In Our Defence

In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami is joined by national security expert Sandeep Unnithan to unpack one of the world’s most critical flashpoints—the Strait of Hormuz.

Why do narrow sea lanes like Hormuz matter so much to global trade and oil supply? What does a naval blockade actually look like in practice—not theory, but at sea? From ship strength and surveillance tech to geography and fleet positioning, we break down the real mechanics behind maritime chokeholds.

The episode also explores the counterplay: can a blockade be breached, and what does it take to punch through one? As tensions simmer between the US and Iran, does Washington’s naval dominance guarantee control, or is Tehran playing a deeper, asymmetric game?

They also unpack the curious case of the Rich Starry, the China-bound vessel whose strange movements through Hormuz have raised eyebrows. Additionally, a throwback to history — when India blockaded Karachi during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. What worked, what didn’t, and what it tells us about modern naval warfare.

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Produced by Taniya Dutta

Sound mixed by Rohan Bharti

After 39 days of war, Iran has agreed to a temporary ceasefire and the Strait of Hormuz is back in focus. But the big question remains: what exactly did this war achieve?

In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan unpack how the conflict escalated, why the war's goals seemed to keep shifting, and why, despite taking enormous punishment, Iran still ended up at the negotiating table without complete submission.

We get into:

How the US and Israel framed the war, and how those aims evolved
Whether Iran was defeated militarily but survived strategically
What this conflict revealed about air defence and modern missile warfare
Why this war may go down as a lesson in the limits of overwhelming force
Whether the ceasefire can actually hold
And the biggest long-term question of all: does this make Iran more likely to want the bomb?

This is not just a story about Iran, Israel, or the US. It is also a story about miscalculation, resilience, and what modern war looks like when even massive military superiority cannot produce a neat political outcome.

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Produced by Areeb Raza

Sound mixed by Suraj Singh

Link To NY Times Article- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/0...

A month into the Iran war, the battlefield story is changing rapidly. What began as high-impact US–Israel strikes has now entered an uncertain phase: drone warfare, energy and economic pressure through Hormuz, and now a sudden “pause” announced by Donald Trump. Is this the beginning of the end? Or just a tactical pause before the next round?

On the latest episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan break down:

- What the Iran war looks like right now

- Whether the U.S. pause is real diplomacy or strategic signalling

- Iran’s response and the risk of escalation

- Pakistan’s surprise role as a potential mediator

- Why does the United States, with the most powerful military in the world, keep getting pulled into long, inconclusive wars?

From Vietnam to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya, and now Iran the episode explores recurring pattern: Fast military success, followed by messy, unresolved endings.

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Produced by Taniya Dutta

Sound mixed by Aman Pal

The Gulf war has widened, energy infrastructure is under threat, and the Strait of Hormuz is once again at the centre of global anxiety. For India, this is not some faraway crisis. It is about oil, LPG, shipping, diaspora safety, relations with Iran, growing ties with Israel, and the limits of diplomacy when all your important partners are in the same conflict.

In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan unpack India's response to the Iran-Israel war so far. Did Delhi go too quiet too early? Or was that caution part of a deliberate strategy to preserve leverage, protect shipping, and keep channels open with all sides?

They discuss:

- How India-Iran ties evolved after 1979

- Why Tehran still seems willing to engage Delhi

- Whether and why India's initial response was too muted

- Whether India really has tilted toward Israel

- How different India's stand in this conflict from its historic positions

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Produced by Taniya Dutta

Sound mixed by Rohan Bharti

Nearly two weeks into Operation Epic Fury, the war in West Asia has spilled over from the streets of Tehran to the depths of the Indian Ocean. In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan break down the most chaotic week in modern strategic history.

The two also dive into the sinking of the IRIS Dena, an Iranian frigate that was literally a guest at the Indian Navy’s MILAN 2026 exercise before being torpedoed by a US submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. What message was the US trying to send by sinking a warship far away from the theatre of conflict?

Also on the episode: How for Iran, winning is equal to just suriving and how global players such as France and China will be looking at this conflict.

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Produced by Taniya Dutta

Sound mixed by Rohan Bharti