Iran: The Latest

Latest Episodes:

'Mini exodus' in Strait of Hormuz as Vance insists peace deal is ‘good for US’ Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

It’s become the crux of the US-Iran peace deal: is the Strait of Hormuz open or closed, free or with tolls?

Roland Oliphant speaks to Richard Meade, editor in chief of Lloyd’s List, explains the lingering uncertainties left from Donald Trump’s Middle East war keeping shipping executives up at night and placing ordinary sailors in danger.

Plus: as JD Vance insists the deal is “good for the American people”, Roland looks at the latest news, including the UK and France saying they are ready to help protect freedom of navigation in Hormuz and the politicisation of shipping from Iran to Russia.

Highlights

Why Trump's peace deal hinges on the Strait of Hormuz
Mini exodus' of ships as Vance insists peace deal is ‘good for US’

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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Trump’s peace deal: is the US paying Iran to reopen Hormuz? Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump has declared the Iran war over, telling oil tankers to "start their engines" as Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz and the US lifts its naval blockade. So why are so many people unhappy with the ‘peace deal’?

Roland Oliphant and Venetia Rainey dive into the latest news of what we know today about the Memorandum of Understanding - and what we don’t. They discuss the problems raised by the outline of the deal so far - from an agreement on nuclear weapons to the war in Lebanon - and why Israeli military leaders are calling it a "strategic failure”.

Highlights:

Trump’s peace deal: is the US paying Iran to reopen Hormuz?
Plus: why both Israelis and Iranians are furious

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

The winners and losers of the Iran war

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/14/winners-losers-iran-war-usa-trump-middle-east/

After 106 days of war, how Donald Trump and Iran finally agreed a deal

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/15/how-trump-iran-agreed-war-nuclear-strait-hormuz-deal/

Thirteen thousand air strikes - for what?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/15/us-launched-13000-air-strikes-on-iran-for-what/

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/-3VEIOK3-SU

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

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► 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.

100 days of US-Iran war: the winners and losers Jun 14, 2026

Show notes

After more than 100 days of the US-Iran war launched by Donald Trump, who is winning and who is losing?

An American and an Iranian debate the big successes, what could have gone better, and what the long-term implications will be. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant are joined by Ben Hodges, former US general and commander of the US Army in Europe, and Holly Dagres, Washington Institute analyst and author of The Iranist substack.

They discuss the most significant moments from the war, from Ali Khamenei's death to an attack on a US base in Kuwait, why China is benefitting, and what surprised them most.

Highlights

100 days of war: the winners and losers so far
An American general and an Iranian analyst debate

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

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

Ben Hodges, former commanding general US Army Europe @general_ben

Holly Dagres, Washington Institute analyst and The Iranist author @hdagres

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/-3VEIOK3-SU

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.

'End it now’: Why the Gulf needs Trump to strike Iran deal Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump says the Iran war could be ended with a peace deal this weekend.

For the Gulf, everything is at stake. Battered by Iranian missiles and drones throughout the war and economically strangled by the Strait of Hormuz crisis, the Gulf states are desperate for the war to end - so much so that some are even having their own talks with Tehran.

Sophia Yan chats to UAE-based Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, associate fellow for Chatham House’s MENA programme, about why despite Iran’s aggression, countries there just want things to go back to how they were before the war.

Highlights:

Trump says Iran war could end with peace deal this weekend
Why the Gulf wishes the Iran war never happened

CONTRIBUTORS:

Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan

Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, Associate Fellow MENA Programme Chatham House @AnisehBassiri

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/

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

Trump hits Iran with dozens of Tomahawks as war looms over World Cup Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

Is this the start of a new phase in the US-Iran war?

Following another night of US strikes on Iran and Tehran responding by hitting its Gulf neighbours, Donald Trump has today vowed to ramp things up even further tonight. Roland Oliphant discusses the latest news with chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair, and asks whether Trump can bomb his way out of the deadlock.

Plus, for the first time ever, the World Cup 2026 will see a nation host a team it's currently at war with. As the competition kicks off, sports news reporter Tom Morgan joins Roland Oliphant from Mexico to discuss the strength of each side's teams, the politics behind the visa and ticketing rows, and how Iran and USA could even face one another on the pitch.

Highlights

Trump hits Iran with dozens of Tomahawks and vows to keep going
The World Cup Iran war row: Everything you need to know

CONTRIBUTORS:

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

David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt

Tom Morgan, sports news correspondent @Tom_Morgs

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Iran arrive at World Cup with swipe at US over attack on school

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/06/08/iran-team-arrive-mexico-world-cup-swipe-us-attack-school/

As cartels slink into shadows for the World Cup, horror remains

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/06/10/world-cup-mexico-search-victims-cartels-disappeared/

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.

Trump vows Iran will ‘pay the price’ & inside the Pentagon's drone revolution Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

Trump has vowed Iran will “pay the price” after it launched multiple strikes on US bases throughout the Middle East.

The latest escalation came up after the US bombed Iran in response to a Shahed drone downing an American Apache helicopter in the Gulf of Oman. The crew were rescued by an unmanned boat - a US first. Venetia Rainey speaks to former US Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks about what this week’s events tell us about the growing role of autonomous systems in the military.

Plus, what is the Pentagon’s plan to combat the drone threat posed by enemies from Iran to China - and is it moving fast enough? Hicks and Aaron Sherman from the Atlantic Council talk about the Replicator project they launched in 2023 in the Department of Defence and why it’s more vital than ever.

Highlights

Trump vows Iran will ‘pay the price’ for firing at US bases
From Iran to China: inside the Pentagon's drone revolution

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Kathleen Hicks, former US Deputy Secretary of Defence

Aaron Sherman, non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council

CONTENT REFERENCED:

How a cutting-edge AI drone boat saved defenceless US Apache pilots

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/09/apache-pilots-rescued-ai-drone-boat

Move Fast and Scale: A Brief Insiders' History of the Replicator Initiative

https://www.belfercenter.org/research-analysis/move-fast-and-scale-brief-insiders-history-replicator-initiative

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.

US Apache helicopter downed & why Trump’s war is ‘colossal failure’ for Israel Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

The exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran have highlighted the tensions between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu after more than 100 days of war.

The US president wants the war to stop - now. The Israeli leader wants to keep going. Why? What else does he want to achieve? And why is Trump stopping him?

Venetia Rainey chats to Danny Citrinowicz, senior researcher at Israeli think tank the Institute for National Security Studies, about why most Israelis think that the war has been a ‘colossal failure’ and how he fears Iran’s regime has been the real winner in all of this.

Highlights:

Why Israelis think the war has been a ‘colossal failure’
Why Israel wants the Iran war to continue - and why Trump says no

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Danny Citrinowicz, senior researcher INSS @citrinowicz

CONTENT REFERENCED:

WATCH: 100 days of US-Iran war: the winners and losers so far

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3VEIOK3-SU

Israelis grow tired of Bibi and bomb shelters

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/08/israelis-grow-tired-of-bibi-and-bombshelters/

Netanyahu: Our war with ‘weak’ Iran isn’t finished

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/07/iran-launches-missile-attack-on-israel/

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.

Israel hammers Iran after ballistic missiles attack & 100 days of war: winners and losers Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

Iran and Israel have bombed each other for the first time since they agreed a ceasefire with the US in early April. Why? And can Donald Trump stop all-out war from re-erupting? Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant bring you all the latest updates from the past 24 hours, plus chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair and foreign correspondent Akhtar Makoii discuss how we got here, the domestic factors at play in each country and what might happen next.

Plus, an American and Iranian on what we learned from 100 days of war. What are the big successes, what could have gone better, and what will the long-term implications be? Venetia and Roland speak to Ben Hodges, former US general and commander of the US Army in Europe, and Holly Dagres, Washington Institute analyst and author of The Iranist substack. They discuss the most significant moments from the war, the biggest winners and losers, and what surprised them.

WATCH THE FULL 100 DAYS OF WAR ROUNDTABLE NOW: https://youtu.be/-3VEIOK3-SU

Highlights

Iran and Israel bomb each other - what just happened?
100 days of war: an American and an Iranian debate

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

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

Ben Hodges, former commanding general US Army Europe @general_ben

Holly Dagres, Washington Institute analyst and The Iranist author @hdagres

Producer: Peter Shevlin and Phil Atkins

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.

Iran’s drones have reshaped warfare. Can the US catch up? Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

How did heavily sanctioned Iran create a drone so cheap, deadly and effective that everyone from Russia to the US has copied it?

From the Gulf being inundated with attacks by Iranian Shaheds to Ukraine finding innovative new ways to counter the Russian version, Tehran has mass-produced a strategic weapon that has challenged traditional Western air-defence thinking.

To look at how Iran did it, what makes the Shahed so brutal and how to counter it, guest host from the Ukraine: the Latest team Sophie O’Sullivan speaks to Mykola Bielieskov, research fellow at the Kyiv-based National Institute for Strategic Studies, and Peter Lee, co-Director of the Centre for Defence, Risk and Resilience at Britain’s University of Portsmouth.

Plus, Sophie covers the latest major updates from the region, including Hezbollah’s rejection of the Israel-Lebanon deal as “Satan’s dream” and news of a secret deployment of elite Israeli military units to Azerbaijan.

Highlights

Iran’s cheap but deadly drones have reshaped warfare. Can the US catch up?
Why everyone from Russia to the US are copying the Shahed

CONTRIBUTORS:

Sophie O’Sullivan, guest host and producer Ukraine: the Latest

Mykola Bielieskov, research fellow at National Institute for Strategic Studies @MBielieskov

Peter Lee, professor at the University of Portsmouth

Producer: Phil Atkins

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 secret US operation defying Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

The US military is secretly helping ships circumvent Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz along a new route hugging the Omani coast.

Bryan Clark, a former US Navy officer and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, looks at whether this is a solution to the Hormuz crisis that has plagued Donald Trump and the rest of the world since the war began.

Plus, Hezbollah accuses Lebanon of “surrendering” after agreeing a deal with Israel. Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan discuss the latest news, including the significance of the US House passing a war powers resolution to curb further American military activity and the death of British MI6 boss Sir Alex Younger.

Highlights

The secret US operation evading Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade
Israel and Lebanon to use “pilot zones” to push out Hezbollah

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Sir Alex Younger, long-serving head of MI6 who shaped the service for a ‘fourth generation of espionage’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2026/06/03/sir-alex-younger-mi6-secret-intelligence-service-edward-sno/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-03/us-looks-to-unblock-hormuz-with-quiet-version-of-project-freedom

The Economist: A former spy chief’s take on intelligence and the Iran war

https://www.economist.com/insider/inside-defence/a-former-spy-chiefs-take-on-intelligence-and-the-iran-war

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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