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Iran: The Latest — News
Iran: The Latest

Iran: The Latest is The Telegraph’s defence, security and foreign affairs news podcast providing deep-dive analysis on the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran.

Veteran foreign correspondents Roland Oliphant and Venetia Rainey bring you the latest updates from The Telegraph’s award-winning journalists, plus exclusive interviews with world-class experts in military strategy, international relations, and Middle East policy.

From attacks on the Gulf to Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Houthis in Yemen to the threat of nuclear escalation, stay informed with the best of The Telegraph’s Middle East coverage in one place. As the geopolitical landscape shifts, subscribe for essential updates on the security shifts defining our global future.

Battle Lines, a defence podcast with a wider scope and created by David Knowles, previously lived on this feed.

Don’t forget to follow and leave a review to stay updated on the latest in global conflict and foreign affairs.

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

Copyright: © Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.

Latest Episodes:

Kim Jong Un: the underestimated dictator and his teen protege Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

For three generations the Kim dynasty has ruled North Korea with ruthless precision. Now Kim Jong Un appears to be grooming his 12-year-old daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his heir—a bold move in a country where women have never held power. At the same time, reports surface of a disastrous US Navy SEALs mission to bug Kim’s communications, ending in civilian deaths. So what does all this tell us about the Hermit Kingdom’s future, its ties to China and Russia, and the grip of one family dynasty? We are joined by leading North Korea analyst Rachel Minyoung Lee to cut through the mystery, the propaganda, and the paranoia.

https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/04/kim-jong-un-daughter-kim-ju-ae/

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

'A mole blew our CIA cover': The spy couple who found love on the frontline Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

Andrew and Jihi Bustamante aren’t your average married couple — they met inside the CIA and their romance played out under the shadow of espionage. In this gripping conversation, they reveal how they fell in love during training, the reality of life inside America’s most secretive agency, and how a mole within the CIA blew their cover. Love, lies, and life on the frontline of the new spy war.

https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

Andrew’s CIA book ‘Shadow Cell’: https://geni.us/ShadowCellBook

If you want to hear more from Andrew, you can follow him on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Andrew-Bustamante

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

Axis of upheaval: Inside China's military parade with Russia, North Korea and Iran Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

China's biggest ever military parade boasted sophisticated new weapons, thousands of goose-stepping troops, and a guest list designed to put the West on notice.

The footage of Chinese President Xi Jinping walking in between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in particular was a clear message to the US, Europe and its democratic allies: Beijing now officially heads up a new world order of authoritarian states.

Venetia is joined by former Russia correspondent Roland Oliphant and former China correspondent Sophia Yan to explain everything you need to know about the new weapons unveiled, the leaders who were and weren’t there, and what it means for the West.

Read Sophia's exclusive drone investigation: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/03/how-china-is-secretly-arming-russia/

Read Sophia's analysis: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/03/china-parade-xi-putin-kim/

Listen to our mini series on the rise of China's military: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/08/battle-lines-podcast-inside-the-rise-of-chinas-military/

https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

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

The battle for Darfur + Chinese weapons in Sudan Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

As the war for Sudan's Darfur region heats up, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are stepping up their brutal siege on the last remaining army stronghold of El Fasher, with new satellite pictures showing a wall being built around the northern city.

The RSF have been accused of genocide for conducting a campaign of violence, rape and murder against Darfur's non-Arab communities. Famine has been declared in the region and millions have been displaced.

To understand what is going on in El Fasher, Venetia speaks to the head of the Darfur Human Rights Network, Mohammed Adam Hassan, who is Darfurian and in contact with people on the ground.

Plus Amnesty's head of crisis research, explosives expert Brian Castner, explains why he believes the UAE is arming the RSF, including with sophisticated Chinese weapons.

https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

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

Famine denials, dead journalists and disinformation: the war on truth in Israel Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

As the old cliché goes, the first casualty when war comes is truth.

In the past week, Israel has denied that it has caused a famine in Gaza, accusing the UN-backed body behind the report of a “blood libel”, and killed five more journalists in a widely condemned double-tap attack on a hospital.

It is part of a wider trend that has made getting to the facts of the war in Gaza difficult.

To understand how a war on truth is being waged in Israel, Venetia speaks to UNICEF’s Tess Ingram in Gaza City, Phil Chetwynd, global news director of news agency AFP, and Israeli information warfare specialist Tal Hagin.

READ MORE:

What really happened with Israel’s ‘double-tap’ strike on Gaza hospital? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/27/what-really-happened-with-israel-double-tap-gaza-hospital/

Seven common tropes used to deny Gaza’s famine: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/seven-common-tropes-used-to-deny-gazas-famine-debunked/

Listen to our mini series on the rise of China's military: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/08/battle-lines-podcast-inside-the-rise-of-chinas-military/

https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

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

‘We can’t future-proof our defence, but we can be future-ready’ Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

How can Nato make itself future-ready? What are the biggest threats facing Western democracy? And what black swan event helped change the course of the First World War?

To find out, Venetia chats to Dr Gabriele Rizzo, a defence futurist and foresight strategist whose job is to imagine different possibilities and help his clients prepare for them.

He has years of experience working with the US Space Force, NATO, the Italian Government, the European Defense Agency, and the United Nations.

In 2022, UNESCO elected Dr. Rizzo as a UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies and Foresight, making him the youngest recipient ever. He is also in the process of writing the Handbook of Foresight, Strategy, and Futures Studies for Defense and Security, which looks at how foresight strategies can be used in government and policy.

Listen to our mini series on the rise of China's military: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/08/battle-lines-podcast-inside-the-rise-of-chinas-military/

https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

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

Did Trump really stop six wars? Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

In his desperate attempt to win the Nobel Peace Prize, President Trump claims to have ended at least six wars around the world. But how does that stack up in reality?

In this episode Roland Oliphant hears from Telegraph correspondents Adrian Blomfield and Sarah Newey alongside Caucasus expert James Kilner about Trump’s actual involvement, or not, in halting these conflicts and how likely it is that he’ll win the prize he seemingly covets above any other…

Listen to our mini series on the rise of China's military: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/08/battle-lines-podcast-inside-the-rise-of-chinas-military/

https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

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

Remembering WWII's 'forgotten army': VJ Day Aug 18, 2025
Show notes

Eighty years on from Victory over Japan day in 1945, the contribution of British and Commonwealth soldiers in a brutal battle against the Imperial Japanese armed forces is often overlooked. The fact that the dropping of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved the lives of many in prisoner of war camps is even less discussed.

Featuring voicenotes from readers whose family fought in Asia and the Pacific, Venetia and Roland dive into this tangled history and reflect on the legacy they have left behind.

Plus, The Telegraph's Gareth Corfield gives the inside scoop on the story behind the biggest British data leak in history - the Ministry of Defence's Afghan list - and how Iran is using it to hunt for MI6 spies.

Read David Blair's piece: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/06/the-bombing-of-hiroshima-saved-my-grandfather/

Read more VJ Day veteran accounts: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/15/vj-day-80th-anniversary-veterans-who-were-there/

Listen to our mini series on the rise of China's military: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/08/battle-lines-podcast-inside-the-rise-of-chinas-military/
https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:
battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
@venetiarainey
@RolandOliphant
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Ukrainians want from Trump and Putin's meeting Aug 15, 2025
Show notes

As US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin get ready to meet in Alaska, there has been lots of talk about what Washington, Moscow and even Europe want from the historic summit.

But what about Ukrainians? What do they want? To find out, Roland speaks to former Ukrainian defence minister and chairman of the Center for Defence Strategies Andriy Zagorodnyuk and veteran frontline soldier Max Kuzmenko.

Plus, Ukraine: The Latest host Dominic Nicholls and acting deputy US editor Connor Stringer dial in from Anchorage to talk about international expectations ahead of the meeting.

Read Roland's analysis about the options available on the table in Alaska: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/14/ukraine-russia-alaska-summit-donald-trump-putin-zelensky/

Listen to our sister podcast Ukraine: The Latest for a special bonus episode on Friday after the Trump-Putin summit: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/03/02/russia-ukraine-war-listen-daily-podcast/

Listen to our mini series on the rise of China's military: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/08/battle-lines-podcast-inside-the-rise-of-chinas-military/
https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:
battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
@venetiarainey
@RolandOliphant
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frenemy: why Australia can't live without China Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

Australia holds a unique position in global geopolitics - on the other side of the world but still very much a 'Western' country.

To that end, Roland Oliphant speaks with former Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne about the delicate balancing act his country faces in dealing with an increasingly sharp-elbowed China; and whether President Trump will stand by the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact with Australia.

Also in this episode, Roland looks at developments in Gaza. Nearly 200 journalists have been killed while reporting in the strip, but for the first time, Israel has publicly stated that the death of one on Sunday - Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif - was an assassination by its own forces...

The Telegraph’s Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin discusses why the strike happened now and what it means for journalists either already in Gaza and those still trying to enter.

https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

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

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