Iran: The Latest

The burst of strikes between Iran and the US has died down but the Strait of Hormuz has seized up, with shipping coming to an almost complete standstill on the southern non-Iranian route. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant discuss how this is exactly what Tehran wants.  Meanwhile, Israel has revealed that Donald Trump is the subject of a “new and specif...

The US-Iran war has escalated significantly amid a second consecutive night of heavy American strikes on Iran and a furious response from Tehran. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan look at why for the first time since the ceasefire in April, President Donald Trump ordered cruise missiles to attack a critical railway bridge used to trade with Russia and China. Aft...

Donald Trump has dramatically declared that the US-Iran ceasefire is officially "over", calling Tehran an "evil cancer" during a fiery outburst alongside Nato chief Mark Rutte in Ankara, Turkey. He also attacked fellow Nato members including Spain and reiterated his demand to take over Greenland from Denmark . Roland Oliphant and Joe Barnes report live from the Nato summit on a second day of drama...

Donald Trump arrived at the 2026 Nato summit in Turkey and instantly started taking potshots at his Nato allies, blasting them for not helping the US in the Iran war. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Roland Oliphant reports from Ankara on a day of dramatic meetings, fighter jet pledges and fiery speeches.  Meanwhile, Iran has struck another oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz it accused...

Dead, disfigured by the war or hidden for safety - why isn’t Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei at his own father’s funeral? It’s the million-dollar question as Tehran hosts the third day of a massive public event ahead of Ali Khamenei’s burial. On today’s Iran: the Latest , Venetia Rainey speaks to Iranian-American historian and writer Arash Azizi about the possible theories, why the fune...

The US celebrates its 250th anniversary of Independence Day on July 4th. As the nation hits this major milestone, what is the actual state of the superpower under President Donald Trump? In this special episode, co-host and senior foreign correspondent Sophia Yan takes a bird's-eye view of her home country and explores how it is viewed abroad. Drawing on nearly two decades of reporting from the fr...

The US-Iran war has paused, but it has lit a fire under an ideological civil war inside the American right. As Donald Trump prepares to mark America’s 250th birthday on July 4th, today’s episode of Iran: The Latest hosts a high-stakes foreign policy grudge match.  First, John Bolton, former National Security Advisor, delivers a scathing critique of Trump's premature exit from the conflict. Bo...

As US-Iran peace talks flounder in Qatar, stranded ship captains are taking matters into their own hands to escape the Strait of Hormuz warzone.  On today’s episode, Roland Oliphant talks to former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe about how "free for all" is unfolding in the Gulf, with commercial vessels losing patience and risking Iranian fire to get out. They look at the credibility of Irani...

As the US and Iran meet in Qatar, the UK has unveiled £15 billion in defence spending - but is it all a giant “fudge” to avoid humiliation by Donald Trump at next week’s Nato summit?  Announcing the Defence Investment Plan, Prime Minister Keir Starmer boasted it meant the UK is spending 4.2% of GDP on wider security. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest , Venetia Rainey talks to Ukraine: th...

Tit-for-tat violence between Iran and the US erupted over the weekend as missiles and drones flew in both directions across the Strait of Hormuz. On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest , we break down a dangerous weekend of military escalation that has left the fragile 60-day interim peace agreement hanging by a thread. Host Venetia Rainey is joined by Bahraini political analyst Ahmed Khuzaie to d...

Iran’s direct strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz has shattered US hopes of bypassing the IRGC with a covert new route. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey exposes how this tactical escalation threatens to derail the fragile 60-day peace roadmap. Plus, is Trump’s Iran deal better or worse than Obama’s? Former US lead negotiator Robert Malley joins the podcast to deliv...

President Donald Trump needs more than $65bn in urgent funding for the Pentagon as a result of the Iran war, a stark reminder of the cost to America’s military. Amid a munitions crunch, the defense industrial base is being told to go faster - and the US’ adversaries are taking note. In today’s episode of Iran: The Latest , Venetia Rainey sits down with Dana Stroul, former US Deputy Assistant Secre...

The war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah remains a major sticking point in US-Iran peace talks - but Donald Trump has a controversial solution.  At the G7 summit, he said he wants Syria to militarily intervene in their neighbour and disarm the Iranian proxy by force. Sophia Yan is joined by Ahmad Sharawi, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies to discuss w...

Iran has unveiled a plan to impose stealth fees on the Strait of Hormuz, using an insurance loophole to keep exacting tolls out of the key waterway post-war.   Telegraph senior foreign correspondent Adrian Blomfield joins Roland Oliphant to break down how the conflict has permanently disrupted the global balance of power, from disrupting the US pivot to Asia to breaking US-Israeli ties.&...

As Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi lock down a 60-day roadmap to end the war, Tehran has walked away with immediate waivers on its oil and petrochemical exports. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant go behind the scenes at the high-stakes negotiations in Switzerland, including nuclear negotiations and the rumors of an Iranian walkout. Meanwhile, the fallout from W...

Is Donald Trump’s US-Iran peace deal already falling apart? Less than a day after the historic MoU was signed to end the war, fighting has been ongoing in Lebanon, with Hezbollah killing four Israeli soldiers and Benjamin Netanyahu unleashing a punishing wave of air strikes across southern Lebanon. A new ceasefire has today been agreed - but can it hold? Sophia Yan and Venetia Rainey discuss the l...

Donald Trump has signed a peace deal with Iran, but his critics are saying it’s a humiliation. Roland Oliphant and David Blair go through the US-Iran deal line by line and give each side a score, from $300bn in payments to Iran to the reopening Strait of Hormuz to a ban on nuclear weapons. Among those critical of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is former vice president Mike Pence, who has ca...

As details of the US-Iran 14-point peace deal leaks, Trump and other world leaders at the G7 summit today are singing its praises - but is it any good? Venetia Rainey breaks down the proposed timeline in the Memorandum of Understanding that will see the war officially end, the Strait of Hormuz open up, sanctions on Iran lifted and something unspecified happen to Tehran’s enriched uranium.  On...

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...

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...

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...

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 Bassir...

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 t...

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...

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 I...