Iran: The Latest

The US has destroyed five Iranian oil tankers near Kharg Island after the IRGC fired ballistic missiles at a Navy warship twice this week. Is this Iran’s new military doctrine in full swing?

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Roland Oliphant talks to Nikolay Kozhanov, former attaché at the Russian embassy in Tehran and now at the Gulf Studies Center of Qatar University, about the escalating US-Iran missile attacks and how Moscow is helping Tehran. From advanced missile technology to specialised hardware for electronic jamming, Nikolay explains how Vladimir Putin is fuelling the war to help drain the US military and distract from Ukraine.

Plus, Iran claims to capture an advanced US Navy undersea drone in the Strait of Hormuz, Brent crude oil prices breach $100 a barrel, and Donald Trump shrugs off Israel’s fury after the UK imposes unprecedented sanctions on West Bank settlements.

Highlights
US blitzes Iranian oil tankers off Kharg Island
How Russia supercharges Iran’s weapons

CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Nikolay Kozhanov, Gulf Studies Center of Qatar University @KozhanovNikolay

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Iran fires new electro-optical missiles
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/09/us-forces-destroy-five-iranian-oil-carriers/

UK gas prices hit four-year high as US-Iran conflict escalates
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/09/09/uk-gas-prices-hit-four-year-high-as-oil-tops-100/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Peter Shevlin
Video Producer: Max Bower
Researcher and Social Producer: Lucy Hadlow
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey

► 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/

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Iran claims to have targeted US warships with a new ballistic missile for the first time in the war and has warned that its new military doctrine involves pre-emptive strikes.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to journalist and author David Patrikarakos about the signal the IRGC is sending Donald Trump by revealing the use of its upgraded Qassem Basir missiles. They discuss the possible consequences of the worsening economic conditions inside Iran as oil and petrol prices rise, and why the regime is not as fractured as some Western observers think.

Plus, the war in Yemen heats up after Houthi rebels launched a massive wave of strikes on energy sites in Saudi Arabia, and the UK’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announces sanctions against West Bank settlements, accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing. With France and Canada unveiling similar measures, how will Trump respond?

Highlights

Iran uses new ballistic missile to target US warships
UK sanctions Israel’s West Bank settlements

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
David Patrikarakos, author and journalist @dpatrikarakos

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Iran’s former president proposes referendum on ending war
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/07/iran-former-president-proposes-referendum-end-war-rouhani/

Houthis launch wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/08/houthis-launch-wave-of-attacks-on-saudi-arabia/

Miliband accuses Israeli settlers of ‘ethnic cleansing’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/09/08/ed-miliband-accuses-israeli-settlers-ethnic-cleansing/

The desert deaths that symbolise five crushing years of Taliban rule
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/15/desert-deaths-symbolise-five-crushing-years-taliban-rule/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Max Bower
Video Producer: Peter Shevlin
Researcher and Social Producer: Lucy Hadlow
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey

► 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 US Navy struck three Iranian vessels, sinking one and disabling two, after fresh attacks by Tehran on American warships near the Strait of Hormuz.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Roland Oliphant and Venetia Rainey discuss news of the escalating battle for the Strait of Hormuz, which has become the epicentre of the US-Iran war.

Donald Trump’s administration insists millions of barrels of oil are getting out and it’s not a war but merely “small potatoes”, but missile strikes continue and Oman and Iran are negotiating a separate deal. What’s going on?

Plus, the US admits a nuclear deal with Iran may never happen, and violence flares in Lebanon amid an explosion of Israeli air strikes and in Yemen as the Houthis push towards the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

Highlights
US sinks Iranian ship as battle for the Strait of Hormuz heats up
Violence flares up in Lebanon and Yemen

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
US destroys Iranian oil tankers after IRGC fires at warships
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/05/us-destroys-iranian-oil-tankers-after-irgc-fires-at-warship/

Sheba Intelligence: Government Counteroffensive Disrupts Houthi Bid to Cut Taiz Off from Yemen’s Western Coast
https://shebaintelligence.uk/government-counteroffensive-disrupts-houthi-bid-to-cut-taiz-off-from-yemens-western-coast

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Peter Shevlin
Video Producer: Max Bower
Researcher and Social Producer: Lucy Hadlow
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey

► 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.

Donald Trump’s approval rating has plummeted to a record low as the military and economic toll of the US-Iran war collides with the upcoming 2026 midterm elections - and the pressure is on.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to US correspondents Ben Smith and Poppy Wood to examine how the conflict in the Middle East is threatening Trump’s control of Congress and driving inflation at American gas pumps. With oil prices surging past $90 a barrel due to sustained disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, Republican candidates from Texas to Maine are increasingly worried.

Plus, amid a growing mutiny inside the Pentagon over the Iran war, could Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth be on the chopping block if the midterms go badly for Trump?
Highlights

Donald Trump’s approval rating plummets to a record low
Could Pete Hegseth be on the chopping block if the midterms go badly?

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Ben Smith, Washington correspondent @bsmithjourno
Poppy Wood, US correspondent @poppyeh

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Out with the old: Democrats replace stalwarts with young blood
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/08/15/elderly-democrats-forced-retire/

US army secretary to step down after tension with Hegseth
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/08/21/us-army-secretary-step-down-hegseth/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Max Bower
Video Producer: Peter Shevlin
Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh and Lucy Hadlow
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey

► 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 Vice President JD Vance has said there will be an investigation into a deadly strike on a wedding in southern Iran after an American precision-guided glide bomb appears increasingly likely to have been the culprit.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to former naval officer Bryan Clark about how accurate the bombs are and what might have gone wrong. They also discuss the growing strain on the US Navy by the Iran war following a record deployment by the USS Abraham Lincoln and warnings from top admirals that the blockade is depleting destroyers and leaving Taiwan vulnerable to China. Bryan lays out what it will mean for the US presence in the Middle East in the coming months as they seek to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring down oil prices.

Plus, why Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth is facing growing calls to resign amid growing turmoil in the Pentagon, and how Argentina’s Javier Milei is exploiting Donald Trump’s anger with the UK to make moves on the Falklands.

Highlights
US Navy drained by Iran war as Hegseth-Pentagon turmoil grows
JD Vance vows investigation into deadly wedding strike in southern Iran

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Bryan Clark, senior fellow at Hudson Institute @clarkdefense

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
My night out with US sailors in Thailand’s ‘Sin City’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/03/my-night-out-with-us-sailors-in-thailands-sin-city/

‘It’s a fever dream’: 5,000 US sailors hit Thai sex tourism hotspot
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/02/us-sailors-descend-thai-party-town-after-eight-months-sea/

Milei: Argentina ‘will prevail’ over declining Britain
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/04/argentina-sanctions-oil-fields-falklands/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Max Bower
Video Producer: Peter Shevlin
Researcher and Social Producer: Lucy Hadlow
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey

► 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.