Dr. Swasti Rao is a geopolitics and defence expert, commentator, and author. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Jindal School of International Studies and a Consulting Editor for Strategic and International Affairs at ThePrint. She explains key geopolitical and security issues from an Indian perspective.

In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, she discusses what could happen to Iran after Ayatollah Khamenei’s death and how the security structure of Gulf nations might change. She describes Donald Trump as the only U.S. President to have gone this far in supporting Israel, and explains what another war could mean for the Middle East. She also talks about the impact on global oil supplies and what is at stake for India.

00:00 – Introduction

02:05 – The Middle East War

03:51 – Gulf Nations Under Attack

09:09 – Israel’s Objectives in Iran

12:24 – US–Israel Targeting Strategy

16:12 – Did U.S. Abandon GCC Bases?

24:01 – IRGC’s Command Structure

29:48 – Iran’s War Mindset

35:27 – Impact of Khamenei’s Death

37:22 – GCC in Shock After Attacks?

41:57 – What Do Saudi Arabia & Israel Want?

44:41 – Iran–Turkey Ties: What’s Next?

46:29 – Pakistan’s Role

55:33 – The Modi–Netanyahu Meeting

59:00 – Evacuation Plans & Economic Impact on India

1:07:53 – The Roles of China and Russia

1:18:57 – How Long Could This War Last?