Iran: The Latest

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 Revol...

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...

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 milita...

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-calle...

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....

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 Cancia...

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...

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 t...

Instead of peace talks today, the US-Iran ceasefire is on the brink of collapsing and the Strait of Hormuz is heating up.  Despite the two-week deadline expiring today, JD Vance never boarded a plane to Pakistan for negotiations and neither did anyone from Iran. Instead, Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire indefinitely and the IRGC has today attacked several more international ships. Is t...

Can the US and Iran strike a last-minute nuclear deal to end the war? With the two-week ceasefire deadline expiring on Wednesday, peace talks are tentatively set to go ahead in Pakistan between US Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by Mohammad Ghalibaf. Donald Trump has threatened to resume bombing if negotiations fail, but a major stumbling block remains: Iran’s nuclear program...

Will the weekend showdown in the Strait of Hormuz collapse the US-Iran ceasefire? After Iran opened and then closed the Strait, attacked an Indian tanker and turned around ships, Donald Trump ordered the seizure of a sanctioned Iranian vessel that was attempting to pass through the US blockade. What followed was a new first for the war: shots fired at the Iranian container ship’s engine and the wh...

Is Iran giving up its enriched uranium? US President Donald Trump says Tehran has agreed to hand over all of its “nuclear dust” - a potentially huge concession in the war. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant discuss why this would be so significant and what might have been offered to Iran in return. They also discuss what this means for US-Iran peace talks and the latest updates from the Strait of...

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...