Iran: The Latest

“The inability or unwillingness of the Trump administration to connect the dots on what is going on, from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, is a reflection of the lack of really good deep strategic thinking.”

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined once again by former Commanding General of US Army Europe, Gen Ben Hodges, to discuss the US-Iran war as it nears the 200-day mark.

The Iran-backed Houthis have seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline including the strategic Perim Island, giving them control of the vital Bab al-Mandeb Strait. And despite pleas from Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to intervene as oil prices surge toward $110/barrel, Donald Trump has refused to launch strikes, offering up intelligence assistance instead.

Gen Hodges analyses the strategic drift that has marked the war, the Pentagon and US policy in the Middle East.
Plus, why mass lie-detector tests and personnel purges signal China-style paranoia inside the Pentagon, what news of damage to US fighter jets in Jordan says about US military preparedness, and the hard lessons from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars 25 years on from the 9/11 attacks.

Highlights
Trump refuses Saudi plea for strikes as Houthis seize Red Sea
US Gen Ben Hodges on the US-Iran war, Pentagon chaos and 9/11

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Gen Ben Hodges, former Commanding General US Army Europe @general_ben

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Trump refuses MBS pleas to stop Houthis’ rapid advance
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/11/trump-refuses-mbs-pleas-to-stop-houthis-rapid-advance/

Rubio and Vance ‘think Iran war could last beyond the end of Trump’s term’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/10/white-house-iran-war-trump-term/

Pentagon forces staff to take lie detector tests over Iran war leaks
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/05/pentagon-lie-detection-polygraph-tests-military-iran-leaks/

RUSI UK Security in a Post Aid World: https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/projects/uk-security-post-aid-world

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: Anna Hindmarsh
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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The Iran-backed Houthis have seized the strategic Red Sea port city of al-Mokha - apparently at the direction of the IRGC - as fighting in Yemen and Saudi Arabia escalates.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Sophia Yan speaks to Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin about the pressure the war is putting on the Bab al-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz as oil prices pass the $100/barrel threshold for a second day. US President Donald Trump is clearly feeling the pressure, claiming the war will end following November’s midterm elections, and promising $5,000 cash payouts if Republicans retain Congress.

Plus, news that Iranian missile strikes damaged multiple US F-15 fighter jets in Jordan, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu denies being warned about Hamas’s October 7 attack by the UAE, and MSF’S Charlene Silvin shares her first-hand experiences of wartime destruction in south Lebanon.

Highlights
Iran’s Houthis seize key Red Sea port as $100 oil threatens global economy
MSF’S Charlene Silvin on wartime destruction in south Lebanon

CONTRIBUTORS:
Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent, @sophia_yan
Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkin
Charlene Silvin, MSF Project Coordinator in Lebanon

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Trump: I’ll give $5,000 to every American if we win midterms
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/09/10/trump-convention-speech-promise-5000-dollars-midterms-win/

Revealed: Netanyahu Received an Explicit Warning Days Before Oct. 7. He Didn't Brief Israel's Security Chiefs
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-09-08/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/netanyahu-got-an-explicit-warning-before-oct-7-he-didnt-brief-security-chiefs/000001a0-7a3b-d7d5-a9fc-7eff3d0f0000

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
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.

Iran claims to capture an advanced US Navy submarine drone in the Strait of Hormuz. How significant is it?

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. He explains that Iran will get as much as possible out of whatever equipment they capture to get around US sanctions.

From advanced missile technology to specialised hardware for electronic jamming, Nikolay also explains how Vladimir Putin is fuelling the war to help drain the US military and distract from Ukraine.

Plus, 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?

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/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.