Iran: The Latest

Latest Episodes:

The end of Operation Epic Fury & why Trump is pulling troops from Germany May 06, 2026

Show notes

Is America’s Operation Epic Fury really over?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US’s military campaign against the Iranian regime has finished, and there are growing reports of a US-Iran peace deal in the offing. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant break down the top three news stories you need to know today, from why Donald Trump has ended Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz to the importance of talks between Iran and China.

Plus, did a spat over the Iran war prompt Trump to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany last week? Berlin correspondent James Rothwell explains the significance of America’s significant troop presence in the country and why America’s pull-out is fuelling speculation that Nato is well and truly over.

Highlights

The end of Operation Epic Fury amid growing talks of a peace deal
Why Trump has pulled troops from Germany following Iran war spat

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

James Rothwell, Berlin correspondent @JamesERothwell

CONTENT REFERENCED:

David Blair: Trump now has three options. They are all bad

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/06/trump-three-options-all-bad/

Akhtar Makoii: Trump and Mojtaba Khamenei have more in common than they realise

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/06/trump-and-mojtaba-khamenei-have-more-in-common-they-realise/

Donald Tusk: Nato is disintegrating

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/02/donald-tusk-nato-is-disintegrating/

Why the US cannot fight another war after Iran without China’s help

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/30/us-cannot-fight-another-war-after-iran-without-china-help/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

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► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

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‘One step away from war’: Trump launches Project Freedom to open the Strait of Hormuz May 05, 2026

Show notes

Is the US-Iran war about to restart amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz?

Donald Trump has launched Project Freedom - a US Navy mission to break the Iranian blockade imposed since the beginning of the war. However, while the White House has framed the escort of neutral vessels as a “humanitarian gesture”, Tehran sees it as an escalation. Iran has fired missiles and drones at ships and an oil port in the UAE, and today says it is “just getting started”.

Roland Oliphant and chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair discuss the latest updates and why both sides are now likely locked in a downward spiral, putting us “one step” away from renewed all-out fighting.

Plus, former US Navy submariner Bryan Clark, director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute, explains why America must put more force into the Strait of Hormuz if it wants to win against a patient enemy like Iran. He also talks through Iran’s remaining naval capabilities, from midget subs to fast boats.

Highlights

Why Trump’s Project Freedom will fail without more force
An ex-US Navy submariner on what it will take to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt

Bryan Clark, senior fellow Hudson Institute @clarkdefense

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Trump has finally realised he must seize the Strait of Hormuz

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/04/trump-finally-realised-seize-the-strait-of-hormuz/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

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Oil, revolution and ayatollahs: how Iran went from great power to rogue state May 04, 2026

Show notes

Within living memory, Tehran ruled an oil-rich great power brimming with intellectuals inspired by British democracy. So how did it become an impoverished rogue state at war with the West?

In this special Bank Holiday edition, Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history at the University of St Andrews, takes Roland Oliphant through Iran's tumultuous modern era: from the 1906 Constitutional Revolution and the 1953 coup, to the 1979 ousting of the shah and the 2026 US assassination of Ali Khamenei.

From the blunders of the unlikely "midwife" of the modern Iranian state - Great Britain - to the catastrophic decisions of successive Supreme Leaders after the founding of the Islamic Republic, he charts the course that shaped the country Donald Trump is fighting today.

How do the myths overshadow the facts of the CIA's 1953 coup and the Iran-Iraq war? Why is the regime so obsessed with enriching uranium and fighting Israel and America? And is the UK guilty of betraying Iranian dreams of democracy?

Plus, how the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company brought association football to Tehran.

Highlights

Oil, revolution and ayatollahs: how Iran went from great power to rogue state
Professor Ali Ansari explains 20th-century Iranian history

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Ali Ansari, professor University of St Andrews @aa51_ansari

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Part 1: ‘Iran thinks it’s still a great power’: Why the regime won’t surrender

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/03/why-the-iranian-regime-wont-surrender-ali-ansari/

Producer: Max Bower

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

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US 'could deploy hypersonic missiles' & how Russia is using Iran to fight the West May 01, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump faces a critical decision as the Iran war drifts into a stalemate: double down on military force or hope the US blockade will break the deadlock.

Amid a deadline today for Trump to get Congress’ approval for further military operations under the War Powers Act, new reports suggest the Pentagon has requested the deployment of America’s Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles to the Middle East. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant discuss the latest updates from the region.

Plus, what is Russia’s role in the Iran war? Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’s Iran program, explains how Moscow has supported Tehran and is using it as a “pawn” in the broader fight against the West. He also analyses the significance of the viral Iranian Lego propaganda videos and Mojtaba Khamanei’s latest statement.

Highlights

US 'could deploy hypersonic missiles' to Middle East
How Russia is supporting Iran to fight the West

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Behnam Ben Taleblu, Foundation for Defense of Democracies @therealBehnamBT

CONTENT REFERENCED:

US asks to move Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles towards Iran

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/30/us-asks-to-move-dark-eagle-hypersonic-missiles-towards-iran/

1,000 targets a day in Iran: How AI is accelerating war

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/01/1000-targets-day-how-ai-accelerating-america-iran-war/

Maven: the AI system helping the US bomb Iran

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdHYDGHN5rQ

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iranian terror in London & why the US needs China to rearm Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

The UK is in shock after an Iran-linked Islamist group claimed yet another attack on Jews in London.

In the wake of the Golders Green stabbing attack, national security editor Rozina Sabur looks at what we know about the shadowy online group known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI) and its links to the Iranian regime.

Plus, as Donald Trump weighs whether to take further military action against Iran or in the Strait of Hormuz, Samuel Olsen, chief analyst at risk and intelligence firm Sibylline, explains that the conflict has further indebted the US to China. Why? Beijing’s near-total dominance of the supply chain of rare earths and critical minerals, which every bit of modern military kit requires. Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping is likely to centre on this issue - as well as Taiwan.

Elsewhere, Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan analyse what we learned from Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s first under-oath testimony on the war and why the ceasefire seems to be holding everywhere apart from Iraq.

Highlights

Why the US cannot rearm post-Iran war without China
Rozina Sabur on the Iran-linked group claiming to be behind the Golders Green attack

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan

Samuel Olsen, chief analyst Sibylline @samolsenx

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Project Vault: Trump’s battle to break China’s critical mineral stranglehold

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/09/project-vault-trumps-battle-to-break-chinas-mineral-strangl/

China just proved it can cripple the US military in days. Now Trump is furious

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/20/china-just-proved-it-can-cripple-the-us-military-in-days-no/

The Iranian sleeper cell bringing terror to Europe

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/23/iranian-sleeper-cell-islamic-movement-companions-synagogue/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A trip to the Strait of Hormuz & Hezbollah adopts Ukraine-style drone warfare Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

From the Strait of Hormuz to Lebanon, the Iran war has seen the West’s foes adopt asymmetric warfare with growing efficacy.

Fresh off the boat from the Omani side of the Strait, Adrian Blomfield joins Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant. He explains how being out on the busy, misty and historic waterway helped him to understand why it is almost impossible for the US to counter Iran’s so-called “mosquito” fleet of fast boats.

Meanwhile, Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin discusses the growing threat posed by Hezbollah as it adopts Ukrainian drone tactics to fight Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. He talks through a particularly worrying video showing the terror group flying a fibre-optic first-person view (FPV) drone at a medivac helicopter.

Plus, Venetia and Roland run through the latest updates from today, including Donald Trump’s new threat to Iran and bad signs from the Iranian economy.

Highlights:

Adrian Blomfield on his trip to the Strait of Hormuz
Henry Bodkin on the growing threat posed by Hezbollah as it adopts Ukrainian drone tactics

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Adrian Blomfield, senior foreign correspondent @adrianblomfield

Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkin

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Hezbollah attacks Israeli military helicopter with fibre optic drones

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/hezbollah-attack-israeli-idf-helicopter-fibre-optic-drones/

Adrian Blomfield: Here in the Strait, Iran’s mosquito fleet renders Trump blockade futile

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/strait-of-hormuz-irans-mosquito-fleet-winning-blockade/

Akhtar Makoii: Iran’s cost of living is out of control as Trump’s blockade takes hold

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/29/irans-cost-of-living-trump-blockade/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘A bunch of losers with no power’: Why Iran’s hardliners won’t win Apr 28, 2026

Show notes

Iran’s regime is facing an existential crisis prompted by the US-Israeli war.

Despite taking a military battering and the economy being in ruins, Tehran refuses to surrender to Donald Trump. Historian Arash Azizi takes Roland Oliphant and Sophia Yan inside the clash between the regime establishment and the ultra-hardliners who fear their vision of the Islamic Republic will not survive peace.

He explains why the country’s powerful, IRGC-linked chief negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf is increasingly being attacked in Iranian media and the dilemma facing the Islamic Republic as it looks to make a deal without surrendering the anti-American dogmatism that revolutionaries hold so dear.

Plus, senior foreign correspondent Adrian Blomfeld reports from the Strait of Hormuz and Sophia and Roland discuss the significance of the UAE pulling out of OPEC.

Highlights

Arash Azizi on why Iran’s hardliners are a “bunch of losers with no power”
How the Iranian regime is facing a choice between reform and destruction

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host @rolandoliphant

Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophiacyan

Arash Azizi, author and historian Yale University @arash_tehran

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Adrian Blomfield: Here in the Strait, Iran’s mosquito fleet renders Trump blockade futile

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/strait-of-hormuz-irans-mosquito-fleet-winning-blockade/

Robert White, Iona Cleave: Trump ‘unlikely to accept’ Iran’s Hormuz deal https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/iran-war-live-trump-peace-talks-hormuz-strikes-lebanon/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The true cost of America’s hidden missile crisis & why US-Iran talks are deadlocked Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

The US has severely depleted key munitions in the Iran war - and it’s already having global consequences.

From delayed deliveries to allies such as Japan, South Korea and Ukraine, to a knockon impact on any future wars - such as a potential conflict with China over Taiwan - new analysis of America’s strategic stockpiles do not make for comfortable reading. Venetia Rainey talks to Mark Cancian and Chris Park from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) about what’s running low, why and what impact it will have.

Plus, will Donald Trump strike a deal with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz instead of prioritising a nuclear agreement?

That’s what Tehran is reportedly proposing today, but as veteran US diplomat David Satterfield explains, that comes with its own problems. With Iran playing the long-game in an asymmetric war, the former ambassador says Trump does not have many good options available.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

David Satterfield, former US diplomat and director of Baker Institute for Public Policy

Mark Cancian, senior fellow CSIS @MarkCancian

Chris Park, research associate CSIS @chrhspark

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Last Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War Ceasefire

https://www.csis.org/analysis/last-rounds-status-key-munitions-iran-war-ceasefire

Producer: Elliot Lampitt

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Trump is wrong - Iran’s regime is not split over this war’ Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

The US-Iran ceasefire has limped into its third week, but can stuttering peace talks deliver a deal before war resumes?

Roland Oliphant is joined by Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, to discuss the latest news and updates, including what Mojtaba Khamanei’s reported injuries tell us about the balance of power in Tehran.

She also explains why the normally factional Iranian regime is united in its need to end the war, and how Donald Trump’s attempt to drive a wedge between “moderates” and “hardliners” is likely to fail.

Plus, international economics editor Hans van Leeuwen explains why the world has been watching the wrong oil price - and how the global impact of the war could be worse than we thought.

Highlights

Why time is not on Trump’s side in the Iran war
Mojtaba Khamenei’s injuries and what they say about the Iranian regime

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Hans van Leeuwen, International economics editor @hansvan333

Sanam Vakil, MENA programme director Chatham House @SanamVakil

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Hans van Leeuwen: The world is watching the wrong oil price

Producer: Elliot Lampitt

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sea mines and fast boats: how Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

What will it take to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iran’s sea mines and fast boats?

With Tehran now charging extortionate tolls, attacking commercial ships who do not get permission to transit and reportedly laying around 20 sea mines, the vital waterway has become a living nightmare. President Donald Trump today told the US Navy to fire on any boats laying mines, but with Pentagon estimates that it will take six months to mine-sweep the Strait, is that enough?

To discuss the problem, Venetia Rainey is joined by Emma Salisbury, an Associate Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. Emma explains how American minesweeping capabilities became so heavily degraded, why Iran’s non-conventional navy remains so effective and hard to destroy, and the maritime signs that Trump may be considering a return to all-out war.

Plus, senior foreign correspondent Sophia Yan talks through the latest news and updates from the region, including the status of the US-Iran ceasefire, reports that America is running out of munitions, and the Lebanon-Israel peace talks to disarm Hezbollah.

Highlights:

Why it would take the US six months to minesweep the Strait of Hormuz - in peacetime
Sophia Yan on how the Iran war became a game of chicken

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan

Emma Salisbury, associate fellow Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre @salisbot

CONTENT REFERENCED:

The Mine Gap: America Forgot How to Sweep the Sea

Iranian shadow fleet tankers break through US blockade

Trump has eight days to make up his mind on Iran

Last Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War Ceasefire

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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