In the latest Episode of The Writing On the Wall, we tell you how in the last months, tensions have peaked in the Middle East as Iran attacked Israel after an Israeli strike killed an Iranian leader in Syria. Iran supplied drones to Russia aiding its Ukraine invasion. China brokered renewed Iran-Saudi ties, signaling its regional clout. The U.S. seeks a Saudi deal to isolate Iran but needs Israeli support, underscoring the complex regional dynamics. With Raisi's death, each of these complex issues will now engage Iran's leadership. No dramatic shift in position is expected immediately, but a recalibration of Iran's response is possible as the new president takes over. Pankaj Mishra Explains.
#EbrahimRaisi #RaisiDeath #CrashSite #Visuals #RescueEfforts #HelicopterCrash #IranianTragedy #BreakingNews #IranianPresident #Investigation #Condolences #NationalMourning #NewsUpdate #EmergingDetails #VideoFootage
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#EbrahimRaisi #RaisiDeath #CrashSite #Visuals #RescueEfforts #HelicopterCrash #IranianTragedy #BreakingNews #IranianPresident #Investigation #Condolences #NationalMourning #NewsUpdate #EmergingDetails #VideoFootage
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Hello there, you are watching One India.
00:11 This is the writing on the wall.
00:13 My name is Pankaj Mishra.
00:15 Now 63-year-old President Ibrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric who was considered the likely
00:21 successor to Iran's octet engineering supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died.
00:28 In his three years in power since being elected in 2021, Raisi had worked to expand Iran's
00:35 influence in the Middle East, backing armed groups in several countries in the region.
00:40 He also accelerated Iran's nuclear program after the United States under former President
00:46 Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal that world powers had struck with Tehran in
00:52 2015.
00:53 The last few months have been among the most tense for the Middle East in recent years.
00:59 Iran's decades-old hostility with Israel spilled into open aggression last month when Tehran
01:05 launched an unprecedented aerial attack on Israel in retaliation for an Israeli bombing
01:12 of the Iranian diplomatic premises in Syria that killed a senior Iranian military leader.
01:20 Under Raisi's leadership, Iran also emerged as a major supplier of military drones to
01:25 Russia, contributing significantly to Russia's war strategy in Ukraine.
01:31 Last year, China brokered a historic deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic
01:37 ties severed in 2016, signalling Beijing's entry into the big power politics in the region
01:44 and a potential shift in the geopolitical dynamics.
01:47 The United States is now working on a deal with Saudi Arabia that seeks to isolate Iran,
01:53 but cooperation from Israel is crucial.
01:57 Domestically, Raisi's tenure saw massive protests after the death of a Kurdish woman,
02:03 Masha Amini, in the custody of Iran's religious police in September of 2022.
02:09 His government responded with an iron fist, crushing the demonstrations and executing
02:13 many protesters in what became known as the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement against
02:19 Tehran's strict Islamic laws.
02:22 With Raisi's death, each of these complex issues will now engage Iran's leadership.
02:28 No dramatic shift in position is expected immediately, but a recalibration of Iran's
02:34 response is possible as the new president takes over.
02:37 However, there are many moving parts to it, and the roles of the US, Saudi Arabia and
02:43 Israel will be critical in shaping the region's future dynamics with Iran.
02:50 Just to recap, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Abdullahian were
02:57 among the nine people confirmed dead on Sunday after their helicopter crashed in Iran's
03:02 mountainous northwestern region on Saturday.
03:05 The reports of the crash triggered widespread celebrations across the Shia-majority nation,
03:10 where Raisi, known as the "Butcher of Tehran," had been in office since August 2021 and ruled
03:18 with an iron fist.
03:19 Raisi, a hardliner known for his proximity to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was in line
03:26 of potentially becoming Iran's next Supreme Leader.
03:30 A theocratic hardliner, he was responsible for crushing dissent, free speech and enforcing
03:37 the harsh hijab and chastity law that restricted women's attire and gave unlimited powers to
03:43 the moral police.
03:45 The enforcement of strict Islamic laws like the hijab rule triggered nationwide protests
03:51 against the theocratic regime after the custodial death of Masha Amini, as mentioned earlier,
03:57 in 2022.
03:59 That death particularly catapulted the reactions in Iran that the world had never seen before.
04:06 Remember, Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was arrested by the morality police for allegedly
04:11 violating hijab rules, sparking the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement that marked one of
04:17 the most significant challenges faced by the Iranian regime since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
04:24 Ironically, as a student activist, Raisi had taken part in protests against the liberal,
04:30 pro-Western Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was eventually overthrown in the 1979 revolution
04:37 that brought the Shia clergy to power and established the Islamic Republic.
04:42 Who would have thought at that time that the butcher of Tehran would meet such a fate and
04:48 a country, the nation of Iran, would be celebrating.
04:52 At least the young women are and that's what is baffling many that how the country, whether
04:59 it is in mourning or whether it needs a relook at its own policies in order to have the house
05:05 in order.
05:06 Thanks for watching.
05:07 [Music]