- 6/18/2025
In a 35-minute phone call with US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarified that the US had no role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire following Operation Sindoor.
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00:00Hello and welcome to an India Today special broadcast that comes to you from Calgary in Canada.
00:04I'm Gaurav Savant. You've just had the successful conclusion of the G7 summit.
00:11Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the record straight.
00:14Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to have a meeting with the US President Donald Trump.
00:19But that meeting could not take place because Donald Trump rushed to Washington DC.
00:23He in fact invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington DC.
00:27But was there a trap there?
00:30Remember General Aasem Munir was already in Washington DC when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited.
00:36Of course Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he has other commitments.
00:40He cannot make it right now.
00:42But he set the record straight on Operation Sindur.
00:45There was no US intervention for ceasefire.
00:49There was no talk of trade and he said that in as many words to the US President.
00:54I'll get you more on that story.
00:55We'll also talk about escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.
00:59The big escalation and conflict.
01:25It was Indian military action that forced Pakistan to ceasefire.
01:30Operation Sindur message loud and clear.
01:39Prime Minister Sets ceasefire records straight.
01:43That is a big focus on India First.
01:46It was Indian military action that forced Pakistan to seek a ceasefire.
01:57No US intervention and there was absolutely no conversation on trade.
02:01The Prime Minister's plain speak is something we'll talk about in greater detail during the course of the next one hour.
02:06But we will also talk about US President Donald Trump reiterating that Iran should surrender.
02:13And the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he's made a statement saying if the US were to dive into this conflict, there would be irreparable consequences for that.
02:24Massive, massive escalation.
02:25Say various places in Tehran are being pounded even as we speak.
02:30But then Tehran is also targeting Tel Aviv.
02:33I'll get you more on that.
02:34But first as always, the headlines at 8.
02:43Iran's supreme leader counters Donald Trump's surrender warning.
02:46Says if the US enters the war, it will cause irreparable damage.
02:50Israel strikes Tehran minutes after Khamenei's TV address.
03:00Big thaw in India, Canada ties after two Prime Ministers meet on the sidelines of G7 summit.
03:06Both nations agree to reappointing high commissioners.
03:12The meeting today was important, but I would describe it as foundational.
03:17It was a necessary first step, an exchange of views.
03:21Frank opened an exchange of views around law enforcement, transnational repression.
03:25It's two examples.
03:26An agreement to provide the necessary foundations to begin to rebuild a relationship.
03:33Donald Trump to host Pakistan's jihadi general Asim Muneer for lunch days after Trump family link park crypto deal.
03:41New details in crashed Air India flight probe.
03:52The plane's engine was replaced just three months ago.
03:54Dreamliner had last undergone a detailed maintenance check in June 2023.
03:59Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in Croatia.
04:11Modi is the first ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Zagreb.
04:21Modi!
04:22Modi!
04:22Modi!
04:23Modi!
04:24Modi!
04:24Modi!
04:25Modi!
04:25Modi!
04:25Modi!
04:26Modi!
04:26Modi!
04:27Modi!
04:27Modi!
04:28Modi!
04:28Modi!
04:29Modi!
04:29Modi!
04:55And I want to get you more details of what Prime Minister Narendra Modi's will say.
04:59This conversation with Donald Trump was like 35 minute long conversation sought by the United
05:05States of America.
05:06So it was Donald Trump because there was to be a meeting on the sidelines of G7 between
05:11Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump and Donald Trump had to rush back.
05:15He sought a phone conversation with Prime Minister Modi.
05:17He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he could come to Washington DC on his way back from
05:23Canada to India.
05:24But the Prime Minister said no because he had to go to Croatia and he had a meeting in Zagreb.
05:30But the Prime Minister gave details of Operation Sindur and reiterated US had no role to play
05:38whatsoever in stopping the war.
05:40It was India's military action targeting multiple Pakistani air force bases, making them completely
05:47inoperable that Pakistan shot a ceasefire because the next round would have been even worse.
05:54The military punitive strikes from India.
05:57Listen in to India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri give minute by minute details of what transpired.
06:03You had no role in India-Pakistan's ceasefire.
06:10No mention of trade in talks with US.
06:15India can hit Pakistan harder for terror.
06:19Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hard-hitting phone call with US President Donald Trump.
06:2435 minutes of telephonic conversation which demolished Trump's repeated claims of brokering
06:30India-Pakistan truce.
06:33Prime Minister Modi told Donald Trump that India has opted for ceasefire only after Pakistan
06:39begged and grovelled.
06:40.
06:43.
07:09Modi's message to Trump was clear that India's bold new doctrine will consider terror attacks
07:15as not proxy war, but war.
07:18Modi also conveyed that India has picked only terror hubs for strikes.
07:24Prime Minister Modi also declined a request by President Trump for an impromptu stopover
07:29at White House after the G7 meet, citing prior engagements.
07:34He, however, invited Donald Trump to visit India, which the US President has accepted.
07:53Will the phone call redefine Modi-Trump dosti, which has been tested by Donald Trump actively
07:58quoting Pakistan?
07:59Bureau Report, India Today.
08:04And joining me now on this India Today special broadcast is Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar, former
08:10top diplomat.
08:11Sandeep Unnithan, my colleague, remains with me on the show in a moment.
08:14We'll be joined by Professor Andrew Latham, an expert on international relations.
08:19Ambassador Sajjanhar, your understanding of Donald Trump reiterating that he's not getting
08:26enough credit for stopping the war and he still insists he stopped the war.
08:30You heard what Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry said, US had absolutely no role to play.
08:37Yeah, absolutely.
08:38Thank you very much, Gaurav.
08:39I think we have heard Donald Trump not once, not twice, but several times over.
08:45And we made our point of view clear.
08:47I think we really need to move forward.
08:49Let Donald Trump say what he wants to say.
08:51I think there is the relationship is much broader than this.
08:55We have made our point.
08:57The world knows it.
08:58That is why, you know, nothing has been written on this.
09:01If the world trusted what Donald Trump was saying, there would have been sheaves and reams
09:07of paper and ink that would have been spent on this.
09:10The world doesn't trust him.
09:12The world believes what happened on the ground, that it is Pakistan which came on bent knees
09:20to India, asking for a ceasefire, asking for a cessation of hostilities, and we accepted.
09:26We agreed to that.
09:27So I think there are so many other areas of cooperation and collaboration with the United
09:33States.
09:33We don't need to expend our energy focus on this thing.
09:39We need to move forward, you know, whether it is I think the Prime Minister and Mr. Trump
09:44spoke about, unless of course, unless of course, you know, Sandeep, yes, sir, give me a moment.
09:50Sandeep, it just appears Donald Trump is desperate for a success story.
09:54He hasn't had one, not Russia, Ukraine that he had boasted about that even before he enters
09:59White House, there would be a ceasefire.
10:02Russia continues to pound Ukraine.
10:04Israel-Iran conflict has started.
10:06Now, a man who claims to be a dealmaker and a peacemaker is actually sending in fighter
10:11jets into the region and aircraft carrier battle groups.
10:15It just appears he's desperate for one success story, and he's claiming success where he has
10:20had no role to play.
10:21Well, absolutely, Gaurav.
10:22You know, in fact, as you correctly pointed out, Donald Trump is a man who promised to
10:27end conflicts even before he entered the White House.
10:30It's been six months now, Gaurav, and there's, you know, in fact, the number of conflicts have
10:34increased.
10:35You know, Iran and Israel are at war.
10:38That's the newest conflict that's on, raging on for almost a week now.
10:42Donald Trump has been unable to stop anything, and no one seems to be listening to him.
10:47Therefore, he's coming out with this, as what Ambassador Sajjan Har said.
10:51He's been repeating it ad nauseum.
10:53And Donald Trump, as we know, Gaurav, is a man who never allows facts to come in the
10:58way of an interesting story.
11:00Now, that interesting story of his has been called out in no uncertain terms by the Foreign
11:05Secretary Misri today in some of the strongest language that we've seen India use for its
11:11relationship with the United States.
11:13And I think India has said that enough is enough, and he keeps on going on with this
11:18thing of having mediated and used trade and all of those things.
11:21And I think, you know, something has snapped there in that statement that, you know, India
11:28should have – arguably, that statement should have come out a long time ago, Gaurav, but
11:32I think the timing was right.
11:34It was today.
11:35They preempted the luncheon meeting between Jaila Asin, QD, Marshall Munir, and President
11:41Trump.
11:42So, this was India taking preemptive diplomatic action with that statement, Gaurav.
11:46And a very strong statement that came in from Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
11:54But, you know, when you mentioned that preemptive strike, it was also a trap that was being
11:59laid for India, Ambassador Sajanhar, the manner in which Donald Trump said that, you know,
12:04he made that phone call, sought a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said,
12:08why don't you come to Washington, D.C.?
12:10And then with Asin Munir in White House, he would have tried to get the two leaders together
12:14and then you would have claimed another victory and Pakistan would have gone home claiming
12:18victory because Pakistan says they had a ceasefire because America promised them a dialogue
12:23with India.
12:24India clearly did not fall into the American trap.
12:28No, absolutely.
12:29I think if Prime Minister Modi had been in Washington, D.C. and Asin Munir was also there, this would
12:35have, you know, been shown as some sort of an equivalence between the two countries.
12:39And that is something that we are loathe about, you know, the manner in which Donald Trump has
12:45spoken about two great leaders, two great countries, two making great products, etc.
12:51You know, so this is jarring because obviously one is a perpetrator of terrorism, one is a
12:58victim.
12:58And there is no comparison between these two countries.
13:01You know, India's GDP is 13 times as much as Pakistan.
13:06Only the state of Tamil Nadu's, that GDP is more than that of Pakistan.
13:11State of Maharashtra's GDP is more than that of Pakistan.
13:16So there is no comparison between the two.
13:18And I'm very happy that Prime Minister Modi looked through this ruse and he sort of, you
13:24know, declined there.
13:25But, you know, again, I think we need to focus.
13:28We need to take note of the fact, the reasons why Donald Trump has invited Aasem Munir and
13:35the preventive actions that we will need to take, Gaurav.
13:39That's very important.
13:40Because, you know, this is going to embolden Munir and, you know, all these other things.
13:46He's got extra medals.
13:48He's become a field marshal and all that sort of things.
13:50And he feels that the country is behind him and the United States is standing with him.
13:56China, of course, is with him.
13:58So he might feel more emboldened that, you know, he can come, continue with these antiques
14:04of his, these tactics of his, what he did.
14:08And he will be able to sort of, you know, get away with it.
14:12I think India needs to disabuse him of that, any of that, you know, thinking, any of that
14:19understanding.
14:20And we'll have to really think deep.
14:23Meaning, of course, one can say that it is between Pakistan and the United States.
14:29Because, you know, exactly, I think you mentioned, Sandeep mentioned, that there is the cryptocurrency
14:35deal between the two of them.
14:37There is the, you know, rare earth minerals deals with them.
14:42There's also the possibility of, you know, getting the bases there in Pakistan for these
14:49operations against Iran that is, you know, hotting up.
14:53So all those considerations are there.
14:55But Donald Trump might have his own reasons.
14:57But all of it has an impact on India.
15:01And India needs to be very conscious and mindful of that.
15:05The big thing is, yes, Gaurav.
15:11Oh, absolutely.
15:12The good thing is that Indian political, diplomatic and, you know, political leadership, they've
15:18learned so much from past mistakes, Sandeep.
15:21Because Sandeep and I and Ambassador Sajanar, you, we watched in horror, absolute horror,
15:27when Atal Bihari Vajpayee recognized Parvez Musharraf, a military dictator, as president,
15:32gave him tri-services, guard of honor, let him come to Agra for that summit, which was
15:38a disaster.
15:39And why?
15:40Because American interests in Afghanistan had to be protected, is the narrative that was
15:44given to us at that point of time.
15:46And Parvez Musharraf, who promised that his territory will never be used for terror against
15:50India, it targeted our parliament, it targeted our temples, including Akshar Dham Temple and
15:55Ragunat Temple, targeted, you know, so many other places in our country.
15:59Terror continued again with Dr. Manmohan Singh, 2611 Mumbai terror attacks and the disaster
16:05at Sharmul Sheikh.
16:06Again, we were told there was global pressure for dialogue with Pakistan.
16:10I am so glad in 2025, Sandeep, India is strong enough to say, he has to stop terror first.
16:21Absolutely, Gaurav.
16:22And, you know, I keep saying that we still haven't understood the implications of Operation
16:26Sindhu and the Prime Minister's message on the 12th of May.
16:30And, you know, where he called out Pakistan's state sponsorship of terror, Gaurav, and the
16:35fact that he said there would be no distinction between the state and the non-state, nuclear
16:40blackmail would have to end and any attack against India would be met with force, by military
16:47force would be considered a war on India.
16:49These are very, very big red lines that the Prime Minister has drawn, which is why I say
16:54that Operation Sindhu and the Prime Minister's three statements, the new doctrine of India's
17:01war on terror is possibly our biggest strategic statements after Pokhran of 1998.
17:06We have called out Pakistan's state sponsorship of terror, everything that the Pakistan military
17:12has carefully constructed, this facade of the state and the non-state actors and nuclear
17:17blackmail, all of that collapsed on the 10th of May, Gaurav.
17:20You're looking at a new India, very assertive, which is not afraid to call out the bully in
17:25the room, even if it's the American president, which is what the Prime Minister seems to have
17:29done with that phone call today, Gaurav.
17:35Oh, absolutely, because this is perhaps a situation, Ambassador Sajjanhar, the Prime Minister
17:40is telling the world about India's power.
17:44Realize India's power and treat India.
17:47And it's not that we want, we expect the world treats us because of the way we are.
17:53And we've proven our mettle in the world.
17:56Operation Sindhu or before that, post Galwan, our operations have indicated our military strength,
18:03our economic strength, our political strength.
18:05And as a nation, the way we come, is that the appreciation?
18:08Because when I spoke to several people here, they see India in completely different light
18:15in today's day and age, Ambassador Sajjanhar.
18:18But what do you make of this new love for Pakistan?
18:21You know, Donald Trump in 2019 was calling Pakistan the biggest cheat.
18:25You know, they've cheated America out of $33 billion and they've killed American people
18:30and all of that.
18:31And suddenly he says, I love Pakistan.
18:32Or does he love money more than he loves peace?
18:37No, absolutely.
18:38I think you're right.
18:39You know, he is more driven by personal interest, personal financial interest.
18:44And even as far as, you know, if one wants to be a little charitable to him, say, you know,
18:49even as far as the U.S. national interests are concerned because of the position that he's
18:54taking on Iran.
18:55So, you know, this has all moved together.
18:58But you are very right, you know, 2017, Gaurav, you look at the national security strategy,
19:04national defense strategy.
19:05It is very categorically stated, you know, we don't really need to go even that far or
19:11to the tweet of 1st January 2018 that you are referring to, that, you know, we've given
19:16$33 billion and they have treated all the U.S. leaders like fools and that is not going
19:21to continue.
19:22And, you know, they are providing safe havens to all these terrorists.
19:26So, you know, that has been very clear.
19:29But even he changed, of course, the tune when Imran Khan came there, said he will negotiate,
19:35he'll mediate on Kashmir.
19:37And he again told a falsehood that Prime Minister Modi has requested him to mediate on Kashmir.
19:44You recall that in the Oval Office, that's what he comment that he made, basically because
19:50he wanted to reach out to the Taliban at that time and he wanted to get out of Afghanistan.
19:56So, it might be personal interest.
19:58But, you know, come now to 13th of February, you look at the joint declaration that was
20:04signed when Prime Minister Modi was there.
20:06The name of Jaish, the name of Lashkar, the name of Ismail Mujahideen, all this is mentioned
20:11that action, Pakistan needs to take action against 2611 suspects.
20:16You know, all these developments about critical minerals, about cryptocurrency, etc., they,
20:23I think, have happened after that, as we have read reports on that.
20:27And that is what has motivated him to change all that.
20:30That having been said, you know, it doesn't change our own plans because, as Sandeep was
20:36saying, I very much agree.
20:38And what you have mentioned also, Gaurav, India has demonstrated not only its capacity, but
20:45also its intention to punish Pakistan if there is a repetition of such, you know, such an action.
20:54And I think India has also demonstrated that it is not going to look at the world either
20:59for approval or permission or, you know, look over its shoulder to see what the other countries
21:06are thinking.
21:07India knows what it needs to do.
21:10India will do it to protect its own sovereignty, to protect its own interests, irrespective of
21:17what.
21:18And the world takes note of that.
21:19You would recall that when Operation Sindhu started on the seventh morning, there was one
21:26country only which expressed regret, that is China.
21:29No other country said anything that India should not have done it.
21:34India should, needs to sort of, you know, withdraw this, that and the other.
21:38No country made a remark.
21:40They acknowledged that India has the right to protect its interests and India will go forward
21:47and do what it thinks is best for its interests.
21:50And Sandeep, right now, as America looks to, as many argue, join this war against Iran,
22:02the assets that are being moved into West Asia, whether it's three aircraft carrier battle groups
22:06or the B-2 bombers with their GBU-57 hardware or the, what, three dozen tankers, mid-air refuelers
22:14with the F-15s, F-16s and F-35s moving to West Asia.
22:18How does Pakistan or Pakistani airspace and air bases fit into the wider American war game?
22:26Is it just ISR, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or is there a bigger role,
22:32Sandeep?
22:33Well, Gaurav, you know, it's possible that Pakistan could allow the use of its airspace
22:38for, you know, American aircraft to fly through and attack, you know, Iran.
22:43And this has happened in the past.
22:45Both of us have covered the war in Afghanistan where you saw, you know, F-18 aircraft from
22:51carrier strike groups in the Arabian Sea taking off and bombing Afghanistan over Pakistani airspace.
22:56You saw B-52s and B-2s taking off from Diego Garcia and attacking Afghanistan again.
23:02Now, this is a similar thing.
23:03If the United States gets involved in Iran, Gaurav, then it's quite possible that Pakistan
23:09will have to either give its air bases to the United States as it has done in the past
23:14during the global war on terror or, you know, allow for its, you know, its airspace to be
23:19used as transit or, you know, cut the border, you know, escape of Iranian government officials
23:28or troops or anything of that sort.
23:29All of these contingencies would definitely have been mapped by CENTCOM, Gaurav.
23:34And that explains the kind of ask that Donald Trump has possibly of General, Field Marshal
23:41Aasim Munir.
23:43And, you know, Pakistan's geolocation, you know, geographical location, Gaurav, is something
23:49that the generals at Rawalpindi have always used, right from Field Marshal Aayup in 1958
23:56when he allowed the U-2 flights to take off from Peshawar to fly over China and USSR, right
24:03down to present day, Field Marshal Aasim Munir, another Field Marshal.
24:07You know, Pakistan is a rentier state and it has always charged a rent, a premium rent for
24:13its geopolitical, for its geographic location.
24:16And that seems to be the case here.
24:18And it will be very interesting to know what President Trump asks of Munir in the White House
24:24is definitely going to be something that's related to the emerging situation with the
24:29Iran-Israel war, Gaurav.
24:31Will he ask or will he dictate?
24:37You know, Sandeep is the big question because usually people don't ask their servants, they
24:42tell their servants what needs to be done.
24:44And Aasim Munir is a little more than an American vassal who used to be a Chinese vassal or remains
24:49a Chinese vassal too.
24:50But I want to understand from you, Ambassador Sajjan Har, you know, America is a strategic
24:55partner, but when a strategic partner speaks in its interests and not in our interests
25:02too, then somewhere down the line, is this relationship more transactional or is there
25:08a difference between what the President says and what the State Department says and what
25:13the US, you know, Pacific Command does on ground?
25:17Are they all on the same page or are they now running with the hair and hunting with hounds?
25:21Yeah, you know, as far as what you, the differentiation that you seek to make between the State Department
25:28and the President, I don't think today there is any.
25:31Because none of these, you know, cabinet members of the Trump cabinet, they have any independent
25:39standing, they have any independent clout.
25:43They are there because Trump has positioned them there.
25:46At this moment, we are getting, we are getting the first visuals of Prime Minister Narendra
25:51Modi landing in Zagreb, the first visit ever of an Indian Prime Minister to Croatia, a very,
25:59very significant visit.
26:16Either, or lots of other than the other, should be saved.
26:22Yeah, ah, ah, fair.
26:25How did you get lost, sir?
26:27Oh, Mr.
26:29Nice to see you, I guess, hit me.
26:37What not forем!
26:42Someone!
30:06That's a discussion for another time.
31:18of a surrender and if the U.S. were to join combat, the consequences for the U.S. would be irreparable damage.
31:35Iran's got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate and I said, why didn't you negotiate
31:41with me before all this death and destruction? Why didn't you negotiate? I said to the people,
31:46why didn't you negotiate with me two weeks ago? You could have done fine. You would have had a country.
31:53It's very sad to watch this. I mean, I've never, I've never seen anything like it. It's so,
31:58you know, everyone thought it was going to be the reverse. I didn't, I didn't think so.
32:01And I was telling them, you gotta, you gotta do something. You gotta negotiate.
32:05And at the end, last minute they said, no, we're not going to do that. And they got hit.
32:10Remember 60 days and then came the 60, 61 is going to become a very famous number. That was one hell
32:15of a hit. That first hit. That was one hell of a hit. Not sustainable, to be honest. That's weird.
32:26So the first hit was one hell of a hit. There is no denying that fact, but subsequently, Iran too,
32:32continues to strike back. And this is happening at a time when the U.S. is moving in additional military
32:38hardware into West Asia, whether it's a three aircraft carrier battle groups, including one
32:43that's completing its tour of duty in the South China Sea, you know, negotiating, navigating the
32:48Indo-Pacific and moving into the, towards the Mediterranean Sea. There are leaders in Iran who
32:55warned that the Hormuz Strait will be blocked, but three aircraft carrier battle groups would
33:00technically mean that more than 40 to 50 warships, submarines, and hundreds of additional fighter jets
33:07on board on all three aircraft carrier battle groups. Electronic intelligence, surveillance,
33:13reconnaissance, aircraft, fighter jets, helicopters, all of that moving into this battle zone.
33:19What's really happening in the war on day six? We get to more in this report.
33:24Unconditional surrender thundered Trump to Iran's Supreme Leader. But the U.S. President's warning
33:39has triggered a completely opposite reaction from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In his first television
33:47address since Donald Trump threatened to kill Iran's Supreme Leader, Khamenei has warned America of
33:53irreparable damage if it chose to enter the West Asia war.
33:59It was suspected from the beginning that America was also involved in this malicious move of the
34:04Zionist regime. But with these recent statements that they are making, this suspicion is being
34:09strengthened day by day. The Iranian nation stands firm against the imposed war. The damage America will
34:15suffer if it makes some military intervention in this field will undoubtedly be irreparable.
34:21Soon after Trump's truth social post where the U.S. President said that his patience was wearing thin,
34:29Khamenei posted on X, the battle begins. He also shared a picture referencing the battle of
34:35Khaibar, alluding to Imam Ali's conquest of the Jewish town of Khaibar in the 7th century. With the image of a
34:42man holding a sword entering a castle, Khamenei drew parallels between Ali's triumph over Jews and Iran's
34:49current stance. Iran continues to harden its stance despite Trump declaring that Israel has full
34:58control of Iran skies. Soon after Khamenei's address, Israeli jets reportedly struck Lavizan,
35:05the exact Tehran neighborhood that the supreme leader is rumored to be hiding in.
35:11All eyes now are on Donald Trump's next move. Will he join the war against Iran? And will the West
35:18Asia war then escalate into a bigger regional conflict? Bureau Report, India Today.
35:27A bigger regional conflict or could this actually escalate into third world war
35:31is the apprehension that many analysts are expressing across the world. But look at Iran.
35:38If people thought that Iran would fold within a day or two, that clearly is not happening. Despite
35:45the military superiority or the air superiority of the Israeli forces, Iran continues to strike,
35:50strike back and strike hard, including now using its Fateh hypersonic cruise, a hypersonic missile.
35:57That's the information that's coming in. Of course, there is very little that can prevent a hypersonic
36:02missile which travels five to six times the speed of sound. It cannot, it can almost never be
36:10intercepted and the damage caused is immense. We get you more in this report.
36:22Another day of escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Both nations have made their intent clear.
36:30They will be relentless not to be on the back foot. Israel continues to batter targets across Iran.
36:37Israeli army struck a nuclear facility used to manufacture centrifuges in Tehran. The facility
36:46was used to expand the scale and speed of its uranium enrichment. In the counter-strike,
36:51Iran's revolutionary Guard Corps launched hypersonic Fateh-1 missiles at Israel.
36:56Iran's nuclear force was launched before arriva kalli. The nuclear war-evan-1 missiles,
37:09the Israeli military deployed was launched by the future of the Egyptian Locations. In the
37:11maritime military centers, the Israeli force, to prepare for the freedom of them. In the
37:15nuclear war, there was a need of any crime to do that. In the nuclear war, the local reserve has been
37:17October, Hindia Mint and Hawaii. In the U.S. in the center of the U.S. in the U.S. in the U.S., the MiUnitian government, the U.S. in its
37:26of Netanyahu.
37:34We are now on day 5 of Operation Rising Lion. We've struck deep, hitting Iran's nuclear
37:40ballistic and command capabilities. The Iranian regime has spent years getting closer to
37:46a nuclear weapon. They have spent billions building a ballistic missile program. Our
37:53mission is clear, to remove the threat at its source. We are aiming at military targets.
38:00They are attacking civilian homes. The IDF will continue to operate with precision, strength
38:06and resolve to ensure the safety of the people of Israel.
38:12Amid the full-scale escalations, Israel is reportedly running low on Defense Arrow missile interceptors
38:18which are crucial to counter barrage of Iranian missile strikes.
38:25A day earlier, Trump had asked the Iranian regime for an unconditional surrender. In his retort,
38:31Iran's supreme leader said the war has just begun. Indicating that Iran is not going to give
38:37in. Iran also made it clear that any intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war.
38:44America has mobilized more war assets in the Middle East, sending its fighter jets to active
38:51duty near bases close to the Persian Gulf. All eyes are now on America's next move. Is this
39:00pointing at a much wider war? Bureau Report, India Today.
39:07I want to quickly bring into this conversation Dr. Vail Awaad, a very senior journalist who
39:14understands this region very well. My colleague Sandeep Unithan stays with me on this broadcast.
39:18Dr. Awaad, your appreciation of Donald Trump reiterating surrender and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
39:25the supreme leader of Iran, saying no question of surrender. If America joins the war, there will
39:30be irreparable damage. What do you make of this?
39:34Well, I think we all know that he has given the green signal to Netanyahu to attack in the
39:40pre-emptive strike. He was fully aware of it. You remember, he was already removing,
39:45evacuating the American Marines families from the state. They say they are necessarily staying
39:50there a week before the attack. And they had a round of talk on Sunday on Muscat in Oman.
39:57And then two days before the talk, he already, Netanyahu took the full advantage into a pre-emptive
40:03strike. And this strike, as you know, it's not meant for the nuclear side. I mean, 300
40:08targets inside Iran was not meant. They removed generals, they removed scientists, they killed
40:13civilians. And they thought that there will be an overall revolt inside Iran and the government
40:19will fold. So it's a regime change, then followed by the question of the nuclear side. That is
40:25what the objective of the whole operation actually.
40:32And that objective, Sandeep, still remains unfulfilled, because given the fact that Iran's
40:37able to use its Fatehwan hypersonic missiles, or at least that's the information that's coming
40:42in from Tehran, it means even six days later, Tehran has not folded.
40:48Absolutely, Gaurav. And you know, we forget the number of missiles that Iran has. It has
40:53over 3,000 ballistic missiles by one estimate. And while Israel has said that it's taken out
40:58one-third of Iran's launchers and its capability to launch ballistic missiles, there's still
41:03two-thirds of those launchers that are out there and possibly dispersed across Iran's
41:08geography. And that explains the continuing strikes at Israel. So it's literally, you know,
41:14a battle of attrition, Gaurav, that Iran has begun. Israel has, of course, been fighting
41:19this war of attrition from the 7th of October, 2023. But Iran is playing that same game again
41:25now with Israel. And, you know, continuing to fire these ballistic missiles, these hypersonic
41:30missiles, as we're just showing our viewers on screen, which are almost impossible to intercept.
41:36Iran has plenty more of those, you know, hypersonic missiles, Gaurav. And it's a matter of who
41:42runs out of missiles first. And, you know, there is a limit to Israel's number, the interceptor
41:49missiles that it has in its arsenal. We are seeing estimates of 10 to 12 days of interceptor
41:55missiles. And Iran is signaling by this that it can go on for several more days, Gaurav.
42:00And the regime is also signaled, President, the Supreme Leader Khamenei's statement today
42:06seems to suggest that they're not folding up, they're not buckling, they're not surrendering
42:11unconditionally the way President Donald Trump wants them to. So there's still a lot of fight
42:16left in Iran, Gaurav.
42:17Is that also your appreciation, Dr. Awad? Iran has a lot of fight left in it, a large number
42:27of hypersonic missiles, ballistic missiles, though their aircraft, their fighter jets, their
42:32air bases, to a very large extent unusable. The fact that Israel claims it has total air
42:38superiority or air supremacy in this region. If America were to step in and use their B2 bombers
42:47and their GBU-57 bombs to take out the Fordo nuclear facility, would that signal that Iran
42:55cannot go on?
42:57Well, let's remember, Gaurav, that Iran was under fire and it was attacked by another nation
43:04who is a nuclear, undeclared nuclear state, having more than 90 nuclear arsenals, and attacking
43:09a state which is ambitious, maybe, in the future of having a nuclear weapon, which is already
43:14the peaceful discussion was with the IEA. And everybody knows that the IEA, even they have
43:19claimed since 2024 that Iran does not have the nuclear bomb. So is it seriously the nuclear bomb
43:25bomb or no? So Iran knows that it has been, look at the West Asia, Gaurav, and you know
43:30you've been following the development from Gaza Strip to Lebanon, to Syria, to Iraq. Now
43:35Iran only left in this region to continue to conquer the whole of West Asia, because once
43:42you have the control on the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, then
43:47you are putting lots of pressure on countries like India, China, Korea, who is depending mainly
43:53on the 40 percent supply lines from these places. So it's not that to see the war in isolation
43:59from Iran or the voice of Iran and Israel or U.S. and Iran, because Iran is a geopolitically
44:07very important state for the north-south corridor, which we know from Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran,
44:12and India. And then also we have a corridor of the BRI from China. So it is the importance
44:20of presence of Iran is still a hurdle for the Israeli dominance in the region. So Iran
44:26has been preparing since 1979. When the revolution took over and then Khomeini came to power, he
44:34has been building their arms and self-reliance because the Americans fooled them and ditched
44:40them and give all their nuclear program. By the way, Gaurav, you know that the nuclear program
44:46of Iran was started by the United States from 1950 to 1979, and including Germany, France, and also
44:54the U.K. And then when the revolution took over, they halted the program. They gave all the data to
45:00Saddam Hussein, who bombed the Boucher reactors, which was the American provided to Iran. So what
45:06I'm trying to say here is that Iran knew that it is the only country left in this region where
45:12Israel is unable to achieve its objective. They were able to attack Syria. They were able to attack
45:18Lebanon, attack Houthis, because there is no retaliation. Here you miscalculated Iran's potential
45:24power. Iran have not used it. They have not used even their generation, fifth or sixth generation,
45:30which they have. They just used the third generation of the weaponry they have. And
45:34actually, it is not the nuclear program, finally, I must say. It is because of the ballistic missile
45:39capabilities and the drones that Iran have. That is what caused danger to Israel. And that
45:44is what America wanted to continue and to close the work of Iran that to help not only its nuclear,
45:50but also its ballistic missile technology program.
45:56That's a very pertinent point you make there in terms of the aim for a regime change in Iran and
46:04the reasons for it. Sandeep, given that situation, is Iran in a position to continue fighting longer?
46:12The questions are how long can it continue to fight? There are countries like the United Arab Emirates,
46:18perhaps, and Russia, the only two, one that are calling out America's alleged involvement or, you know,
46:26likely involvement, two calling for a ceasefire. Are they likely to be heard? And how long can Iran last?
46:32Well, Gaurav, you know, Iran can last almost indefinitely. It's almost impossible to change a regime from the air.
46:40And air bombing alone is not going to achieve any objectives. You have to have boots on the ground.
46:46You have to launch a ground invasion of the kind the United States did with Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 2003.
46:53Of course, that was a catastrophic mistake. It was premised on false intelligence, that invasion.
47:00It should never have happened. Now, there is no country in the world today, Gaurav,
47:04that can master 200,000 soldiers to launch an invasion of, you know, Iran.
47:11And that's the only way that you can effect regime change in Iran.
47:15So to answer your question, how long can Iran last out this thing? Almost indefinitely.
47:20It can continue as long as there is no ground invasion of which seems very, very remote.
47:26There is nobody on the horizon. There are just about 50,000 or 60,000 troops,
47:30U.S. soldiers in West Asia across bases. And all of the activity that we are seeing, Gaurav,
47:37points to, you know, air-to-air campaigns, basically, to bomb Iran into submission and to destroy its nuclear weapons capabilities.
47:47Of course, if the regime collapses, that would be a bonus. But I guess, while people are talking about that,
47:53it seems very unlikely that the regime would collapse because of a wave of, you know, aerial bombardment. Gaurav.
48:00What's the commentary in that region, Dr. Awad? Is America likely to join this battle with its B-2 bombers?
48:10Is America likely to target Fordow? Is that likely to, you know, lead to a situation where Iran collapses?
48:18Are you looking at a regime change?
48:21I think what the Iranian, the American are planning, Gaurav, is very closely watching,
48:26because of the Azerbaijan. They are already using their airspace.
48:30And the Mossad have a huge intelligence apparatus inside Azerbaijan.
48:35And maybe they are using their airspace and refueling from Azerbaijan to attack Iran.
48:39A similar fashion also with Americans putting lots of pressure on Pakistan.
48:43And you know that the defense minister is meeting with the president of the United States in Washington, D.C.
48:49That's a clear indication that Washington wanted to use ground forces, even if they move their proxies in the region, to destabilize Iran.
48:57Yes, Sandeep is right when he said there is no, you know, border between Israel and Israel.
49:05But at the end of the day, they wanted the United States to take part in this war.
49:10And I am not naive to believe that the United States, including the NATO forces, did not usually actually attack Iran already.
49:23Okay. So, it remains to be seen what happens in the next 48 hours, which look very crucial.
49:30Will the United States use its military hardware? Is negotiations still possible?
49:37United Arab Emirates is calling for it. But how many more across the world will join that chorus?
49:43Or are there others on board that there will be a regime change in Iran?
49:48We will continue to track developments on that story very closely.
49:51But that's all I have for you on this special broadcast.
49:54Dr. Vail Awad and Sandeep Unitan for joining me here on this India Today special broadcast.
50:00Many thanks.