Daniel Benaim served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the U.S. State Department. He previously advised President Joe Biden on West Asia policy and has worked at the White House and the U.S. Senate. He also wrote speeches for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other senior U.S. officials. He closely follows developments in West Asia and U.S. foreign policy.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Daniel says that the U.S. miscalculated the Iran war and wasn’t fully prepared. He explains how Iran may be “winning without winning”, and why Gulf countries feel let down by the conflict. He also talks about Iran’s use of the Strait of Hormuz as a key lever, and why India’s approach to the crisis appears measured and pragmatic.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction

00:52 – Who’s Winning Iran War?

05:36 – Future of Iranian Regime

08:32 – Will U.S. Deploy Troops to Iran?

11:28 – Strait of Hormuz Blockade

14:51 – Future of Alliances in West Asia

19:57 – Will Gulf Nations Attack Iran?

23:00 – Russia & China on Iran War

24:10 – Trump Delays Beijing Visit

25:21 – Did Trump Miscalculate Iran?

30:46 – Biden or Clinton: Response to Iran War

32:35 – Will Iran Surrender?

34:28 – Trump Opening New War Fronts?

37:30 – If Iran Survives, Who Wins?

40:38 – Saudi-Pakistan Ties

44:17 – Do Americans Support Iran War?

49:46 – Iran’s Missile Capacity

52:41 – Did Biden Give $6 Billion to Iran?

55:48 – Iran’s Nuclear Program

58:21 – India’s Stand on Iran War

1:00:39 – Will India Pick a Side in Iran War?

1:04:27 – What Does Saudi Want from Pakistan?

1:06:56 – Who Can Mediate Iran War?

1:08:39 – Will Iranian Regime Survive?

1:10:47 – Who is Face of the Democrats?

1:12:29 – Evolving India-U.S. Ties

What lessons can India learn from the Iran war? How have drones proved to be a game-changer in modern warfare? How is Iran using ‘Shahed’ drones to carry out attacks on Israel and Gulf nations? How can Artificial Intelligence be integrated into defence systems? What impact could this conflict have on the global defence industry? How are Gulf nations looking at their security today?

In this edition of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Lt Gen Raj Shukla (Retd.), former General Officer Commanding of the Army Training Command and a noted military strategist, answers these questions and explains the changing nature of modern warfare.

00:00 – Coming Up

00:30 – Global Impact of Iran War

04:18 – U.S. Operation Against Maduro

07:14 – U.S. Objectives in Iran

10:53 – U.S. Military Strength

15:20 – Iran’s Counterattack

21:16 – Implications of Iran War

22:27 – Iran’s Shahed Drones

32:07 – U.S.–Israel Tech Alliance

41:34 – India’s Role in Global Tensions

46:45 – China’s High-Tech Warfare

50:14 – India’s Defence System

58:49 – Attack on IRIS Dena

1:00:31 – India’s Strategic Partners

1:10:12 – Iran’s Strikes on the Gulf

1:13:28 – Private Sector in National Security

Kanwal Sibal is a former Foreign Secretary to the Government of India. He has served as India’s Ambassador to Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia, and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC with the personal rank of Ambassador. He was also a member of India’s National Security Advisory Board from 2008 to 2010. With over 41 years of diplomatic experience, he explains geopolitics and foreign affairs from an Indian perspective.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Ambassador Kanwal Sibal explains how the Israel–U.S. war against Iran could deeply hurt India’s interests in the Gulf. He also discusses why Iran could sink any ship in the Strait of Hormuz and why he believes there is “a huge vacuum in global leadership.”

He also discusses what India should do in the conflict, the sinking of the IRIS Dena, the objectives of the U.S. and Israel in the war, and what the future of security in the Gulf could look like.

00:00 – Introduction

00:35 – India’s Stand on the Iran War

07:29 – Sinking of IRIS Dena

18:12 – PM Modi’s Visit to Israel

23:55 – Iran’s Nuclear Program

28:15 – War with a “Civilizational State”

30:12 – India–U.S. Relations

39:42 – Christopher Landau’s Remarks

43:45 – Why India Needs the Gulf

49:41 – Americans as Partners

56:37 – Russia–Ukraine War

1:00:21 – France’s Nuclear Umbrella

1:02:12 – Which Countries Might Go Nuclear Next?

1:07:30 – Importance of the Strait of Hormuz

1:11:45 – Targeting Fuel Depots in Iran

1:15:05 – Gulf Under Attack

1:18:10 – Possible Outcomes of the Iran War

1:21:42 – How the Iran War Could Affect India

1:25:54 – Global Leadership Crisis