Iran's current crisis isn't just another protest cycle, it's a convergence of systemic failures. A decades-old illusion of invincibility crumbled when US-Israeli bombs struck its nuclear facilities. Tehran's water crisis last autumn exposed the regime's inability to provide basic necessities, igniting rage that economic sanctions and 40-50% inflation had already primed. What began as bread-and-butter grievances morphed into brazen political dissent: women publicly burning portraits of Supreme Leader Khamenei. In this episode, host Anirban Chowdhury talks to Kabir Taneja, Deputy Director and Fellow with the Strategic Studies Programme at Observer Research Foundation about Iran's unraveling. The geopolitical architecture Iran built, its "axis of resistance", lies in ruins. Israel systematically dismantled Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthi capabilities, leaving Tehran exposed and its proxies toothless. Even moderate President Pezeshkian backs the crackdown, alienating young voters. For India, this isn't abstract geopolitics. One-fifth of global oil transits the Strait of Hormuz; any Iranian desperation to play there inflates import bills and triggers rupee pressure. Chabahar Port ambitions stall. Basmati exporters await frozen payments. The danger isn't revolution, it's an erratic, cornered regime with nothing left to lose.
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