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This edition of Statecraft examines Egypt's decision to abstain from the new defence pact signed in Mecca by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
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00:07What happens when one country refuses to choose sides while another makes sure nobody knows where
00:13its leader really is? Tonight, two stories about power, pressure and the art of staying one step
00:19ahead. In West Asia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have created a new defence pact.
00:24But Egypt has stayed out. Why? Is Cairo avoiding Israel, balancing Saudi Arabia and the UAE
00:31or protecting its strategic ties with India and America? And then shift your gaze to Turkey.
00:37As Iran reportedly threatened Donald Trump, the US President allegedly pulled off a bizarre escape
00:43using a catering truck and a decoy Air Force One. One country refuses to pick a block,
00:49the other refuses to reveal its position. Hello and welcome. You're watching Statecraft
00:54with me, Geeta Mohan. All this and more, but first up, the headlines.
00:59A Syrian court sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad along with his younger brother to death
01:04in absentia. He was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria's
01:1014-year conflict that left about half a million people dead. Search and rescue efforts are underway
01:16in dozens of cities and towns in Western Colombia after a powerful earthquake struck the region,
01:21killing at least 111 people and leaving many trapped under the debris of damaged and destroyed
01:27buildings. Colombia experienced a 7.4 magnitude earthquake more than a month after Venezuela
01:33was hit by twin powerful earthquakes. President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a warning over further
01:39cooperation between Russia and North Korea in the war in Ukraine, claiming Pyongyang was preparing
01:44to send an additional contingent and missiles to help Moscow. India has invited Bangladesh's Prime
01:50Minister Tariq Rahman for a bilateral visit and to attend BRICS outreach session in New Delhi.
01:55MEA spokesperson Randeer Jaiswal said Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi
02:00met Rahman and discussed matters of mutual interest. The meeting comes days after former Prime Minister
02:06Sheikh Hasina announced her departure from India in December to Bangladesh.
02:11U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gaur met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to discuss
02:17ties between the two countries. In a tweet, he said,
02:21our close partnership with India is vital to addressing global security challenges.
02:26The United States and India share many of the same goals and our engagement continues to grow.
02:32August 11th has been declared as the Independence Day of Balochistan by Baloch fighters. The Republic of
02:40Balochistan, after declaring the independence call for worldwide celebrations, it also comes days after
02:45announcing the province's independence from Pakistan. The declaration of independence also comes amid
02:52violent protests in POK against the Pakistani establishment. In a statement, the Republic of Balochistan,
02:58which is established by the Baloch fighters, although Balochistan still is an integral part of Pakistan,
03:07urged the people to mark the day with national unity and appeal to the international community
03:12to recognize it as an independent and sovereign Balochistan. Baloch liberation leader Miryar Baloch urged
03:19the Baloch population to hoist the flag of independent Balochistan in their homes and public places. It further
03:26alleged that Pakistan's policies and effect had affected not only the region, but also other parts of the
03:32world. It referred to Kashmir, the military action in Balochistan in March 1948, the 1971 conflict in East
03:39Pakistan, now Bangladesh, operations involving Palestinians in Jordan, the Soviet Afghan war, the 1998 nuclear
03:48nuclear tests in Chagai district and developments after September 11 attacks in the United States of
03:54America. Balochistan first declared its independence on the 11th of August 1947 during the withdrawal of
04:01British rule from the subcontinent. On the basis of this position, the group said the Baloch nation has been
04:07observing August 11th as its independence day and would continue to celebrate the occasion in the years ahead.
04:14Why did Egypt stay away from the new Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan defense pact? Was Cairo pressured by Israel?
04:22Is Egypt caught between Saudi Arabia and the UAE? Or is something bigger at play? Because while Turkey,
04:28Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were putting pen to paper in Mecca, Egypt was conspicuously absent. And that
04:35absence matters. Cairo was considered a natural candidate for the alliance. But when the moment came,
04:41Egypt chose to stay out. And the reasons revealed just how complicated the new West Asia power game
04:48has become. The pact was signed in Mecca on Friday. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan agreed to a
04:54collective defense framework. Its most striking provision resembles NATO's Article 5. An attack on one
05:02member is to be treated as an attack on all three. But Egypt was missing. And this was not unexpected.
05:08Turkish officials had spent nearly two years trying to bring all the parties into a broader security
05:14arrangement. Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already been holding consultations under the
05:21so-called regional four. Yet when the alliance finally took shape, Cairo stepped back. So why did
05:28Egypt say no? The first reason is Israel. Egypt is not just another Arab country. It is a US ally.
05:36It shares a
05:37border with Israel and it is one of the few Arab states with full diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv.
05:43Joining a military pact involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan would force Cairo
05:49to manage enormous pressure from Israel and Washington. And Egypt simply does not want another strategic
05:56headache. But Israel is only one piece of the puzzle. The bigger problem may be the growing Saudi-UAE
06:03rivalry. Egypt has defense ties with Abu Dhabi. In fact, when Iranian strikes hit the UAE in May,
06:10Egypt deployed Rafale fighter jets in response. Now imagine Cairo joining an alliance increasingly
06:15centered around Saudi Arabia. It could look like Egypt had chosen Riyadh over Abu Dhabi. And Cairo does not
06:22want to make that choice. Because Egypt is trying to balance, not big sides. On one side, there is the
06:29emerging Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan axis. On the other, there are Israel, the UAE and India. And Cairo has
06:36something to protect on both sides. It needs Saudi Arabia. It relies on financial support from the UAE.
06:42It has strategic and commercial interests with India. And it wants to maintain its relationship
06:48with the United States of America. So why walk into a military blog that could force Egypt to choose?
06:54There's another calculation. Egypt and Turkey have increasingly found common ground on Gaza and
07:00developments in Africa. Egypt also shares interests with Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia on efforts to end
07:08the Gaza war. But common interests do not automatically mean a military alliance. A defense
07:14pact creates obligations and Cairo may simply not be ready to inherit someone else's enemies. That is
07:21especially important because the Mecca agreement leaves its exact military commitments somewhat vague,
07:26even while promising collective defense. And this is where Egypt's decision becomes strategically
07:32significant. Cairo is refusing to be boxed into a new regional order. It wants room to maneuver.
07:39Because today's friend could become tomorrow's rival. And today's security partner could drag
07:45you into tomorrow's war. But Turkey has not given up on Egypt. Ankara still hopes Cairo could join later
07:53once the new alliance proves that it can function as a credible regional deterrent. That means Egypt's
08:00no may not be permanent. It could simply be a not yet. And Cairo may be waiting to see what
08:07this alliance
08:07actually becomes. Will it remain a political statement? Or will Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
08:14build genuine military coordination? Because that answer could determine Egypt's next move. And there's
08:21one final reason Egypt is staying out. Strategic autonomy. Cairo does not want to choose between competing
08:28blocs. It wants Saudi money without alienating the UAE. It wants ties with Turkey without provoking Israel.
08:35It wants closer commercial relations with India without damaging its Arab partnerships. You see,
08:42Cairo has deepening commercial and strategic ties with New Delhi and does not want to jeopardize them
08:47by joining an alliance increasingly shaped around Pakistan's security interests. With the pact
08:54potentially strengthening Islamabad's military and diplomatic position, Egypt risks being seen as
08:59taking sides against India, something Cairo has little incentive to do.
09:04That is why Egypt's absence from Mecca may be more important than its presence would have been.
09:10The pact may be three countries on paper, but the real battle is over who joins the new regional
09:16security architecture and who stays outside it. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have taken the first step.
09:23Egypt is watching and for now Cairo has said, don't ask us to choose sides. Not yet.
09:31Strait of Hormuz continues to be the bone of contention between Iran and the US. As officials
09:37from Trump administration call for urgent reopening of the strait, Iran's leadership has conditioned
09:43the opening to receiving war reparations from Washington. Now it's the turn of Washington to
09:49demand war reparations. US President Trump has demanded compensation from Iran for killing people
09:55Israel during the conflict and for 50 years of damages caused by Tehran. The reparations would cover
10:01deaths of US forces in the region as well as civilian protesters in Iran. He further stated Tehran should
10:07compensate families of the 17 US sailors killed in an October 2000 attack in Yemen on the USS coal naval
10:16vessel,
10:16which has been blamed on Al-Qaeda, not Iran.
10:22They asked for reparations, you might say, or they asked for money for the damage that we've done. I said,
10:31that's a good idea. Well, we're going to ask for money for the damage they've done over a 50 year
10:34period.
10:35Whether you go SS coal or whether you go all of the people that were so badly hurt, so badly
10:41wounded,
10:41or killed many thousands of people. And maybe damages for the 52,000 protesters over the last
10:48four months that were killed in Iran. We think their family should get damages for killing their
10:54person or their child or mother, father that were protesting. At least it was 52,000 a month and a
11:00half
11:01ago. So now what is it? So if there's damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages.
11:08Besides war reparations, another demand of Iran is that US should end the naval blockade of its ports,
11:14lift sanctions, and release Iran's frozen assets. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz,
11:20a waterway that normally carries roughly one fifth of the world's trade oil supplies,
11:25has become the war's most lasting consequence. The impasse has kept energy prices as a major focus
11:32of US politics ahead of November's midterm elections. However, separate talks between Tehran
11:38and Muscat are ongoing for a possible alternate route through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, however,
11:44has reiterated that US should end its military threats. US Central Command said it had redirected
11:5055 commercial vessels since reinstating the blockade in July and disabled at least two.
11:56Amid the US-Iran tussle over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid
12:02Mushtaba Hussaini Khamenei announced high-level military appointments. Major General Ali Abdullahi
12:09appointed as Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces. Brigadier General Qomars Khairdari appointed as Deputy
12:17Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces. Major General Ahmed Wahidi appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC.
12:24Hussain Tayyib appointed as the Head of Basaj Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
12:32Major General Mustafa Izzadi appointed as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of IRGC. Rear Admiral Ali Azmai appointed as the
12:42Commander of the IRGC Navy. US President Donald Trump reportedly sneaked out of the NATO summit in a catering
12:50truck. Yes, you heard that right, a catering truck. As Iran threatened his life, President Trump reportedly
12:58pulled off a Presidential Disappearing Act in Turkey that sounds straight out of a spy movie. Cameras
13:04watched him board the old Air Force One. Reporters followed. The White House said that was his aircraft,
13:11except Trump was reportedly gone before that plane even left. He and his aides allegedly slipped out
13:18through an airport catering truck, climbed into a smaller C-32A military aircraft and flew to Britain
13:25while journalists sat inside Air Force One believing the President was still with them. The jumbo jet became
13:32the decoy. The catering truck became the escape route. And suddenly, the most powerful man in America
13:39had pulled off one of the strangest presidential security tricks ever reported. So why did Trump need
13:46to disappear from his own plane? The reason was serious. An alleged Iranian assassination threat.
13:53Trump had traveled to Ankara for the NATO summit as tensions with Iran had escalated. Mind you,
13:58Turkey is right next to Iran. According to the Washington Post, intelligence officials had flagged
14:05a specific threat involving Trump or his aircraft. And that created a problem. Everyone knew the
14:12President was in Turkey. Everyone knew what Air Force One looked like. And everyone could watch it leave.
14:18Worse, Trump had arrived on the brand new Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar. The aircraft had received major
14:25upgrades. But reports had raised questions about its defensive capabilities compared with the older
14:31presidential jet. So what did Trump do? He publicly announced that he would leave Turkey aboard the old
14:38Air Force One for old time's sake. That sounded harmless. It was apparently the cover story. Trump
14:45boarded the blue and white Air Force One in front of cameras. He waved. Everyone saw him get on. But
14:51minutes later, the real operation began. Trump and several aides reportedly climbed into an airport
14:58catering truck. The truck was raised to the aircraft door on the opposite side from the visible staircase.
15:05Then it drove away, not to a kitchen, to a smaller military aircraft, a C-32A. That aircraft would carry
15:14Trump to Britain. And here is where the operation gets even more clever. The old Air Force One did not
15:22suddenly disappear. It carried on as if nothing had happened. Journalists boarded it. White House staff
15:29remained aboard. Reporters believed Trump was inside. They were even told to keep the window shades
15:35closed. So from the outside, everything looked normal. Air Force One had Trump. Except, Air Force One
15:44did not have Trump. The President was reportedly already on the C-32A. That aircraft flew under the
15:51call sign REACH 18, while the legacy Air Force One later appeared as the public presidential flight.
15:58So why all this trouble? Because modern surveillance has changed the game. You cannot simply
16:05hide a presidential aircraft anymore. Satellites can watch airports. Flight trackers can follow
16:11aircraft. Drones can observe movements. Cameras can record departures. And precision weapons
16:18can turn an aircraft's location into a deadly piece of information. But there is one thing surveillance
16:25still needs. Identification. Knowing that a plane is in the sky is one thing. Knowing which plane carries
16:31the President is another. And that is exactly what a decoy does. It does not make the President invisible.
16:38It makes the attacker unsure. Think of it as forcing an enemy to play a guessing game when getting the
16:45answer
16:46wrong could be catastrophic. And this idea is hardly new. Presidential security has used decoys before.
16:53The most familiar example is Marine One. When the President travels by helicopter, several identical Marine
17:00Corps helicopters fly together. One carries the President. The others act as decoys. They can change
17:07positions after takeoff, making it difficult for someone watching from the ground to identify the real
17:13aircraft. Which helicopter has Trump? That is the point. You do not know. It is basically a presidential
17:20shell game. The same logic can apply to motorcades where duplicate or similar vehicles and changing routes
17:27can make it harder to identify the President's exact location. So was Trump's turkey escape completely
17:34unprecedented? No. The decoy idea is old. Franklin Roosevelt secretly traveled to Casablanca during World
17:42War II. Dwight Eisenhower concealed his trip to Korea. George W. Bush secretly flew to Baghdad. Barack Obama's
17:50Afghanistan trip remained secret until he arrived. Joe Biden secretly traveled to Kyiv after flying to
17:57Poland and taking an overnight train. Presidential movements have been hidden before. What makes the
18:03Turkey operation extraordinary is the reported choreography. Trump did not simply take a secret
18:10flight. He reportedly created a false presidential flight. The most recognizable aircraft in the operation
18:17became the decoy. The press was unknowingly part of the deception. And that tells us something important
18:24about presidential security today. It is no longer just about hiding. It is about controlling what the
18:30enemy thinks it sees. Because in the age of satellites, drones, flight trackers and precision weapons,
18:37making the President disappear completely may be impossible. But making an attacker ask which aircraft is
18:45easy on, that can still work. A U.S. court has dismissed criminal charges against Gautam Adani in a fraud
18:53and bribery
18:53case. The judge accepted federal prosecutors bid to toss the case that came after they inquired into their
19:01reasons for doing so. Trump's Justice Department has said in a court filing that the case was primarily
19:07foreign, hard to prove and inconsistent with the agency's current priorities. Gautam Adani welcomed the court's decision
19:15and hails the due process of law. Adani was charged in 2024 with agreeing to bribe Indian government officials
19:21so a subsidiary of his Adani group could win approval to develop a solar energy plant.
19:29The U.S. is adding thousands of dollars to certain H-1B and L-1 visa extensions, creating a new
19:34cost for
19:35companies employing foreign workers. Indian IT firms could be among the biggest affected, especially those
19:41extending visas for large numbers of employees. The fee will be paid by employers and not by the workers.
19:48Arian Kumar with this report.
19:59A new U.S. visa fee could add thousands of dollars to the cost of keeping foreign workers on American
20:05payrolls, with
20:06major Indian IT companies among those likely to feel the impact. From September 9, certain large employers will have to
20:15pay
20:15an additional $4,000 for qualifying H-1B extension petitions and $4,500 for L-1 extension petitions.
20:24The change is significant for Indian technology and consulting companies because many operate with
20:31a blended staffing model, combining employees based in India with professionals working onshore
20:36in the United States. But this is not a new fee for every H-1B or L-1 application.
20:44The Department of Homeland Security is expanding the circumstances in which the 9-11 response and
20:50biometric entry-exit fee applies. The fee will cover certain employers with at least 50 employees
20:57in the United States, where more than 50% of those employees are in H-1B or L-1 non
21:04-immigrant status.
21:05And the charge is paid by the employer filing the petition, not directly by the foreign worker.
21:12That distinction matters. For an Indian IT company extending the US status of a large number of
21:18employees, however, the additional cost could become substantial. An employer filing hundreds of
21:24qualifying extensions could face hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional fees. For
21:30companies handling thousands of such cases, the cost could reach millions. The new rule,
21:36therefore, adds another expense to the process of maintaining an overseas workforce in the United
21:42States. It could also become a factor in how companies assess future staffing arrangements,
21:48although the rule itself does not require employers to replace H-1B or L-1 workers. Companies could
21:56continue sponsoring qualifying employees, provided they meet the relevant immigration requirements and
22:02pay the applicable fees. There is also an exemption. DHS says amended petitions that do not request an
22:10extension of status will not be subject to the expanded fee requirement. So why is the United States
22:17collecting this money? The fee was created by Congress in December 2015 as a successor to an earlier
22:24supplemental charge. The revenue is designated to support the US Customs and Border Protection
22:30Air and Sea Biometric Entry Exit System, an automated biometric tracking program. DHS estimates that expanding
22:39the fee could generate approximately $157.3 million annually. For Washington, the money is intended to support a
22:48national security-related biometric system. For Indian IT companies, it means another cost attached to
22:55maintaining eligible employees in the U.S. And for Indian professionals, the key point is this. The fee does
23:02not directly target their salaries or impose a new charge on them, but it increases the cost for employers
23:09seeking to extend qualifying H-1B and L-1 assignments. That makes the change another important development for
23:16India's technology workforce in the United States. That's all in this edition of Statecraft. Before we go,
23:28Indian gymnastics has just made history. Ariha Pangambam has become the first Indian to win gold in the
23:35senior women's individual event at the Asian Aerobic Gymnastics Championship scoring a stunning 19.10.
23:43The landmark victory gives India its first-ever gold in the event, marking a major moment for the country on
23:50the
23:50Asian gymnastics stage. Take a look. Goodbye and take care.
24:17This is the first time.
24:18This is a Quite А foi.
24:40It wasn't za many years for the time when borrowing of a new school in our industry.
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