrangement, insisting the deal does not
05:58bind Israel and ruled out concessions on security. Even as U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance says Israel
06:07will have a seat at the table in the new Middle East, Tel Aviv's reservations threatened to cast a shadow
06:13over the agreement. Peace in West Asia is now riding on to unanswered questions.
06:34So let's raise the big question that I've been asked across the world tonight.
06:38Has Iran emerged stronger from this West Asia crisis? Has the U.S. under Donald Trump buckled under pressure?
06:46Will Israel honor the U.S.-Iran pact? Who really has gained the upper hand in the U.S.-Iran deal?
06:52Can Donald Trump claim victory of sorts? Those are some of the questions I will ask. And we've got guests
06:58from all the stakeholders.
06:59Ali Salehan is senior researcher in Tehran. Brigadier General Yossi Kuperwasser is chief Jerusalem Institute for
07:07Strategy and Security in Tel Aviv. Richard Painter is author, U.S. Presidency, Power Responsibility and Accountability,
07:14former White House ethics lawyer. Navdeep Singh Suri, former ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates.
07:21Let me ask all of you that first big question that we pose. Who really has benefited from this deal
07:28being
07:28struck at this moment? Richard Painter, why since America is the one which is seen to have Donald Trump is
07:35already claiming some kind of a victory? Do you believe it is that or is it as critics are suggesting,
07:40America finally capitulating, not achieving any of its objectives? Well, first of all, we should emphasize that
07:49the entire world benefits from an end to this war. The price of oil has skyrocketed. Many countries
07:59in Asia are dependent on oil coming through the Straits of Hormuz. The skyrocketing price of oil and
08:07gasoline in the United States is having a severe impact on our economy, even though the United States
08:13does not import a lot of its oil through the Straits of Hormuz. Ending this war should be a priority
08:20for
08:20all nations involved, rather than worrying about who has victory and who does not. Clearly, we will be
08:29better off if Iran does not pursue a nuclear weapons program. And I think in the long run the United
08:35States is going to insist on that, and so is Israel. Iran should not be developing a nuclear weapons program.
08:43Iran needs to live peacefully with its neighbors, and that includes Israel, which, even though it's not
08:49neighboring, bordering on Iran, is an important country in the Middle East. But ending this war
08:54right now is the priority for the United States, should be. The war is deeply unpopular in the United
09:01States and for good reason. So let's hope this peace deal sticks and that we're able to move toward a
09:09final
09:09resolution of the issues surrounding the sanctions against Iran and Iran committing itself to peaceful
09:17relations with countries in the region, including Israel, and not pursuing nuclear weapons.
09:22But may I still push you for a moment? I know you're saying that you don't want to look at
09:27winners and
09:27losers at this stage. The world benefits from the end to the war. I think the world agrees with that,
09:32including us here in India. But do you believe that Donald Trump has actually gained in any of
09:38his strategic objectives? If you recall, the war started with reports that they wanted to, that Trump
09:43wanted regime change. He thought there would be a quick war. He would dismantle the Iranian leadership and
09:48effect a regime change. That's not happened. He expected that Iran would fully dismantle its
09:53nuclear program. We still don't know whether that's going to happen. And what we've seen instead over
09:58the last 107 days is chaos. So I'm just trying to understand. Do you believe that Donald Trump has
10:04achieved any of his strategic objectives? Well, first of all, the United States has no business
10:10calling for regime change in another country. And so that rhetoric, calling for regime change in Iran,
10:16was setting a goal that's unobtainable, that's where the Iranian people decide what the government
10:21is there. So the United States has failed if the United States sought to change the government in
10:27Iran. And I think everybody knew that was going to fail from day one. We have yet to see what
10:32happens
10:33with the nuclear program in Iran. But it's going to be absolutely critical in the long run, if we want
10:39peace of the region, that Iran abandoned the goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. Absolutely critical.
10:48Okay.
10:48And, right, we'll see what happens there. But it's not, again, about whether we're a winner
10:54or a loser. In war, they're almost always, you come out of a war with everybody being the loser in
11:00the vast
11:01majority of wars that we thought in this century and in the last. And ending this war is the way
11:08for
11:08us and Iran and the other countries of the region to at least do something to salvage our economic
11:15situation as well as our diplomatic relations around the world.
11:19Let me bring in Ali Salehan to get the view from Tehran. How does Tehran see this? 107 days,
11:27your supreme leader was assassinated, Ali Khamenei, at the start of the war. You've lost a number of
11:33the Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders. The country has suffered economically, financially.
11:39Can you really say at the end of the war that Iran has won in any way? Or as Mr.
11:45Painter put it,
11:45there are no winners here? I think if you want to answer this question, we should ask that why
11:54actually what was the main goal of United States and, you know, Israel to initiate this kind of attack?
12:02If we check out all sources about it, we can find out, for example, one of the things that's more
12:10related to your program is that Prime Minister Moody to, you know, its latest in recent travel to Israel
12:18received some information and it was public that, you know, Western, especially Israel and America,
12:26felt that if they start any kind of military action, they can wrap up the whole story of the Islamic
12:32Republic
12:33in less than four days. The current situation, if you just list the goals of, you know, United States
12:41and Israel, from regime change to eliminating the enriched uranium to eliminating the military capability
12:48of Iran, to, you know, opening of Serena Pormos, all of them, if you consider the list of the strategic,
12:55you know, goals of United States, all of them are not achieved by the military. Do you know why?
13:02Because actually we think it's not America's first policy. America don't have any national interest in
13:10doing so. This is why, for example, as the American colleague mentioned, that it's not a popular war
13:16in America, but it's more Israel issue that we can see that how... So you believe that it was Israel
13:23that was prosecuting this war, Israel, which was the one which was driving this war, and you believe
13:29those objectives have not been achieved. What started off as regime changes ended up with a desperate need
13:35to open the Strait of Hormuz? Am I correct? Yeah, it's obvious, you know, it's crystal clear.
13:42The military capacity of Iran is alive. This is why, for example, it can actually close the
13:48Strait of Hormuz. The older, you know, slogans and, you know, something like that, we all illuminating the
13:54navels of Iran. If any experts around the world knew that the whole power, military power of Iran is not
14:02a
14:02symmetric one. It's more emphasized an asymmetric one. This is why, for example, they invested in a
14:08military, in a ballistic missile, in a, you know, fast boats, in drones, and they actually don't have
14:14any powerful plastic... But you've taken, you know, but I know that there was asymmetric power,
14:19but you've taken a huge hit as well. Do you concede that Iran has taken a huge hit in these
14:26107 days
14:27or not that your military machine has been significantly undermined? You know, this is a
14:34war. We know that when you say, when you are actually imposed an unprovoked war against you,
14:39there is a hit and tits for theft. We know that. But the things that, you know, the first one,
14:45it means the goals of the invaders and the person who actually tried to find another Venezuelan
14:52in the Middle East is totally failure. The second one is the resilient side. We know that this war
14:57is the war of endurance. Each party that can resist more can achieve more goals in its political and
15:04in the diplomatic, you know... Okay, I take your point in a way from an Iranian perspective,
15:11but Brigadier General Yossi Cooper-Wasser, you just heard, Tehran and a large part of the Middle East
15:16believes that this war was prosecuted by Benjamin Netanyahu. America went along with it for whatever
15:22reason, and that's not clear even now why Donald Trump agreed to go the whole hog. But the truth
15:28of the matter is, even today, as we speak, Israel is occupying a large part of Lebanon. The Iranians
15:36are insisting that Lebanon is not part, that Lebanon is part of a peace deal, that Israel cannot target
15:43Lebanon or occupied territory in Lebanon. How do you see it? From an Israeli perspective,
15:49has this war achieved any of the strategic objectives that were set off in late February?
15:56Well, I think that we have to distinguish between goals that are achievable and all kinds of hopes and
16:03wishes. It's not everything that you hope or wish for can be achieved, but the goals that were
16:10achievable were achieved. We managed to cause a lot of damage to the Iranian leadership. We managed to
16:15cause a lot of damage to the nuclear facilities of Iran. We managed to cause a lot of damage to
16:19the
16:20production facilities of ballistic missiles in Iran, and we hit Hezbollah in a very impressive way.
16:29That said, the wishes of making sure that Iran has a regime change is a wish,
16:37a wish that cannot be fulfilled through the use of air power.
16:43But didn't Benjamin Netanyahu know that, sir? Brigadier General Kuperwasser, when Benjamin
16:48Netanyahu said at the start of the war that he expected Iran to capitulate, and that he expected
16:54regime change? No, I don't think he expected the regime change done by, directly by the attack. He
17:00expected that the Iranian people will have the opportunity to bring about a regime change,
17:05and this didn't happen, and that's definitely something that still can happen if the Iranian
17:11people will decide to take their fate in their hands. But during the war, as a result, now you've
17:17got Israel targeting Lebanon, Beirut every day, claiming that they're targeting Hezbollah as a right
17:23to self-defense. Do you believe, as a result of the peace deal, will Israel abandon that? Will Israel now
17:29retreat back into Israeli territory, or will you retain the parts of Lebanon as a buffer zone?
17:35No, I think we should retain the 10 kilometers inside Lebanon as a buffer zone until we see that Hezbollah
17:41is disarmed or redeployed in a way that it is keeping away from the southern part of Lebanon.
17:52So the bombings will continue? Will the bombings of Hezbollah targets continue?
17:58If there is a necessity for that, if they are going to threaten us, we are going to keep
18:02taking action against them. I think even today there was an attack. And whenever we see a threat
18:07from Hezbollah, we shall do what's necessary in order to protect ourselves. It's our right of self-defense,
18:12and we shall continue to practice it. And this is according to the ceasefire agreement we have with
18:16the government of Lebanon, under the auspices of the United States itself. So we are not going to
18:22breach any agreement we have concluded with our partners, and we are going to continue to abide by
18:28it. I hope that Hezbollah is going to keep away from southern Lebanon. There's not going to be any need
18:33for us to take action against Hezbollah. But let me say one word about the nuclear project.
18:39This is still to be seen. The jury is still out. We don't know what's going to happen with the
18:43nuclear
18:43issue. President Trump keeps saying, and this was the main reason, not Netanyahu, but the main reason
18:48President Trump went to this war was in order to make sure that Iran doesn't have the capability to
18:53produce nuclear weapons ever in the future. That is the purpose. And this is why it's so important to
18:58see the details of what's going to be signed on Friday and the outcome of ongoing negotiations that are
19:05expected for the next 60 days. If we come up with the results, then he's not going to be satisfied.
19:13Yeah, because the draft mentioned the suspension of sanctions on oil sales,
19:17the reaching a final agreement on nuclear issues within 60 days of signing the deal,
19:23and the release of $24 billion in frozen assets during this 60-day negotiation period.
19:30Therefore, in a way, there's still no clarity on what exactly happens to Iran's nuclear program.
19:38Nadeep Suri, given that, do you believe there are winners and losers at all in this war? How do you
19:45see the state of play at the end of a 107-day war?
19:50You know, I said it in the beginning, Rajdeep, that this was an illegal and pointless war.
19:57If you are today saying that nuclear issue was the key issue for Israel and for the United States,
20:04then why wasn't Oman given a chance when it was so close to a breakthrough?
20:08You know, the Omani foreign minister went public to plead, give diplomacy a chance. And after all of
20:15this wanton destruction that has been unleashed on the global economy, on India itself, on the Indian
20:21economy, let us not speak of others, you are still going back to diplomacy. So to that extent,
20:31this was really an aggression that was uncalled for. And it has left, ironically, Israel in the
20:39worst position. So in a relative way… How do you say it's left Israel in a
20:44worst position? I will come to that. And I was going to say that I agree with Richard that in
20:49a
20:49war, everybody loses, but some are losing more than others. Israel, certainly today, if you look
20:56at the debates taken within Israel itself, Prime Minister Netanyahu is being roundly critiqued for
21:03for having let the country's security down, for flaunting his relationship with President Trump
21:09and then not getting the deal he wanted. Israel is being dragged into this kicking and screaming.
21:15The United States has come out poorly because it has lost the notion that a superpower could impose
21:21its will on a smaller, weaker country by sheer force of military arms. That has not worked. And so,
21:29in a relative scale, Iran has probably come out better than Israel and the United States.
21:37But, you know, it's interesting the way you're putting it. I just want to put
21:42one graphic, though, as to why the world is celebrating at the moment. Oil prices have already
21:46tumbled, Mr. Suri, after the Iran-US deal. Brent crude price, dollar per barrel has gone down.
21:52It's come down to $83.1. Remember, it had gone up at one stage to $120 during the war. That's
22:01to
22:01the benefit of countries like India. Did this war somewhere turn, according to you, Mr. Suri,
22:07once Iran leveraged the Strait of Hormuz? That's really where this war turned. In the early days of
22:12the war, with Ali Khamenei being assassinated, a number of other Iranian leaders being taken out,
22:18it appeared that the United States was prosecuting this war with great aggression. The moment Iran
22:24closed the Strait of Hormuz, the world reacted in shock. And that's where the asymmetry of power
22:30suggests that Iran has got a weapon, has weaponized the Strait of Hormuz. Would you agree with that?
22:36Yes. And it is a serious development because the Strait of Hormuz is not the only international
22:42waterway that is subject to a chokehold or a stranglehold. Tomorrow, if Morocco decides to
22:48do the same with the Strait of Gibraltar, Turkey decides to do something similar with the Bosphorus.
22:54Indonesia vaguely floated the idea of doing something like that in Malacca. You will bring
22:59global commerce to a grinding halt. You know, you do not want a lawless international regime.
23:06It is unfortunate that countries like America are the first ones to break the law when it suits them.
23:10But I think we will eventually have to come to a UN-driven arrangement and not one that is
23:18unilaterally imposed by Iran or Iran in coordination with Oman, because that is completely in violation
23:25of international law. So we still don't know that. Just to press that, we still don't know,
23:30Mr. Suri, whether Iran will open up the Strait of Hormuz right away, although the US president says so,
23:37and whether they will do it under certain conditions. Am I correct?
23:42Right. The worry, I think, is the statements that are coming out of Tehran that post the 60-day period,
23:50they will have the right to impose fees, which runs counter to the notion that it is an international
23:58waterway and there is free passage for commerce.
24:02You know, given what you've just said, Mr. Bainter, you see, all of this seems to suggest that,
24:07many of our guests suggest that the United States went into this war, as Mr. Suri says,
24:12unprovoked act of aggression or needless. It was not necessary when diplomacy was winning out. In that sense,
24:20and as you rightly said, in America, there has been growing pressure to end this war. Do you believe
24:26that Donald Trump has undermined US power as a result of prosecuting this war? Is this going to be
24:33seen as the moment that Donald Trump got his aggressive policies badly wrong? It may have worked in
24:43Venezuela. It didn't work in Iran. Well, President Trump had no right to start this war under United
24:52States law and our constitution without consulting with Congress first. Congress has the power to
24:58declare war, not the president of the United States. It's right there in our constitution.
25:03The president can act defensively if we are attacked, but we were not attacked in this situation.
25:08He needed to go to Congress. The reason he did not go to Congress is he would not have received
25:13support in Congress because the vast majority of Americans did not, do not support this war.
25:20That's the problem here. Furthermore... So in hindsight, his policy of unilateralism,
25:28Mr. Bainter, has it taken a big hit? Will it now make him a little bit more circumspect? Because there
25:34was
25:34talk in the middle. He will now go into Cuba. He will look at other countries where he wants to
25:39establish US dominance. Would he be more cautious now? I have no idea whether President Trump will
25:45be cautious or not. Caution is generally not his trademark. And that's for him to decide. But he's
25:52getting himself in some serious political trouble. His poll numbers are way down. And again, the vast
25:57majority of the American people do not support this war, do not support the United States getting dragged
26:03into conflict in the Middle East. And we're tired of extremists on all sides, the extremists who say
26:09that Israel has no right to exist within its 1967 borders, the extremists who insist that we ought to
26:16try to impose regime change on Iran somehow, and that we need more military deployment by the United States
26:23getting involved in the military in the conflict in the Middle East. And, you know, we are an ally of
26:30Israel. We will help Israel defend itself. But we do not need to get involved in wars where we are
26:37bombing other countries. This was not a decision by the prime minister of Israel for the United States.
26:44It was a decision by the president of the United States acting on his own accord without the consent
26:50of the United States Congress, probably in violation of international law as well. It's not ending well.
26:56Now, that being said, the government of Iran needs to understand they need to recognize Israel's right
27:01to exist within its 1967 borders if they want to have peace in the region. And if they don't and
27:07they
27:07continue to pursue a plan to develop nuclear weapons, they're going to end up in a very catastrophic
27:13conflict with Israel. But the United States needs to stay out of this situation. We don't rule the world
27:19that we can't reestablish the British Empire or something like it, where the United States is
27:25trying to figure out who is on the right side, who is on the wrong side of the Middle East.
27:30And then we
27:30deploy our troops. And we only make matters worse when we do that. And that's the view of the vast
27:35majority of the American people and the United States Congress.
27:40Ali Salehan, is there going to be at least some introspection also on the part of Tehran that just
27:47as America may have to introspect, so does Tehran. You have exported terror. Groups like Hezbollah,
27:53groups like Hamas have exported, the Houthis have exported terror. Is there a recognition that you cannot
27:59pursue this policy anymore that Israel doesn't have the right to exist? The moment you do and speak the
28:04language of extremism, you will also find yourself increasingly isolated even within the Muslim world.
28:14First of all, to the comments to, you know, American colleague, if you are starting a war,
28:21unless and, you know, despite the assessment of your security official, just person like
28:28Tursi Gawad mentioned explicitly in the Sonat's, you know, hearing that there is no any sign of,
28:35you know, militarization of nuclear program of Iran. And you are starting a war unless and despite,
28:43you know, based on the approval rating of your people, despite the slogans just of-
28:50No, forget the Americans. Forget the Americans for a moment. Give me an Iran.
28:54Give me, will there be introspection in Iran? Will anything change?
29:00Will you abandon the nuclear program? Will there be a recognition that your nuclear program is seen
29:05by many countries as a threat?
29:08Okay. Just give me a moment. If you frame this kind of as an ally, it's more just like a
29:14puppet.
29:14You can change, you must change it if you want to achieve a kind of sustainable peace in the region.
29:19To your question, you know, it's my- I tried to say to multiple colleagues in the region and in
29:27the
29:27Western world that the main idea of resistance is actually not created by Islamic Republic of Iran.
29:34It's actually created by the oppression. If oppression, you know, halted in a different part of the
29:42world, especially Palestine, the whole meaning of resistance would stop any kind of action. We know
29:48that the resistance in Palestine is actually started much here before even the, you know,
29:54Islamic Republic of Iran. If they have any concern about the Islamic movements or the, you know,
30:00resistance movement, they have only one of them. Just start the oppression. We know that actually
30:07this operation captured more territory in southern port of the Loblan. It's captured Golan Heights.
30:14It's captured Syria. It's captured even Gaza based on this. And it was, you know, but based on,
30:20you know, something like that. So you're saying it's- you're saying it's Israel which has been
30:26capturing territory and that's resulted in what you're calling a resistance movement, not terrorism.
30:31Uh, Brigitte Cooper Wasser, you want to respond to that? I'm asking you, will there be introspection in
30:38Israel as well? Will there be a recognition that maybe Netanyahu has also pushed too hard
30:43and tried in some way or the other? We've seen what there, what has happened in Gaza,
30:47the kind of destruction that's taken place there. We're seeing what's happening in Lebanon.
30:52Will Israel pull back or not? Well, I'm sure that there's going to be some
30:57soul searching in Israel because the, all these wishes were not fulfilled and there's going to be a
31:01soul searching to see what went wrong and why did it go wrong so much. Uh, that's our second nature.
31:11And, uh, no, will you, will Israel, will Israel realize that if you bomb civilian populations in
31:17Gaza, if you do that in Lebanon, Israel will also lose sympathy?
31:24We don't bomb civilian populations in either in Gaza, nor in Lebanon, nor in anywhere else.
31:29Sir, look at the thousands who've died in Gaza, thousands of civilians.
31:34Many, many of them were terrorists and the others were many of the others. There were some mistakes,
31:38but many of the others- Thousands of women and children,
31:41sir, they were not terrorists. We had, we killed in Gaza, something like 25,000 terrorists. So it's,
31:47uh, it's quite a lot of out of the total number of casualties. And many, many of the others were
31:55killed because they were next to the terrorists that were hiding in amongst them. But, uh, that put
32:02aside, I think that the issue of oppression that, uh, our colleague from Iran was speaking about is
32:07the mere existence of Israel. For him, this is oppression. So it's, uh, if he's ready to accept that
32:13Israel has to the right to exist as a Jewish state, then, uh, we don't have any problems. Then we
32:18can
32:18argue with whether, what are the exact- Okay. So you're saying, you're saying there should be a
32:23recognition of Israel's right to exist at the very least. Your point is taken to that extent. But I
32:29want to give Nadeep Suri, therefore, a final word. Give me a final word from an Indian perspective.
32:34There's a belief that India has aligned itself during this war way too closely to the American,
32:39uh, Israeli axis in a way. And only later on, we tried to play a more, uh, balanced role. In
32:47the
32:48meanwhile, Pakistan is the one that's going to be on the high table. It was Shabazz Sharif who announced
32:53that this deal had been struck and he's reportedly also going to be playing a major role in Geneva.
32:59Do you believe that that is something that should concern us? The fact that maybe we were aligned
33:04too closely to one side and Pakistan turns out to play the role of peacemaker. A quick response.
33:11I agree that we have compromised our traditional position of neutrality when it comes to conflicts
33:19in West Asia. We've always taken pride in our ability, uh, to maintain close relations with
33:26different parties, even if those parties are in conflict with each other. We've had great relations
33:31with Iran and the Gulf and with Israel. And I don't think there was any need for us to, uh,
33:37to, uh,
33:38take sides the way we have. And, uh, um, in the, in the process of, uh, choosing sides, uh, we,
33:46uh,
33:47have taken our eyes off the ball. We've ceded space to Pakistan and others. Uh, and, and, and,
33:52you know, I would just point out that there is a reality of Iran. We may or may not like
33:58the government
33:59in place, but there's a reality of Iran as a near neighbor with which we have civilizational ties.
34:04It ain't going away anywhere. There are imperatives of geography that have been brought
34:08home by this conflict. And it's important to respect that geography of our neighborhood.
34:15Okay. I'm going to leave it there. Uh, I I've listened to all these voices. As I said,
34:20it's perhaps at the end, hopefully at the end of this conflict, a time for introspection,
34:26and maybe all sides have reasons to introspect. The last thing the world needs is more conflicts.
34:32I appreciate my guests joining me from different parts of the world. We've asked you the viewers,
34:37and this is something we're going to ask every day. We want to get viewer responses to our big
34:41question. Who gained the upper hand in the U S Iran deal? Manandar Purewal writes,
34:47If the original objective was to fundamentally weaken Iran, this deal suggests the U S blinked first.
34:52Iran endured military pressure, remained politically intact, and returned to negotiations
34:57without appearing to surrender. In geopolitics, survival itself can be victory. Parag Hede says,
35:03Iran has lost most of its top leadership, but as a nation, it is intact with the same government in
35:08power. U S's objective of finishing Iran's leadership, taking over the nation like Venezuela,
35:14hasn't succeeded. Iran gets a slight upper hand in the war, but Friday is quite far by Trump's
35:19standard. Who knows what happens between now and then? Venkatesh writes, Iran strengthened its
35:25position through sheer resilience and survived under extraordinary pressure. Tehran undoubtedly gained
35:30the upper hand. Remember, we'll carry three best responses that we get every day. This is your say
35:37on the news today. Okay, let's move from there to the next big story. And our next big story comes
35:44from
35:45what's been happening in West Bengal, where remember, a day after a large section, 20 MPs chose to merge
35:53with an unknown party, the Nationalist Citizen Party of India. Questions are being raised over who really is
36:01this Nationalist Citizen Party of India. This little known party with a small office in Kolkata and
36:09contesting three elections in Tripura. What was this merger all about? And can the rebels, the 20 MPs,
36:19dodge the anti-defection law? Tapas Sengupta went to find out what really is the Nationalist Citizen Party
36:26of India. Take a look.
36:36A political bombshell from Bengal.
36:4120 rebel TMC Lok Sabha MPs have announced a dramatic split from the party,
36:46and merger with an obscure Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India.
36:52wala.
36:53.
36:54.
36:54.
36:54.
36:55.
36:56.
36:56.
36:57.
36:57.
37:24The rebels have also sought separate
37:26seats in parliament, signalling a formal escalation of the rupture with Mamata Banerjee.
37:33The big announcement came after rebel MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union Minister
37:38Bhupendra Yadav on Sunday.
37:41But the question now is, what is NCPI?
37:46Founded in 2022 as a regional, tribal-focused outfit from Tripura, the Nationalist Citizens
37:52Party of India remains an unrecognised political party, with limited electoral success.
37:59Until now, it barely registered on the political radar.
38:03But the merger claim has suddenly pushed it into the centre of a high-stakes political storm.
38:10As it happens, even the founder of the NCPI appeared to be in the dark about the sudden
38:15turn of events involving his party.
38:34For a party that has hit national headlines, its office in Kolkata surprisingly showed zero
38:41activity on Monday morning.
38:43This happens to be the registered address of NCPI here in West Bengal.
38:48It clearly states Hadgacha, Banipur Post Office, Police Station Shakrail, district Havra.
38:54It is based in the rural area of Shakrail in Havra district.
38:59Utyokundu, you can see the name here on the gate, is known to be the vice president of this
39:06particular party here in Bengal chapter and another name, Mrs. Shivali Kundu, who happens
39:11to be a lawyer.
39:12They both reside in this very premises and this is the only registered address of the NCPI
39:17here in West Bengal.
39:19Apart from Bengal, they have presence in Tripura as well.
39:22Many locals visited the office out of curiosity.
39:26People said that this is an office in Bengal, Jagu Bangla, and people were talking about help.
39:34But we did not see any help.
39:37In 2013, there was a election here.
39:40There are the Utyokundu and Shivali Kundu.
39:44There are 78 booths here, and in the Baju, there are many booths here.
39:56Meanwhile, the Mamta Banerjee camp has hit back hard.
39:59They are talking about BJP, they are going to the home of BJP leaders.
40:05They are joining another party, which we don't have any details.
40:14So the actual point is that the government has not taken the door.
40:20They are closed.
40:21They are coming.
40:29The debate is now on whether the merger with the NCPI is enough for the rebels to escape
40:35the anti-defection law.
40:36But if the merger is cleared, the NCPI will overnight become the fifth largest party in
40:42the Lok Sabha.
40:43With Tapas Kumar Sengupta and Indrajit Kundu, Bureau Report, India Today.
40:51So what legally happens in a case like this?
40:54Let me bring you an explainer when it comes to mergers.
40:58There's Subhash Desai vs. Maharashtra Governor, 2023.
41:01A Supreme Court verdict, five-judge constitution bench, headed by Justice Chandra Chu.
41:06A political party and not a legislature party appoints the whip and leader of the party in
41:12the house.
41:13The judgment says direction to vote in a particular manner is issued by the political party and
41:19not the legislature party.
41:21The speaker shall recognize whip and leader who are duly authorized by the political party.
41:26Speaker will determine who the political party is where two or more factions make the claim.
41:32So, if you go by this judgment, it's not enough to just merge your party.
41:36You will also have to accept the political party merging, not just the legislature party.
41:44But, and this is what the rebels can count on, is Girish Chodankar, a Congress Goa leader
41:49versus Goa Speaker.
41:51Here, there was a Mumbai High Court verdict which said, Speaker is justified to hold that
41:5610 Congress MLA's and two MGP MLA's didn't attract this qualification.
42:01Parliament, in its own wisdom, has incorporated a deeming fiction under 10 schedule, protection
42:08from disqualification if at least two-thirds legislature party agree to merge with another
42:13party.
42:14Parliament determined the threshold of morality of at least two-thirds agreeing for merger.
42:20Courts have nothing else to go by except the legislative wisdom of Parliament.
42:24If you go by this, then the rebels can easily, since they are 20 out of 28, merge their party
42:31with a smaller party.
42:33While the news headlines have been dominated by the chaos in the Trinamul Congress, there
42:38are also fresh signs of trouble for another regional party, the Shiv Sena UBT.
42:43An emergency show of strength that the residents of the Thakres in Matosri in Mumbai has sparked
42:50off fresh questions over unity within the Shiv Sena UBT after five of its nine MPs skipped
42:58the crucial meeting.
42:59Will Shiv Sena be the next party to split?
43:15What was supposed to be a show of unity has turned into a nightmare for Uddhav Thakre.
43:22Desperate to prove his flock intact, Thakre called an emergency meeting at Matosri on Sunday.
43:28But out of nine MPs, five did not attend.
43:33Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh, Om Raje Nibalkar, Bhau Saheb Akchure and Nagesh Patal Ashtikar
43:41skipped the face-to-face huddle.
43:43The Shiv Sena UBT leadership rushed through control damage, claiming the missing leaders
43:48are present virtually at the meet.
43:50But sources say Thakre could only get through to one MP online.
43:54Incidentally, these same leaders had earlier given Aditya Thakre's birthday bash a miss.
44:01Amid reports of another rebellion, Thakre has issued an ultimatum to the absentees.
44:06Explain yourself to the loyal workers immediately.
44:09The
44:12I have done a lot of people who have been trained in this country.
44:17So we are all in a way that many people have been trained.
44:20I said, do you have to do a lot of operation?
44:24No, I will do a lot of operation.
44:28No, I will do a lot of operation, but I will get into operation.
44:34How do you get to do a lot of operation?
44:51The ruling Mahayuti alliance is smelling blood.
44:56इनको किसी को तोडने की जरूदने नहीं, यह खुद ही तूटेवे हैं. अब इसलिए शाहिद ही कुछ दिनों में जो
45:08सांसद है, यह जो यमेलेज है, यह जो भिखर है उनसे जो तूट रहे हैं.
45:15I think that it is difficult to keep Uddhav Thakre now to keep Uddhav Thakre in the court of the
45:29missing five MPs. Will they return to Mahatoshri to prove their loyalty or is Maharashtra about to witness the final
45:37collapse of the UBT fortress?
45:39The next 48 hours will reveal whether the tiger still rules the jungle or NDA has successfully cornered its prey.
45:49With camera person Mahesh Moreh, myself, Ritvik Bhalikar for India Today, Mumbai.
45:55Okay, now why is the Shiv Sena, why is the BJP so keen to split the smaller regional parties ahead
46:02of the monsoon session?
46:03Well, to simply get a two-thirds majority.
46:05Remember, Lok Sabha's strength is 540, therefore a two-thirds majority would be 360.
46:10The NDA at the moment has 293.
46:13At the TMC rebels, 20, they become 313.
46:15If the UBD splits, that goes up to 319.
46:19The DMK at the moment hasn't taken a call after having broken with the Congress.
46:25At that, 22.
46:26And the BJP or the NDA is inching closer towards 360 where they can bring in major constitutional amendments.
46:34That's why you're seeing all these splits taking place in fast-forward ahead of the monsoon session next month.
46:42I want to leave you with our image of the day.
46:46The boy wonder of the 2026 edition of the IPL who could do no wrong with the bat has found
46:51himself in a major controversy.
46:53Vaibhav Suryavanshi pushed away a Sri Lankan player after losing out in a super over between India A and Sri
47:02Lanka A.
47:02While the exact reason for the altercation is unknown, Mr. Suryavanshi must know, cricket is not a contact sport.
47:10It is unacceptable to push another player in the way that he did.
47:16Hopefully, the superstar will learn his lesson.
47:24Okay, let me then finally leave you with the fact that today is World Dengue Day.
47:30Did you know that every year millions of Indians are affected by dengue?
47:34A tiny mosquito that can have devastating consequences for an entire family.
47:39Dengue is not just another fever.
47:41It's a serious disease that can cause high fever, body pain, a dangerous drop in platelet count, hospitalization and in
47:48some cases even become life-threatening.
47:50Children, senior citizens and those with weakened immunity are especially vulnerable.
47:55What makes dengue particularly concerning is the mosquito responsible for spreading it does not breed in distant forests or remote
48:02areas.
48:02It thrives right around our homes, coolers, flowerpots, balconies, any place where clean water is allowed to stagnate.
48:09Which means the fight against dengue must begin at home.
48:13This is not a battle that can be won by one individual, one family or an institution alone.
48:18To defeat dengue, the entire nation must come together.
48:21With this resolved, today on World Dengue Day, all out in India today have launched a nationwide public awareness movement,
48:28Saat Lanenge, Dengue Say.
48:30Through this campaign, we will bring credible information, expert advice and simple prevention measures to households across the country.
48:37And remember, a few simple steps can go a long way in protecting your family.
48:43Do not allow water to collect in and around your home.
48:46Change the water in coolers and flowerpots regularly.
48:48Take extra care to protect children and senior citizens from mosquito bites.
48:53And use mosquito repellents and vaporizers regularly to help keep your home protected.
48:59Because when every home stays alert, dengue loses its chance to spread.
49:03Join all out and India today in this collective fight.
49:06Saat Lanenge, Dengue Say.
49:08Thanks for watching.
49:09Stay well, stay safe.
49:11Good night, Shubratri.
49:12Jaihin, Namaskar.
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