Podcast
Iran: The Latest
Hosted by The Telegraph · EN
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.
Every Wednesday on Battle Lines: Global Health Security they’re joined by Arthur Scott-Geddes to look at the intersection between health and security, from bioweapons to warzone diseases to frontline medicine. You can watch these episodes here.
Battle Lines, a defence podcast with a wider scope and created by David Knowles, previously lived on this feed.
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Battle Lines: Global Health Security is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Iran quits US talks, vows escalation after Israel orders Beirut strikes
Today00:47:28Summary readyIran has pulled out of peace talks to end the war with the US, accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire by ordering strikes on Beirut. Roland Oliphant and Venetia Rainey discuss the latest news, which comes after a series of military escalations over the weekend, including more tit-for-tat bombing between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile in Lebanon, the Israeli army scored a symbolic and strategic victory by capturing Beaufort Castle as part of its expanding offensive in the country’s south, amid fierce fighting with Hezbollah. Plus, how did Iran become a corrupt mafia state? Iranian journalists Yeganeh Torbati (New York Times) and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin (Iran International) have written a new book on the subject, Stolen Revolution, and join the show to explain why the war is likely to make things even worse. HighlightsIran quits US talks after Israel orders Beirut strikesPlus: how Iran became a corrupt mafia stateCONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantVenetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyYeganeh Torbati, journalist and author of Stolen Revolution @yjtorbatiBozorgmehr Sharafedin, journalist and author of Stolen Revolution @bozorgmehrCONTENT REFERENCED:Kasra Aarabi and Saeid Golkar: The West is ignoring the dangerous new partnership reshaping Iran from withinhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/29/shadowy-new-hardline-alliance-reshaping-irans-regime/Producer: Max BowerExecutive 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.
Summary
Trump lifts Hormuz naval blockade & inside Iran’s ‘idiot’ proxy army
3d ago00:47:19Summary readyDonald Trump says the US is lifting its blockade of Iranian ports and boats in the Strait of Hormuz - does this mean a peace deal is imminent?Plus, Iran famously has two militaries: a regular army, and the IRGC. But Tehran also has a third force: its network of foreign militias in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. They played a key role in the recent war - and no outsider knows them better than Elizabeth Tsurkov. In 2023, while on a research trip to Iraq, the Russian-Israeli PhD student was kidnapped for nearly three years by Kataib Hezbollah, the most powerful of Iran’s Iraqi proxy militias. Still recovering from the ordeal, she takes Sophia Yan and Roland Oliphant inside the group - and why she was surprised to learn that many of her kidnappers were “idiots”. Plus, she explains how they sustain Iran’s shadow economy, dominate politics in their host counties, and double up as fronts for massive embezzlement schemes. HighlightsDonald Trump lifts US naval blockade on IranElizabeth Tsurkov on being kidnapped by “idiot” Iranian militias in IraqCONTRIBUTORS:Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent, @sophia_yan Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantElizabeth Tsurkov, fellow at the New Lines Institute @LizHurraCONTENT REFERENCED:Elizabeth Tsurkov: I Was Kidnapped by Idiotshttps://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/01/kidnapped-baghdad/685470/Producer: Peter ShevlinExecutive 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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‘Ceasefire violated’: US fury after Iran targets Kuwait base
4d ago00:41:20Summary readyThe United States has for the first time accused Iran of breaching the ceasefire, after Tehran fired a ballistic missile at Kuwait in response to the Americans hitting southern Iran.Washington brushed off previous exchanges of fire as ceasefire compliant, so does the change in rhetoric herald a return to all-out war? The Telegraph’s Lottie Tiplady-Bishop explains why domestic developments in America means Donald Trump is more confident and feeling less pressure to secure a peace deal. Plus, Alp Toker, the founder of Netblocks, explains what we learned from Iran’s record-setting Internet blackout and what it means for other authoritarian regimes around the world. Highlights‘Ceasefire violated’: US fury after Iran targets Kuwait base‘The most intense game of chicken ever’CONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantLottie Tiplady-Bishop, associate US News Editor @lottietipbishopAlp Toker, Netblocks founder @atoker CONTENT REFERENCED:Trump: We’re not satisfied with Iran dealhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/27/iran-war-us-peace-deal-trump-strait-hormuz-latest-lebanon/US military hits Iranian control centre in fresh strikeshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/28/us-military-strikes-southern-iran-peace-deal/Terror and trauma under the world’s longest internet blackouthttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/27/iran-relief-internet-restoration-weeks-war/Producer: Peter ShevlinExecutive 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.
Summary
Iran demands $24bn to sign US peace deal - will Trump accept?
5d ago00:35:48Summary readyIran appears increasingly confident that it will secure a favourable end to the war with the US.From demanding $24bn in frozen assets to publishing what they say is a draft peace deal to restoring the Internet after nearly 90 days, Tehran seems to feel victory both at home and abroad is within its grasp. Foreign correspondent Akhtar Makoii joins Roland Oliphant and Venetia Rainey to discuss the latest news from inside Iran, as well as the significance of one of the country’s biggest exports: pistachios. Plus, as Israel launches a deadly new phase in its campaign against Hezbollah, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel joins from Beirut to share her insights on what it’s like working as a peacekeeper in southern Lebanon caught between the two longtime enemies. HighlightsIran demands $24bn to sign US peace deal - will Trump accept? 'They think the war is over': Why Iran is restoring internet accessCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyRoland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantAkhtar Makoii, foreign correspondent @akhtar_makoiiKandice Ardiel, UNIFIL spokesperson @hikandiceCONTENT REFERENCED:Iran will sign peace deal only if US releases $24bn of frozen assetshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/26/iran-peace-deal-us-release-24bn-frozen-assets/The $24bn cost of Trump’s capitulation on Iranhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/05/26/trump-us-iran-capitulation/Akhtar Makoii: Iran’s hardliners are sabotaging their own government’s peace talkshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/26/iran-hardliners-sabotaging-peace-talks/Producer: Peter ShevlinExecutive 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.
Summary
US ‘blows up’ Iran mine-laying ships as Trump chases ‘bum deal’
6d ago00:39:22Summary readyThe US says it has bombed Iranian mine-laying ships in the Strait of Hormuz and a missile launch site in southern Iran. Tehran says it has downed American drones. Is the war about to restart?Former Royal Navy officer Tom Sharpe explains what we know about the latest tit-for-tat military activity today and why the timing is unusual. He also gives an inside look at the threat posed by Iran’s newly deployed “ship-smashing” Ghadir mini-submarines, known as the “dolphins of the Persian Gulf”.Plus, Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan discuss why the signs suggest peace talks are set to continue for now. While Chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair analyses what Donald Trump could get out of a deal - and why he’s making more and more concessions to the Iranian regime each passing week, including over its nuclear programme. HighlightsClashes in Hormuz as US ‘blows up’ Iranian mine-laying ships Why Donald Trump is chasing a ‘quick and incomplete deal’CONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineySophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanDavid Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdtTom Sharpe, ex-Royal Navy officer @TomSharpe134CONTENT REFERENCED:US strikes on Iran threaten fragile ceasefirehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/26/us-strikes-on-iran-threaten-fragile-ceasefire-war/David Blair: Trump’s latest gambit on Iran is a smokescreenhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/26/trump-latest-gambit-iran-smokescreen/Tom Sharpe: Iran’s ship-smasher mini subs are loose in Hormuz. I’ve been up against them beforehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/18/iran-irin-irgcn-mini-submarines-torpedoes-strait-hormuz/Producer: Peter ShevlinExecutive 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.
Summary
How the tank is evolving to survive the century of the drone
1w ago00:44:19Summary readyIn this special bank holiday episode, we’re taking a break from looking at the US-Iran war and focusing instead on tanks. Since it first appeared on the Somme battlefield, the tank has dominated and defined modern warfare. It has been such a successful concept that its distinctive silhouette - two tracks, a turret and a gun - has barely changed in a hundred years. But can it survive in the century of the drone? Or will the venerable tank go the way of the armoured knight before it? Hamish de Bretton Gordon, a former commander of the Royal Tank Regiment and the author of a new book on the subject, Tank Command, takes Roland Oliphant through the history of armoured warfare. They discuss why the tank has long been the ultimate instrument of battlefield shock action from World War 1 to the Arab-Israeli war to Ukraine today. Hamish argues that in 100 years from now, armies will still be fielding - and fighting against - tanks.Plus, Hamish shares what it’s like to command a Challenger, his ultimate "petrol-head" tank from history, and the definitive Hollywood film every enthusiast needs to watch.Highlights Why the lessons of tank development are still hugely relevant todayWhat it’s like to command a ChallengerCONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantHamish de Bretton-Gordon, former tank commander @HamishDBGCONTENT REFERENCED:Hamish de Bretton-Gordon’s new book Tank Command is out June 4: https://linktr.ee/TankCommandProducer: Max BowerExecutive 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.
Summary
First Venezuela, then Iran. Is Cuba next on Trump’s hit list?
1w ago00:45:01Summary readyWith Iran peace talks deadlocked, US military attention appears to be turning to another longtime enemy: Cuba. This week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Cuba a threat to US security. Indictments have been issued against its elderly former president Raúl Castro. Claims about a Cuban drone stockpile aimed at the US have been leaked to the press. The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier has been deployed to the Caribbean. A blockade has been in place for months, leading to mass blackouts. Carlos Solar, RUSI’s senior research fellow for Latin American security, joins Roland Oliphant to examine whether the United States is creating a pretext for an attack on Cuba. They discuss why things are escalating in the Caribbean and what an attack on the country might look like. Plus, how it is all connected to the war in Iran. HighlightsFirst Venezuela, then Iran. Is Cuba next on Trump’s hit list?How the Iran war is pushing Cuba’s regime over the edgeCONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantCarlos Solar, RUSI Latin American Security senior fellow @CSolarCONTENT REFERENCED:Trump: deploying aircraft carrier to Caribbean is not meant to intimidate CubaRubio: Cuba is a national security threatCuba is dark, desperate and still deludedProducer: Max BowerExecutive 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.
Summary
Trump, Iran and the $150,000 Strait of Hormuz toll
2w ago00:30:19Summary readyOil flows will not return to normal until the second half of next year - even if the Strait of Hormuz opens now.That’s the grim prognosis of the UAE’s most senior oil executive. But even if it does open, Iran is implementing a system of tolls that will have long-term implications, both in the Middle East and further afield. International economic editor Hans van Leeuwen tells Roland Oliphant how the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is transforming shipping all over the world. Hans also looks at why India’s leader Narendra Modi is in Europe at the moment trying to drum up deals amid fears the Iran war could impact his country’s superpower trajectory. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu clash over whether to restart active hostilities, Pakistan’s army chief heads to Tehran to coax the regime towards a peace deal, and Iran says it will not give up its Uranium. HighlightsHow Iran’s Strait of Hormuz toll could spread worldwideWhy the Iran war is throwing India off its superpower trajectoryCONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantHans van Leeuwen, international economics editor @hansvan333 CONTENT REFERENCED:How Trump trampled on Modi’s dream of an Indian superpowerhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/20/how-trump-trampled-on-modis-dream-of-an-indian-superpower/Iran weaponised world trade and others are following suithttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/19/iran-weaponised-world-trade-and-others-are-following-suit/Producer: Peter ShevlinExecutive 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.
Summary
Iran warns Trump: ‘We’ll take war global if you bomb us again’
2w ago00:38:33Summary readyIran has threatened to spread the war beyond the Middle East if Donald Trump starts bombing the country again. Is it an empty threat or should we be worried?Jonathan Hackett, a former US Marine Corps interrogator and special operations intelligence officer, joins the podcast again to discuss the state of Iran’s military capabilities, their Mosaic Doctrine and what next for the war with Venetia Rainey, Sophia Yan and Roland Oliphant.They also discuss reports today that the US wanted to install former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Ali Khamenei’s place, news of secret Israeli bases in the Iraqi desert, and the shady Iran-linked group known as HAYI behind a series of attacks on Jews in London. Plus, as Vladimir Putin visits Xi Jinping in China, Sophia looks at how the energy crisis caused by the war has boosted Moscow by forcing the UK and US to drop sanctions on Russian oil, and Venetia looks at JD Vance’s latest comments on peace deal talks. HighlightsIran warns Trump: ‘We’ll take war global if you bomb us again’A US Marine on Iran’s terror war against the WestCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyRoland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantSophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanJonathan Hackett, former US Marine Corps @jonathanhackettCONTENT REFERENCED:Akhtar Makoii: Iran’s plan to strike back in second round of warhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/19/iran-plan-strike-back-second-round-war/Badenoch: PM’s sanctions U-turn will fund killing of Ukrainian soldiershttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/20/starmer-eases-sanctions-on-russian-oil/Producer: Peter ShevlinExecutive 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.
Summary
US's Call of Duty vs Iran’s Lego videos: who is winning the online war?
2w ago00:40:33Summary readyDonald Trump has postponed his “scheduled” attack on Iran for now, but who is winning the online war between the two countries?America’s military has pumped out videos of air strikes and missile attacks, often spliced in with video game footage and overlaid with high octane music for maximum effect. Meanwhile, Iranian activists have created slick Lego animation videos set to hip hop music. Venetia Rainey chats to information warfare specialist Tal Hagin about which is cutting through more. They also discuss the rise in AI-driven misinformation, anti-Semitism and desensitisation during the Iran war, from the deadly Minab school attack to Benjamin Netanyahu’s “extra” finger and rumoured death. Plus, how can Israel deal with the growing Hezbollah drone threat? Lieutenant Colonel Sarit Zehavi, founder of the Alma Center, explains what it’s like living in northern Israel at the moment and why a bigger war with Lebanon would be needed to root out the terror group. Highlights America’s Call of Duty vs Iran’s Lego videos: who is winning the online war?Why Israel wants to go deeper into Lebanon to root out HezbollahCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyTal Hagin, information warfare analyst @talhaginLt Col. Sarit Zehavi, founder Alma Center @ZehaviAlmaProducer: Peter ShevlinExecutive 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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