- 2 months ago
The big talking point of this episode of News Today is the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, including the potential for a military strike on Tehran.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your prime time destination news, newsmakers, talking points.
00:07And this Tuesday night, the big talking point is I to topple the Iran regime.
00:15Next is Khamenei on Trump's horizon.
00:20Trump's former advisor, John Bolton, will be among my special guests tonight.
00:24Also, my ground report. I'm in Mumbai and I'll tell you what's happening in the battle for the Mumbai municipal corporation elections.
00:33The high voltage, high prestige fight.
00:36First, as always, it's time for the nine headlines at nine.
00:42Amidst the tense situation in Iran, Donald Trump now makes a big appeal to the protesters.
00:48Says keep protesting against the Iranian regime. Help is on its way.
00:53Some reports suggest at least 2,000 people have been killed amidst the crackdown on anti-government protests.
01:03After Trump announces a 25% additional tariffs on nations trading with Iran,
01:09the Indian government sources say additional tariffs will have minimal impact on New Delhi,
01:14as bilateral trade with Iran is limited.
01:17Last day of campaigning for the BMC battle for Mumbai.
01:2529 municipalities, including India's richest civic body, go to the polls on Thursday.
01:31Friday will be the counting.
01:33Ahead of the Pune municipal polls, another twist.
01:40The crime branch visits the office of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Bawar's advisor.
01:45Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Bawar forced to clarify, insist no objectionable matter or irregularities were found.
01:53Controversy rubs after the BJP hosts the Chinese Communist Party delegation at the party headquarters.
02:02Congress accuses BJP of giving Laal Salaam to China.
02:06Sources say Salman Khurshid also met a CCP delegation today.
02:10TVK chief Vijay is summoned again by the CBI on 19th January in the Karoor Stampede case.
02:19Rahul Gandhi slams the centre over a no-censor board nod to Jan Nayagan,
02:26the film that Vijay is acting in, leading to speculation,
02:30could the Congress be coming close to the actor?
02:33In a major relief for gig workers, centre reaches out to e-commerce platforms,
02:41Blinkit, Zepto, Zomato, ask them to drop the promise of the 10-minute delivery model.
02:48Big claim by Army Chief General Upendra Duvedi on Operation Sindur,
02:53insists Army forces were fully prepared to launch ground operations,
02:57but Pakistan had not agreed to a ceasefire.
03:03The Bangladesh Cricket Board remains adamant over a hybrid model for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
03:09The ICC has highlighted that the itinerary has already been announced,
03:13requests Dhaka to reconsider their stance.
03:16Bangladesh says its position is unchanged.
03:19First, tonight, the big story that's breaking.
03:34Donald Trump has once again gone on his Truth Social site
03:37to give a big message to Iran's protesters amidst speculation
03:42that Trump could be even preparing a military strike on Tehran.
03:46Trump's message to Iranian protesters, help is on its way.
03:51Trump says he's cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials,
03:55no question of communicating with them.
03:57Trump has condemned the senseless killings in Iran.
04:00So Donald Trump once again escalating that war of words with the regime in Tehran.
04:08All of this, of course, coming against the backdrop of those violent protests sweeping across Iran.
04:14I want to first go across to Pranay Upadeh, who's joining us.
04:20He covers international relations for us.
04:22And Pranay, the news coming in.
04:24Donald Trump started the day by saying 25% additional tariffs
04:28on any country that does business dealings with Iran.
04:32Now says help is on its way.
04:34How is New Delhi seeing what's happening?
04:36Is New Delhi worried that we could see another escalating conflict in the Middle East?
04:41Absolutely. We have our own concern, Rajdeep.
04:44We have our people.
04:45Around 10,000 Indians are there and people of Indian origin are there in Iran.
04:49We have our own diaspora concern.
04:51Also, we have our concern because we have our investment in Iran
04:55in the form of Chabar airport, Chabar port.
04:59And also, we have been trading with Iran.
05:00So, therefore, if there is an additional 25% being levied by President Donald Trump
05:05on Iran, trade with Iran, then definitely we have our own concern.
05:10And the trade figure with Iran might be only a small portion of India's bilateral trade pie,
05:18which is of $820 billion.
05:20So, this only amounts to $1.6 billion or less than that.
05:23And we have seen a decrease in bilateral trade with Iran consecutively in the last four or five years
05:28from $2 billion bilateral trade figure to this has come down to less than $1.6 billion.
05:34So, there is a decrease.
05:35But having said that, there is a concern because this is going to impact in terms of our trade,
05:41in terms of our people there and also in terms of the geopolitics of the region.
05:46Because with Iran, we have historical linkages.
05:48With this increasing trend of destabilizing government, that also makes the government of India worried about that.
05:56Right. Pranay Upadhyay joining us with those details.
05:59Remember, India's oil trade with Iran has reduced in recent times.
06:04But the images of the violent protests that have been sweeping across the country
06:08have triggered fresh tensions between Tehran and Washington.
06:12What began as public anger over economic hardship is now escalating
06:16into the biggest challenge to the Ayatollah Khamenei regime in decades.
06:21Hundreds reportedly killed in a sweeping crackdown.
06:24And as that unrest deepens, U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed fresh economic penalties,
06:30as we said, on countries doing business with Iran,
06:32but also appears to be weighing tougher options, including military action.
06:38Take a look at our big story tonight.
06:40Images of violent protests that gripped Iran last week.
07:02A citizens' protest against economic hardships
07:04that soon turned into a fight to dislodge the Ayatollah Khamenei regime.
07:09The biggest protest that Shia country has seen in decades.
07:18Nearly 600 are dead in a crackdown, according to Western human rights agencies.
07:24The Iranian government, on the other hand,
07:26claimed nearly 2,000 deaths in what it called attacks by terrorists.
07:30U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced a 25% tariff on countries that do business with Tehran.
07:40Pentagon is set to present Trump with more options to punish Iran on Tuesday.
07:45Diplomatic measures are also under consideration.
07:48I think one thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table.
07:54And airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander-in-chief.
07:59Diplomacy is always the first option for the president.
08:02He's told all of you last night that what you're hearing publicly from the Iranian regime
08:06is quite differently from the messages the administration is receiving privately.
08:10And I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages.
08:14What sparked speculation about an American strike was Trump's statement on Sunday.
08:19There seem to be some people killed that aren't supposed to be killed.
08:23These are violent.
08:25If you call them leaders, I don't know if they're leaders.
08:27They're just, they rule through violence.
08:30But we're looking at it very seriously.
08:32The military is looking at it.
08:34And we're looking at some very strong options.
08:38We'll make a determination.
08:44In Tehran, supporters of Khamenei regime held anti-America protests on Monday.
08:51Iranian President Masood Basishkian joined the rally held in support of the government.
08:58Tehran declared it is ready for talks with the U.S.
09:01on the basis of mutual respect, but is prepared to fight if required.
09:09Preemptive operations are not on our agenda.
09:12We do not seek war.
09:13But we are fully prepared for it.
09:15Indeed.
09:16Even more prepared than before the previous war.
09:23Trump's latest 25% tariff will hit China the most,
09:26as it buys more than 80% of the oil ship from Iran.
09:31While the world is on the tenterhooks,
09:35after the developments in Iran,
09:37a full-blown escalation into a U.S.-Iran war could be many days away.
09:41Because any such conflict will affect American allies like Saudi Arabia and UAE
09:46and disrupt global oil supply.
09:49Bureau Report, India Today.
09:50And my first guest tonight is a special guest,
09:59Ambassador John Bolton, former assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
10:05Appreciate your joining us, Mr. Bolton.
10:08You know President Donald Trump better than most.
10:11When he says, as he has done today,
10:13that the U.S. is considering the strongest possible options
10:17if the crackdown continues in Tehran.
10:20What do you make out of it?
10:21What are these strong options that the President could be considering?
10:26Well, I think clearly military force is a possibility.
10:30The President announced last night that there would be tariffs of 25%
10:36on any country trading with Iran,
10:39which in India's case would raise it now to 75% tariff.
10:43So that's a sort of extraordinary economic statement.
10:47But given the fact the U.S. did use force against Iran's nuclear program,
10:53along with Israel last year,
10:55I think the threat of military force is real.
10:58Whether he decides to do it or not, obviously we don't know yet.
11:02But when you say that the threat of military force is real,
11:08what are we talking about?
11:09Targeted strikes on Iranian military or government sites
11:14that aim to topple the regime?
11:17Or surely a military operation against a country like Iran
11:22is fraught with risk.
11:24So what, according to you, is the most conceivable,
11:27feasible military option here?
11:29Well, it would be nice if Trump had an objective.
11:33If his objective was regime change,
11:35that would give you one potential set of targets.
11:38If it's just to make a demonstration in support
11:40of the protesters in Iran, that might be something else.
11:44I think regime change should be the objective.
11:47So I would advise that he go after headquarters
11:50of the Revolutionary Guard, again, the nuclear program,
11:54the ballistic missile program.
11:56But with Trump, we don't know what his objective is.
11:59And I don't think it's enough just to simply have a military strike
12:03and say, there, see, we supported the protesters,
12:06unless it's linked to a bigger program.
12:09But can I push you on that, Ambassador Bolton?
12:15Because if I were to contrast what the U.S. did with Venezuela,
12:19a country not located too far away from the U.S.,
12:23you could argue within the Western sphere of influence,
12:28the so-called Donro Doctrine that is being spoken about,
12:31contrast that with Iran.
12:32At the heart, in a way, of West Asia,
12:37a country thousands of miles away from the United States,
12:40are you seriously saying the United States
12:43could actually push for a military regime,
12:46militarily for a regime change in Iran
12:49that would be acceptable, in a way,
12:51to the countries across the world?
12:55Well, I think it might be acceptable
12:56to the resistance, to the opposition in Iran.
13:00You know, people said if the U.S. ever attacked Iran's nuclear program
13:05and would rally the people of Iran to the side of the regime,
13:08there'd be turmoil all over the Middle East.
13:10Well, last year we did, and today in Iran,
13:14the people are out in the streets chanting death to the Ayatollahs.
13:17So I think that there's good reason for this,
13:22not just the oppression of the people of Iran,
13:24but there never is going to be strategic stability and peace
13:28in the Middle East as long as the Ayatollahs are in charge in Tehran.
13:32Now, whether Trump will adopt that view, I don't know,
13:35but he certainly left the door open to it with his recent remarks.
13:42But how do you then interpret how the Iranians are looking at it,
13:45Ambassador Bolton?
13:46Iran says all channels of communication with the U.S. are open,
13:50but it is ready for war if Washington wants to stress it,
13:55and Iran is prepared for all options.
13:59Do you see Iran retaliating fiercely if the United States chooses,
14:05as you say, the possible objective of regime change?
14:09Is that something that might make the Trump administration
14:13a little reluctant to take that maximalist option right at this stage?
14:19Well, the Iranian government has certainly threatened retaliation.
14:22That's true.
14:23And, you know, the use of military force can be graduated.
14:27You can take out the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guard,
14:31but not much else.
14:32I mean, I think we will certainly destroy whatever remaining
14:35or new air defenses Iran has put in since the 12-day war.
14:39But the fleet, the Iranian fleet in the Gulf might be another target.
14:45You know, again, the Iranians threatened retaliation
14:49as we were striking the nuclear weapons program,
14:52and after that was over, they did exactly nothing.
14:55So their capabilities have been degraded, not just by the U.S. attack,
15:00but more by the Israeli attack, which lasted for 12 days.
15:05Against ballistic missiles and against other military targets.
15:08The people in Iran, by the way, read those attacks
15:11as being very specifically targeted
15:14and is indicating that if the regime couldn't protect
15:17its nuclear weapons program, its crown jewel,
15:21that the regime's days were numbered.
15:24And I think that was an accurate reading.
15:26So do you believe the regime's days are numbered,
15:31that the peaceful protesters are actually large enough now
15:34to actually be in a position to remove the longstanding clerical elite of Iran?
15:45Do you believe that these protests are not just another expression of dissent?
15:49They are much more than that?
15:51I think the regime is at its most unpopular point since taking power in 1979,
15:57and I think the gravity of the situation is demonstrated
16:00by how repressive the regime has been in reacting to it.
16:05The media reports hundreds killed this past weekend.
16:08I've heard around the country that number's really in the thousands.
16:12We've seen this kind of approach before, but the regime hasn't toppled.
16:17I just think it's weak enough now, approaching the point
16:22where they're going to have to pick a new supreme leader pretty soon.
16:24That would be a point of maximum danger for the regime.
16:27And it's why I think help from the outside,
16:30from the United States and from others,
16:33if it's done properly and in coordination with the opposition,
16:37could have a major impact this time.
16:42Can I just turn back to a point you made about tariffs?
16:46The president, of course, Trump has warned that any country doing business with Iran
16:52will face a new tariff of 25% on its exports to the U.S.
16:56Now, this could have, as you said, bearings on countries like India.
17:01It could also affect the Chinese, for example.
17:05Do you believe that weaponizing tariffs is the right way forward,
17:11considering that already Tehran's economy is strained,
17:16inflation 48.6%, will that affect the view of the people of Iran
17:22or do you believe tariffs are a legitimate way to put pressure on the Iranian regime?
17:28Well, if we followed our constitution, they might be.
17:32But we may hear from the Supreme Court in the next few days
17:36that these tariffs are unconstitutional.
17:39This is a threat by Trump.
17:41It actually hasn't been put in place.
17:43I think what we should be doing is clamping down on Iranian oil sales
17:48in violation of our sanctions.
17:50We've seen in the case of Venezuela going after what has been called the ghost ships
17:55or the ghost fleet, these rust-bucket tankers that carry sanctioned Venezuelan oil,
18:00sanctioned Iranian oil, sanctioned Russian oil.
18:03If we could eliminate the ghost fleet,
18:05it would put enormous pressure on all three of those countries.
18:11But how would you respond to those who are saying that
18:14members of the Islamic State have been dispatched into Iranian territory
18:20to execute terrorist attacks, that U.S. is involved in information warfare,
18:25covert operations.
18:27Is the United States running any risks by the kind of escalating war of words
18:32that it is intervening in Iran's internal affairs,
18:35whether a regime has to be toppled, has to be decided by the people of the United States,
18:40not by the White House?
18:42Well, you know, I think there's zero chance we're doing anything with the Islamic State
18:46other than trying to eliminate it in western Iraq and Syria.
18:50I think certainly clandestine action against Iran is something that would be on the table,
18:56if not for us, for Israel.
18:58And I do believe because of the threat that the Iranian nuclear weapons program,
19:03ballistic missiles, its support for international terrorism,
19:06its threats to murder Iranian exiles,
19:09and present and former U.S. government officials, myself included,
19:14constitute plenty of legitimate grounds to overthrow the regime,
19:19which I think would be the one way you could see Iran returning to the community of nations
19:25in the way that it occupied before the 1979 revolution.
19:32A final question then.
19:33There are two views of how Donald Trump conducts foreign policy, Ambassador Bolton.
19:37One is that he's a disruptor and does things when you least expect him to do it.
19:44The other is that Trump always chickens out,
19:47that while he may engage in this escalating war of words with the Iranians,
19:51there's only so far he'll go to without actually going the whole hog.
19:55What's your sense?
19:57Do you believe that Donald Trump this time means business
19:59when he says we are prepared to exercise all options, including the military one?
20:04Unfortunately, we don't know, because he doesn't think in terms of grand strategy.
20:10He doesn't have a philosophy.
20:11He doesn't even do policy the way we normally understand that term.
20:15His decisions have been described accurately as transactional, ad hoc, episodic,
20:22and seen through the prism of what benefits Donald Trump.
20:25He may feel, in the case of Iran, a country he's been concerned about,
20:29he opposed the 2015 nuclear deal in his first campaign for president.
20:35This could be a moment when he sees it to be in his advantage
20:38to take very strong action against the government.
20:41I think we'll know within a few days.
20:45And will he have the full support, you believe,
20:48or a majority support within the United States if he were to strike on Iran at this moment?
20:53Yes, I do.
20:54I mean, I think, again, the support for the strike against the nuclear facilities,
21:01some members of Congress complained about it,
21:03but everybody thought the world was a safer place with those facilities destroyed.
21:08And I think the world would be a safer place if the regime were replaced by
21:11a government that was responsive to the people of Iran.
21:18Ambassador John Bolton, for joining me there
21:20and giving us a perspective on that.
21:24Thanks very much, former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
21:28Thanks very much for joining me.
21:30Thanks for having me.
21:32So will the United States actually go ahead and launch the airstrikes on Iran?
21:36Is Trump actually looking now to topple another regime, this time in Tehran?
21:41And how will the Khamenei regime respond now?
21:43Are we heading for another conflict that could spread across West Asia
21:47and affect India as well?
21:50So joining me now, Casey Singh is a former Indian ambassador.
21:53He served in Tehran.
21:54Roxana Chagini is an Iranian-born cultural analyst,
21:57advocate for democratic transition there.
22:00Burzeen Vagma, Center for Iranian Studies at SUAS at the University in London.
22:05I appreciate all of you joining us on the show tonight.
22:08I want to come to you first, Burzeen.
22:11What are you making out of what is happening in Iran at the moment?
22:14Are you seeing this now as the tip of the iceberg?
22:17And in the days ahead, we could actually see a regime being toppled even without the United States entry?
22:24Or do the protesters need U.S. intervention if they are to topple a regime that's been in place for almost five decades?
22:32President Trump's rhetoric and intervention threats are entirely welcome
22:39because at least someone in the Western world has the guts and the moral gumption to state something
22:45when most Western capitals, including London, do not wish to provoke Iran and turn a blind eye to what is happening.
22:52As a government, Tiananmen style is mowing down its own population in cold blood.
22:57As all 31 provinces are wracked by violence and protests, there are no insurrectionists or Israelis or Mossad agents on ground.
23:06This is a populist movement.
23:08And what makes it distinct from previous protests, which have happened endemically since July 1999,
23:15in this case is that the regime has also lost its traditional Shia middle class and low middle class support of the bazaar,
23:23the merchants who, with their patronage networks and the clergy, are hand in glove and have bolstered the regime
23:29and who ironically were the ones who toppled Pahlavi back in 1779.
23:34But do they still need the U.S.? Do they still need Trump to intervene, Burzeen, for actually a regime change?
23:42Given the fact, the kind of command and fear factor, some would say, critics of this regime would say,
23:48it's hit Iranian society over the years.
23:53Can you actually have a regime change without U.S. intervention in Tehran?
23:58Well, that depends on how much you ratchet up pressure on the regime, because nobody is doing that.
24:03But it is time for some kinetic action.
24:06Otherwise, this regime doesn't think twice about killing its own population in cold blood,
24:12be it 12-year-old children who are not Zionist agents, obviously.
24:15And it insults anyone's intelligence to tell me that they are, or women and children and the unarmed, including old people.
24:22And it's not just a Gen Z protest asking for civil liberties and less restrictive practices.
24:29It includes the poorest sections of Iranian society this time, too, including the working class,
24:35including Tehran's tram and bus unions, which is a very powerful union that has come out in favor of it,
24:40including the unions lasted of the railway and the textile sectors.
24:44So it has to build up as a quantum of force.
24:47And please remember, we are just into a fortnight.
24:50It took 13 months to topple the Shah, which started from Jan 78 until his departure in Jan 79.
24:57And today it's not just President Trump, but we have bipartisan support from the Democrats and the left strand,
25:03when Alexandria Ocasio Court is also waded in by saying that we stand with the protesters who are being moved down by the government.
25:10So there is bipartisan support now on the Hill to see something through.
25:15You know, you're saying to see something through, but Roxana Chagini, any regime needs, can only be toppled once it loses its moral and political authority.
25:30Do you believe it's lost that? Or do you believe it needs a push from the outside?
25:35I come back to it. Do you believe it's strong enough from within?
25:39I believe what we are witnessing is not a demonstration, it's a revolution, it's a result of 47 years of resilience.
25:47And it came to a point that a change, a revolution is absolutely needed.
25:53And the world can see that we cannot continue with this regime.
25:58We cannot count on this regime.
26:00We cannot expect this regime is going to get better.
26:04And I think a help from outside.
26:07Donald Trump is the only one who is undiplomatic enough to make a big decision and be unpolitically correct
26:16and make this decision and help Iran for a democratic transition.
26:22I think that we have...
26:23And impose a member of the Shah family on the people of Iran.
26:30There will be those who will say, this is Iran's issues.
26:34Iran's internal affairs cannot be decided in Washington.
26:38What is happening with Prince Reza Pahlavi, he wants only to be the leader of this transition.
26:45And then we are hoping that we can get a free vote.
26:49That people can say what they want.
26:51Do you want the president? Do you want the monarchie continuing?
26:54And that's only the transition.
26:55And this is not...
26:58The world cannot close their eyes to what's happening.
27:02And this killing is not only in each demonstration.
27:06They are killing from the day one.
27:09Their strategy is based on killing whatever.
27:12Their strategy is based on exporting their ideology to the world, to Europe, to America, to Australia.
27:20I think that's time and probably it will going to happen soon.
27:28Let me bring in Casey Singh.
27:31But before I...
27:32Casey, why U.S. may strike Iran?
27:36A, because regime change, as we've been seeing, is high on Donald Trump's agenda.
27:42The Ayatollah's community regime, many believe, is at its weakest.
27:46Crisis in leadership, particularly after what we saw with the U.S.-Israel airstrikes in 2025,
27:53killing many senior members of the Revolutionary Guards.
27:57Khamini himself is 86 years old.
27:59No clear line of succession.
28:01Iran's proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah have been to some extent decimated.
28:06And the U.S. airstrikes on the nuke plants in 2025 may give them extra confidence.
28:11On the other hand, while U.S. may not strike Iran, a full-blown war different to a nuclear strike?
28:19Iran has shown it can penetrate Israel's Iron Dome.
28:23Trump could push for human rights reforms instead of a regime change.
28:27War could make U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia, UAE prone to U.S. attacks.
28:32There are U.S. bases in West Asia.
28:34Where do you think, on balance, given what you're seeing happening in Tehran,
28:39where do you think the Trump regime will wear at this moment?
28:43And what's the critical factor behind any final decision?
28:48I think there's lack of clarity, because you've heard two points of view here,
28:53which have taken a very pro-protester stand.
28:56There is also, they are saying there is no Mossad there,
28:58but Jerusalem Post has carried an article saying Mossad is involved with it,
29:03very much in this.
29:05And there were, you see, only 60% of the population of Iran is Persian,
29:10of Persian origin.
29:11Then you've got Azeris, you've got all kinds of other minorities.
29:16So it's very easy to incite them from neighboring countries
29:19and get people within Iran if you give them arms
29:22and you foist them and start it up.
29:24Now the question is, how does America, by attacking militarily without boots on the ground,
29:30simply by attacking from the air, how do they depose a government?
29:34Because don't forget, this is an alliance between the clerics now and the IRGC.
29:39And the IRGC is very strongly enmeshed into the businesses in Iran.
29:45So it is not the, the old bazaar is no longer as strong as it used to be, say, in 1979.
29:50Just because the shops are shut doesn't mean that business is not operational
29:56because IRGC is controlling a huge part of the business sector.
30:01And they have been preparing for this.
30:03They've got help from Russia.
30:05The Chinese have come out in open support.
30:08And last thing they want is Americans to be able to foist
30:10some new person in Tehran to run that country.
30:14So it's not great.
30:15And then GCC is divided.
30:17It's not like it happened the last time that Iran was attacked.
30:21Saudis and the Emiratis have fallen out.
30:23Saudis are busy pushing Emiratis out of Yemen, out of southern Sudan, out of Libya.
30:29So the GCC itself, the ruling families are split.
30:32Now what is it the Americans can do?
30:34Now if America had a button they could press and remove the government,
30:38there is no need to have announced 25% tariffs.
30:41Now tariffs mean you want to exert more economic pressure on Iran.
30:45So if you are taking a military step and you're going to eliminate that,
30:49what is the need to, you know, supposing they remove the government,
30:52will they then remove the tariffs tomorrow?
30:54It doesn't make any sense.
30:56And the tariffs will affect India, China will affect Germany.
30:59But more than that, Casey, the fact that you mentioned the Chinese, the Russians,
31:06this could drag in several other nations.
31:08Boots on the ground is something the Americans would surely be wary of in a country like Iran.
31:13Absolutely. And without boots on the ground,
31:17you know, what support do you give to the popular protesters?
31:21And reports that are coming out are conflicting.
31:23Some are saying that the Iranians have managed to get more or less control
31:28of the protesting situation of the protesters.
31:31Their foreign minister said,
31:33we are going to just stop the control over the internet.
31:36In fact, some calls are coming out now.
31:38Internet restrictions have not been removed,
31:40but the calls are coming out of Iran.
31:42So some restrictions have been removed.
31:45They wouldn't do it if they were really completely under pressure.
31:48And definitely, if there's a massive attack on the IRGC and the regime,
31:54they've said that they've got a huge collection of missiles.
31:57And they say last time they made a mistake and they waited.
31:59And their missile sites were taken out.
32:02This time they said we'll go after our targets,
32:05including U.S. bases and Israel and whatever else they want to attack.
32:10And that can widen the conflict.
32:12And that is what India is concerned about.
32:14We have 8 million persons of Indian origin in the Gulf.
32:17Oil price will go up.
32:18So far, it hasn't gone up.
32:20Oil price gets spiked.
32:21And then you will not have stability for a long time.
32:24So, it's not clear to me what is it that America can do militarily,
32:29which can change the equations in Iran overnight or within a week.
32:36So, you know, Burzeen Vagmar,
32:38this is not the question I asked John Bolton also earlier.
32:42This is not Venezuela.
32:43This is Iran, a mighty ancient civilization,
32:46a mighty strong army with allies like Russia and China,
32:50with whom they do major deals with ballistic missiles,
32:54with the possibility of using them against any possible adversary.
33:00Do you believe that there is more hope?
33:03Then the reality seems to suggest that if they hold out,
33:07the regime will last.
33:09Russia and China are going to do nothing to save this regime.
33:13If you understand what Chinese modus operandi is
33:16when it comes to not interfering in the internal affairs
33:19and China takes a decided stance on Middle East matters as such
33:22because it doesn't have a direct impact on it.
33:25The only Chinese and Russian contribution I have seen so far,
33:29Rajdeep,
33:30is of surveillance technology and intelligence inputs
33:33for crowd control, facial recognition,
33:36and deep packet information technology,
33:38which Beijing has transferred to Tehran
33:42after the Green Movement of 2009.
33:44And fat chance Putin is going to do anything
33:47with the current Ukrainian imbroglio to upset Trump.
33:52Putin has no love lost,
33:54and as Moscow has made it plain over the years
33:56that they do not want to see a nuclearized Iran too,
33:59where it was part of the JCPO arrangements as such.
34:02Point number one.
34:03Point number two,
34:05the IRGC controls 60% of the economy.
34:08That is absolutely right,
34:09and they are the rottweilers of the regime
34:11that keep it going.
34:12But unlike 1979,
34:15you have today 80% who are opportunists,
34:1820% ideologues.
34:20Peel away the 80% opportunists
34:22and tell them that this is a tottering ship
34:24and they could come across.
34:26Then there is the question of the artesh
34:28or the traditional military,
34:30the tri-services.
34:31The regime does not trust the military
34:34because they have always felt
34:36that they are a professional outfit,
34:37which indeed they are,
34:38compared to the guards
34:39who are an ideologically based outfit,
34:41and there is no love lost,
34:42and there has been consistent tension
34:44between them over the last 47 years.
34:46Something has to give,
34:49let me finish please,
34:50something has to give
34:51if the police stops firing
34:53or if the artesh,
34:55the tri-services and the military armed forces
34:57refuse to stop shooting
34:59at their own population.
35:01That is a point where we can see
35:03a chink in the armor.
35:04Okay.
35:04Because nothing will happen
35:06until then as such.
35:08Final word,
35:11a quick word,
35:11Casey,
35:12do you see this as a moment
35:13of a revolution
35:14or is that,
35:16as both my other guests have said,
35:18that this is a moment
35:19of revolution in Iran
35:20or is that an exaggeration,
35:22a quick answer?
35:23I think it's a bit of an exaggeration.
35:26Brzezinski,
35:26who was a national security advisor
35:28in 1979,
35:30in his biography,
35:31he's written that the problem was
35:33that Shah would use violence intermittently.
35:37He would use it
35:38and people will get killed,
35:40then he will step back.
35:41Then he'll ring up Washington
35:42and say,
35:43what do I do now?
35:44And they said,
35:45look,
35:45we can't be telling you
35:46to shoot at your people.
35:47You are the Shah.
35:48Take a step on your own.
35:50And there's a phrase
35:51that Brzezinski used.
35:52He says,
35:53by constantly applying pressure,
35:55stepping back,
35:56he immunized the population.
35:58They stopped getting scared
35:59and that's when defections began.
36:01Defections don't begin
36:03from the Revolutionary Guard
36:06in a week
36:06or 10 days
36:07or 15 days.
36:08It takes a long time,
36:10like it did in 79.
36:12And it needs consistent pressure
36:14for it to happen.
36:16And I don't think anybody,
36:17even those who are
36:18in the Revolutionary Guard
36:19would trust Trump.
36:20That is a problem.
36:21You don't know
36:22because tomorrow
36:22he will change his mind.
36:23He's already said
36:24he doesn't want Shah's son
36:25to run.
36:26Okay.
36:27He'll do the same thing
36:28he did in Venezuela.
36:29He would like a Venezuela-like solution,
36:31which is get from within the regime
36:34another face
36:35which plays the game with him.
36:39Let me leave it there.
36:40And that's not easy
36:41because Tehran is clearly
36:42not Caracas
36:43in different ways.
36:44But we'll see
36:45how Iran,
36:48what happens
36:49on the ground there
36:49because whatever happens
36:51in Iran
36:51will influence the world
36:52including India.
36:54I appreciate
36:54my guests joining me here
36:56on my big talking point.
36:58I want to turn
36:59from there
36:59to Mumbai
37:00where the high-voltage campaign
37:02for the prestigious
37:04Mumbai civic body elections
37:06has finally drawn
37:07to a close.
37:08All eyes now
37:09on voting on Thursday
37:10with results on Friday.
37:12It's Asia's
37:13richest municipal corporation
37:14India's wealthiest civic body.
37:17The BMC
37:17has been under
37:18administrative rules
37:19since March 2022
37:20but dominated
37:21by the Shiv Sena
37:22for over two decades.
37:24We've seen
37:25lots of alliances
37:26being shifted
37:27and a bruising fight
37:29taking place
37:30with high-voltage
37:32attacks
37:33on each other
37:34including,
37:35dare one say,
37:36on Trameleons
37:37with remarks
37:38like Ras Malai,
37:39Lungi and Pungi
37:40that were aimed
37:41by Raj Thakri
37:42at the BJP
37:43and Anna Malai.
37:45Clearly at the moment
37:46it's a do-or-die battle
37:47for the Shiv Sena
37:49in particular.
37:50Who will rule Mumbai?
37:51That's a question
37:52I ask
37:52by going to the
37:53Shiv Sena heartland
37:54of Worli
37:55in Mumbai.
37:56This is my ground report.
38:14Now one of the
38:15crucial battles
38:16within a battle
38:17in this BMC election
38:19is that of
38:20who is the real Shiv Sena?
38:23that of the
38:24Thakri cousins
38:25or that of
38:26former Chief Minister
38:27Eknath Shinde?
38:29Is it the Mashal
38:30or the Dhanush Band?
38:32Let's go and find out
38:33from the people
38:34here in Worli
38:35a heartland
38:36of the Marathi Manus.
38:38Come with me.
38:40What are the elections?
38:42This is
38:43one of the
38:44one of the
38:45Raj Thakri
38:46and Uddav Thakri
38:47on the other
38:47one of the BJP
38:49and Eknath Shinde.
38:50Who is the
38:51one of the
38:51I think
39:17BJP
39:17BJP
39:18Because of
39:20the
39:20I don't think so, it is normal election, it is depend on development agenda only.
39:49I don't think so, it is an issue of development.
39:59Is it not an issue of Marathi or Non-Marathi?
40:03No.
40:04Who is it?
40:06No.
40:07No.
40:08No.
40:09No.
40:10No.
40:11No.
40:12No.
40:13No.
40:14No.
40:15No.
40:16No.
40:17No.
40:18No.
40:19No.
40:20No.
40:21No.
40:22No.
40:23No.
40:24No.
40:25No.
40:26No.
40:27No.
40:28No.
40:29No.
40:30No.
40:31No.
40:32No.
40:33No.
40:34No.
40:35No.
40:36No.
40:37No.
40:38No.
40:39No.
40:40No.
40:41No.
40:42No.
40:43No.
40:44No.
40:45No.
40:46No.
40:47No.
40:48No.
40:49No.
40:50No.
40:51No.
40:52No.
40:53No.
40:54No.
40:55No.
40:56No.
40:57No.
40:58No.
40:59No.
41:00No.
41:01No.
41:02No.
41:03No.
41:04No.
41:05No.
41:06No.
41:07No.
41:08No.
41:09No.
41:10No.
41:11foreign
41:17foreign
41:23foreign
41:29foreign
41:35foreign
41:39foreign
41:51foreign
42:09.
42:16.
42:21.
42:26.
42:33.
42:35foreign
42:48foreign
42:58foreign
43:28foreign
43:42foreign
43:56Thank you very much.
44:26Thank you very much.
44:56Thank you very much.
45:26Thank you very much.
45:56Thank you very much.
46:26Thank you very much.
46:56Thank you very much.
47:26Thank you very much.
47:56The meeting comes nearly four years after the deadly Galwan clashes and triggered sharp questions from the opposition with the Congress accusing the BJP of sending mixed signals to Beijing even as China pushes fresh territorial claims.
48:10Take a look.
48:11Thank you very much.
48:13Thank you very much.
48:15Thank you very much.
48:19Thank you very much.
48:21Thank you very much.
48:24Thank you very much.
48:28Thank you very much.
48:30Thank you very much.
48:34Thank you very much.
48:35A major.
48:36A major political storm has erupted after the BJP hosted a delegation of the Chinese Communist Party in Delhi.
48:42Just as India and China face off over the Shakhskam Valley.
48:44The Chinese delegation led by Vice Minister Sun Haiyan met senior BJP leaders at party headquarters.
48:47This marks the first high level political engagement between BJP and CPC since the first high level political engagement between BJP and CPC since the Galwan clashes in 2020.
48:54CCP leaders also met RSS General Secretary also met RSS General Secretary Department Secretary Secretary Tartere Hosable at RSS headquarters.
49:20The closed-door meeting lasted 30 minutes.
49:23minutes. Sources say it was only a courtesy call held at the CCP's request with no formal agenda.
49:32The Congress has gone on the offensive saying China is pushing fresh territorial claims
49:37in the Shaksgaam valley even as BJP leaders are engaging Beijing's ruling party and questioned
49:42whether Galwan, Ladakh, Arunachal and Shaksgaam were raised during the talks.
49:53China is building infrastructure in Shaksgaam valley under China-Pakistan economic corridor.
50:16Pakistan has illegally ceded 5,180 square kilometer of this area to China.
50:23A move India has never recognized.
50:28We have never recognized the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement that
50:34happened in 1963. We do not recognize the so-called China-Pakistan economic corridor either,
50:43which passes through Indian territory.
50:47But China has rejected India's claim, insisting that the territory belongs to China.
50:52It is fully justified for China to conduct infrastructure construction on its own territory.
51:03China and Pakistan in the 1960s signed a boundary agreement and delimited the boundary between
51:09the two countries, which is the right of China and Pakistan as sovereign countries. The China-Pakistan
51:15boundary agreement and the CPEC do not affect China's position on the Kashmir issue and the position remains unchanged.
51:26As China tightens its grip on Shaksgaam and India pushes back, the BJP-CPC meeting has now become
51:33a major political flashpoint in New Delhi. Bureau Report, India Today.
51:38Okay, just enough time on the show tonight to bring you our good news today's story. I want you to
51:48meet Akash Saroj, a gig worker who's delivering more than just food. Even while working 12-hour
51:55shifts, Saroj follows his father's advice and is donating a big chunk of his earnings to charity.
52:01Take a look at our good news today's story and remember there's always good news in India.
52:09Thanks for watching, stay well, stay safe, good night Shubratri, Jai Hind, Namaskar.
52:22Akash Saroj delivers more than just food.
52:29No, we are not talking about his dancing skills.
52:39He spends 50% of his income on helping the needy.
52:50Saroj, who lives in Balsuwa Slam in Delhi, has been delivering food for five years.
52:54What changed the course of his life is his father's death over two years ago.
52:58So, I want to start.
53:00If you're paying the money, then you can pay your money, then you can pay your money.
53:02So, let's start.
53:04This is all the money.
53:09If there is a crime, then it's a crime.
53:15Never again.
53:17My father told me that you can do anything.
53:19You can do anything.
53:21If there is something big or not, there is no problem.
53:24But you can do good things and help people.
53:27That's what my father gives me, what I remember and what I do.
53:33After his father's death, he became a full-time delivery man
53:37to pay off a debt of Rs. 3 lakh incurred on the treatment.
53:43My average income is about $800 to $1,000.
53:49In which I have petrol on the car's 300-400.
53:53I can help people's 300-400.
54:00Mom, how are you, Mom?
54:02Are you from Diwali?
54:04Saroj works for roughly 12 hours a day, but finds time to help.
54:08Let's do this, let's do it.
54:12It's hot now, everyone has something to do.
54:14I'm going to do it.
54:18Saroj fondly recollects how one customer recognized him
54:22and gave him Rs. 500 for charity.
54:24He dreams of becoming a choreographer one day.
54:30With Manish Chaurasiya, Bureau Report, India Today.
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