Iran: The Latest

On today’s episode, Donald Trump wrangles the leaders of Israel and Lebanon into their first direct talks in decades. Ending the fighting in Lebanon would bring the White House’s “grand bargain” peace deal with Iran itself a step closer. But on the ground, Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah rages unabated.  While the ceasefire In Iran itself is holding, the war is remaking the politica...

With a tenuous ceasefire hanging in the balance, Vice President of the United States JD Vance has come out offering a ‘grand bargain’ with Iran, signalling a possible reset of ties with the Islamic Republic. Is this a shift in position? Or is it postponing the inevitable reckoning? The Telegraph's Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator David Blair gives us his take on the chances of diplomacy breaking...

America's naval blockade of Iran is meant to choke Tehran into lifting its own restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, but will it work and can it be enforced? Former Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe joins Roland Oliphant to explain the operational challenges.  The first day of the maritime siege has drawn vocal condemnation from  Beijing, in the latest sign of growing Chinese involvement i...

Could Donald Trump’s naval blockade break Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz? As the shaky ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran continues to hold despite failed peace talks over the weekend, Washington is trying a new tack to end the war: barring Iran’s use of its ports. With the US Navy enforcing a blockade of the Strait as of today, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant are joined by senior f...

Can the US and Iran broker a peace deal while Israel and Hezbollah continue fighting? All eyes are on Pakistan this weekend as US Vice President JD Vance flies to Islamabad to meet with Tehran’s negotiating team, led by Parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf. But with disagreement over whether the ceasefire applies to Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz still closed, it’s not clear what progress will b...

Will Israel’s war to eliminate Hezbollah in Lebanon collapse the fragile US-Iran ceasefire? Tehran has accused Israel of violating the terms of its deal with Donald Trump by launching a massive military operation against its Lebanese proxy on Wednesday afternoon, killing more than 250 people with strikes on more than 100 targets in the space of 10 minutes. Today, Hezbollah has responded by firing...

Is this the end of the Iran war?  Donald Trump has announced a two-week ceasefire deal after 40 days of fighting, with peace talks mediated by Pakistan set to go ahead this Friday. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth today said the US had achieved a “historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield”. But many questions remain unanswered. Will the ceasefire turn into a lasting peace? What gu...

What will happen after Donald Trump’s midnight deadline for Iran to strike a deal?  The US president has issued a series of increasingly hardline threats to Tehran to force it sue for peace and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, from the complete demolition of all of its bridges and power plants to destroying its entire civilisation. Venetia Rainey is joined by senior foreign correspondent Sophia Y...

How did America manage to rescue two airmen after their plane was shot down over Iran? In this bonus bank holiday episode, Venetia Rainey is joined by Jack Murphy, ex-US special forces who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, including as a Green Beret. He is now a journalist and military commentator and hosts The Team House national security podcast. He broke the story that the weapons systems officer...

Why hasn’t the Iranian regime surrendered yet? The Islamic Republic is at the centre of a war sending shock waves around the world, and despite being pummelled by the US and Israel, it remains defiant. The explanation lies in the country's ancient history and myths, which still permeate modern Iranian politics today.   For this special Easter edition, Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history...

Could US amphibious troops re-open the Strait of Hormuz?  In his first major speech on the Iran war, Donald Trump said America is on course to finish its military campaign in the next three weeks. But to do so, he will have to find solutions to both the Strait, and Iran's remaining stockpile of enriched uranium. To discuss, Roland Oliphant is joined from Saudi Arabia by Andrew Milburn, a form...

Could the UAE help solve the Strait of Hormuz stalemate caused by the Iran war? The US is growing increasingly angry with its allies for refusing to help fully reopen the blocked waterway, which has led to soaring oil prices and dire economic warnings. From President Donald Trump threatening to pull out of Nato (a Telegraph exclusive) to Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth lambasting the UK, Washing...

After one month of the US-Iran war, who is winning and who is losing? Roland Oliphant and Venetia Rainey step back to examine how much of US President Donald Trump’s original war goals have been achieved, from destroying Iran’s missiles, navy and regional proxies to regime change and preventing the development of nuclear weapons.  They also look at the role of Israel, the impact of attacks on...

Is the US about to invade Iran?  Warship USS Tripoli has arrived in the Middle East with thousands of fresh troops, and the USS Boxer is not far behind - but Iran has vowed to “rain fire” on any American troops who set foot on its territory. Meanwhile, Trump is said to be considering taking Kharg Island and has been claiming regime change has already happened.  Venetia Rainey and Roland...

Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has already pushed up oil prices. But is a bigger global economic disruption yet to come? And how long will it last? The Telegraph’s World Economy Editor Ambrose Evans-Pritchard joins Roland Oliphant to explain why the Iran conflict is sending shock waves around the world - and not just in the oil market.  From fertiliser to helium to sulphur, the block...

Will Israel’s assassination of the IRGC’s naval chief lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz? Hosts Roland Oliphant and Venetia Rainey analyse the latest news from the Iran war, from the killing of navy commander Alireza Tangsiri to Donald Trump’s claim that Tehran is “begging” for a deal.  With thousands of US troops en route to the Middle East, the stakes are high. Among them are the...

Donald Trump has set out a 15-point Iran peace plan, but is he serious about ending the war? With news that another 2,000 elite American troops are en route to the Middle East, Tehran has its doubts - particularly as they’ve been here twice before with Trump.  The Telegraph’s senior foreign correspondent Sophia Yan joins Venetia Rainey to talk through how realistic the proposal is and how it’...

After four weeks of war with Iran, is Donald Trump calling it quits?  The US president claims he is in advanced talks with a highly placed regime insider on a peace deal that would end Iran’s nuclear ambitions, reopen the strait of Hormuz, and give the country’s leadership a reason to make up with the rest of the Middle East.  Pakistan and Egypt say they have brokered a meeting between U...

Could US Marines seize Kharg Island and reopen the Strait of Hormuz? President Donald Trump has U-turned on his threat to bomb Iranian energy infrastructure after announcing a five-day moratorium and peace talks underway. But the Strait of Hormuz problem remains.  Iraq veteran, Ohio State University military historian and former US Colonel Peter Mansoor joins Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphan...

Thousands of US Marines and sailors are heading towards Iran - does this mean boots on the ground?  Venetia Rainey is joined by Reuters global defence commentator Peter Apps to discuss the war three weeks in, how to open the Strait of Hormuz and whether as part of it, Trump will order troops to take Kharg Island.  They also discuss whether this counts as a world war and why this conflict...

Has Israel gone rogue with the attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field? The bombing triggered a furious response from Tehran and led to a further escalation in the energy crisis caused by the US and Israeli war with Iran. President Donald Trump says the US did not know about it but Israeli officials say it was coordinated. The Telegraph’s Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin joins Venetia Rainey and...

When an Iranian primary school was bombed on the first day of the war, killing dozens of children instantly, it spawned a cycle of denials, conspiracy theories and online speculation.  Nearly three weeks on, it’s clear that an American Tomahawk missile was responsible for the deadliest attack of the conflict so far. The Telegraph’s chief foreign affairs analyst Roland Oliphant and OSINT exper...

Ali Larijani, Iran’s security chief, is believed to have been assassinated today by Israel in what could be a huge blow to the Iranian regime. Roland Oliphant is joined by Akhtar Makoii to explain who Larijani was and why his death could be more significant for Tehran than Khamenei’s amid the ongoing US war. Plus, Roland speaks to opposition figure Ali Safavi, part of the Foreign Affairs Committee...

No one knew how Iran’s new supreme leader survived the 30 bombs dropped on his father’s compound. Until now.  The Telegraph’s foreign correspondent Akhtar Makoii has obtained exclusive audio from an IRGC meeting that explains how Mojtaba Khamenei escaped the deadly US-Israeli strikes that killed his father, wife, sister, and other relatives on the first day of the Iran war. It also sheds new...

From Iran’s perspective, this war is going according to plan. Even though America and Israel have dominated the battlefield, the regime has not collapsed, the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked, and the entire region is under pressure. Yet major questions remain over how many missiles they have left and how long they can stop major protests from erupting once again on the streets.  Roland Olip...