Iran: The Latest

The UAE has dealt Iran a major blow by cutting off trade ties after accusing Tehran of firing two ballistic missiles towards the Gulf state. The missiles eventually landed outside territorial waters, but Abu Dhabi’s swift response could close down Iran’s key economic escape route.On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Sophia Yan unpacks the latest news from the Middle East war with Mahsa Alimardani, associate director of Technology Threats & Opportunities program at digital human rights group WITNESS. They discuss Iran’s state-backed cyber attacks against the West, how the Internet blackout has affected Iran’s economy and the unsophisticated AI around Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.Plus, a new Iranian draft law that would criminalise speaking to foreign media, and news reports that Iran is assessing potential strikes against US military assets in Europe.HighlightsUAE cuts Iran’s economic lifeline after ‘ballistic missile strikes’How the Internet blackout has affected Iran’s economyCHAPTERS00:00:00 - UAE Imposes Trade Embargo Following Iranian Missile Attack00:01:11 - Trump Denies Iran Talks as Hormuz Blockade Escalates00:03:06 - Ground Reality: 90 Million Iranians Face Internal Warfare00:06:04 - Khamenei Disappears: AI Deepfakes Fuel Regime Crisis00:08:58 - US-Israel-Iran Conflict Drives Unprecedented AI Information War00:11:50 - Regime Weapons-Grade Propaganda Targets US Political Divide00:14:15 - White SIM Cards: How Elite Insiders Profit Off Internet Blackouts00:22:27 - US DOJ Charges 17 Iranian Hackers Over Mass Cyber Theft00:24:57 - Tehran Criminalizes Media Contact Under Zionist Law00:33:50 - Regime Insider Warning: Iran Prepares Strikes on US Bases in EuropeCONTRIBUTORS:Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanMahsa Alimardani, associate director of Technology Threats & Opportunities program at WITNESS @mahsaalimardaniWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:US-Iran talks have stopped, says Trumphttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/08/18/us-iran-talks-have-stopped-says-trump/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Audio Producer: David DargahiVideo Producer: Max BowerResearcher and Social Producer: Anna HindmarshStudio Operator: Andy WatsonExecutive 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/

Iran has attacked another vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, just a day after Donald Trump threatened to bomb US ally Oman if it “gets in the way” of comatose US negotiations with Tehran.On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined by chief Washington correspondent Connor Stringer to discuss Trump’s escalating frustration over the lack of a Strait of Hormuz deal and why he is hoping Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent might have a solution to the war as oil prices start to rise again. Plus, a secret backchannel between Washington and the IRGC via Iraqi Kurdistan, why Trump hasn’t endorsed Netanyahu ahead of the Israeli election, and Yemen’s government fights back against Iranian proxy group the Houthis. HighlightsOne casualty after Iran strikes ship in Strait of HormuzTrump threatens to bomb Oman for ‘misbehaving’CHAPTERS00:00 - Iran strikes ship in Strait of Hormuz01:58 - Trump threatens to bomb US ally Oman04:35 - Oil spikes to $90 as US treasury yield surges06:05 - Secret US backchannel to IRGC exposed09:55 - US launches economic siege as Iran strategy shifts11:50 - Iran vows Strait of Hormuz stays blocked15:15 - Yemen army launches 130+ strikes on Houthis16:45 - Trump sends Kushner and Blair to disarm Hamas23:20 - UN Security Council declared "not fit for purpose"25:20 - Trump's bid to replace UN chief with FIFA bossCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyConnor Stringer, chief Washington correspondent @connorstringerWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Trump threatens to bomb Oman over Iran dealhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/17/trump-threatens-to-bomb-oman-over-iran-deal/ Trump orders Bessent to cripple Iran’s economyhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/08/12/trump-scott-bessent-end-iran-war/Ukraine: the Latest: https://linktr.ee/UkraineTheLatestAxios: Inside Trump's secret backchannel to Iran's Revolutionary Guardhttps://www.axios.com/2026/08/16/iran-backchannel-trump-gabbard-barzani-warWinner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Audio Producer: Joleen Goffin Video Producer: Max BowerResearcher and Social Producer: Anna HindmarshStudio Operator: Andy WatsonExecutive 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-us-war/

As the US-Iran ceasefire officially expires and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, is Donald Trump considering using nuclear weapons to break the war stalemate? On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant discuss why US politician Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bizarre nuclear claim may be less crazy than it first appears and how an underground nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain could be the potential target. They also look at the state of the war 60 days on from the ill-fated Memorandum of Understanding peace deal and why Iran is more bullish than ever. Meanwhile, US envoy Jared Kushner is in Israel to talk to Benjamin Netanyahu about Trump’s Gaza peace deal after meeting with Hamas’ leader in Egypt. Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin in the West Bank explains why and discusses his dispatch from the West Bank amid a rise in military operations and settler “terrorism”.  Plus, Iran’s missing pilots, the Houthis strike again in the Red Sea and why the Iran war has prompted Trump to scale back key US-South Korea military drills.HighlightsUS ‘weighing nuclear attack on Iran’, claims Marjorie Taylor Greene Why Trump has scaled back key US-South Korea military drillsCHAPTERS:00:00:04 - Iran War 60-Day Peace Deal Deadline Expires 00:01:19 - Strait of Hormuz Transit Collapses Amid MoU Failure 00:05:42 - White House Contemplates Nuclear Options for Deep Iranian Bunkers 00:10:05 - Special Forces Operation Options Considered for Enriched Uranium 00:13:40 - US Pentagon Shifts Toward Tactical Nuclear Weapons Strategy 00:15:38 - Trump Reduces Freedom Shield Joint Military Drills with South Korea 00:19:22 - Iran Mystery Sukhoi Su-24 Air Strike on US Base in Qatar 00:20:47 - Middle East Escalation: Kurdistan Drone Strikes & Red Sea Attacks 00:24:47 - Jared Kushner & Tony Blair Lead Gaza Decommissioning Peace Talks 00:30:45 - West Bank Dispatch: Settler Siege and IDF Refugee Camp RaidsCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyRoland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantHenry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkinWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:The beaten and bruised ‘political pawns’ caught up in Israel’s electionhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/17/beaten-and-bruised-political-pawns-israeli-election/Israeli settlers in West Bank siege are terrorists, US sayshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/14/us-denounces-israeli-settlers-as-terrorists-west-bank-siege/Israeli army surrounds last Christian town in West Bankhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/12/israeli-army-surrounds-last-christian-town-in-west-bank/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Audio Producer: Joleen GoffinVideo Producer: Max Bower and Elliott Daly Researcher and Social Producer: Anna HindmarshStudio Operator: Andy WatsonExecutive 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/

The US-Israel-Iran war has led to black rain and oil spills in the Strait of Hormuz - is the country facing an environmental crisis because of Donald Trump?In this weekend bonus edition of Iran: The Latest, Roland Oliphant speaks with Kaveh Madani, the award-winning director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health and also an exiled Iranian politician. They examine the live impact on the ground of the conflict, from power outages to water shortages. Plus, Tehran was on the brink of being evacuated due to a major drought last year, so what happened? Kaveh explains how Iran narrowly escaped a major catastrophe and the wild war-related conspiracy theories going around to explain it. HighlightsIran faces Strait of Hormuz oil spills, power outages and black rainThe escalating war damage to the Iranian environmentCONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantKaveh Madani, director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health @KavehMadaniWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Listen to the previous interview with Kaveh Madani: ‘Worse than war with Israel’: Why Iran’s regime is on edgehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/10/worse-than-war-with-israel-why-irans-regime-is-on-edge/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producer: Max BowerVideo Producer: Peter ShevlinResearcher and Social Producer: Anna HindmarshStudio Operator: Andy Watson and Chris JanuaryExecutive 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/

The US has deployed a fresh aircraft carrier to the Middle East, vowing an "indefinite" naval blockade of Iran until the Strait of Hormuz is reopened - but China has other ideas. On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Sophia Yan speaks with Alicia Kearns MP, shadow minister for national security and former chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Fresh from a trip into the heart of the Pentagon, she explains how Iran's regime is withstanding the pressure of the war thanks to financial and technological assistance from Beijing. Plus, the “active and pernicious” Iranian intelligence service you’ve never heard of, why Donald Trump is guilty of historical revisionism when it comes to Nato, and whether the US is ready for the growing risk of a three-theatre conflict involving China and Taiwan.HIGHLIGHTSUS deploys fresh warship and vows indefinite Iran blockade How China is helping Iran win the war against the USCHAPTERS00:00 US vows indefinite blockade in Strait of Hormuz01:55 GOP disquiet inside Pentagon over Trump’s Iran strategy03:00 Confronting the Pentagon on Trump's NATO revisionism05:32 The Three-Theater War: Russia, Strait of Hormuz, and Taiwan08:36 China becomes Iran’s 'ventilator' against US sanctions11:00 Xi Jinping’s naval show of force in Taiwan Strait17:50 MOIS: The lethal Iranian intel agency operating in the UK21:17 How Britain must dismantle Iranian hitmen & propaganda29:40 Iranian assassination threats against Trump37:38 Russian shadow fleet tanker explosion off OmanCONTRIBUTORS:Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanAlicia Kearns, MP and shadow minister for national security @aliciakearnsWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Alicia Kearns: Labour must shut down Iranian assets operating in Britainhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/01/labour-must-shut-down-iranian-assets-operating-in-britain/US navy sailor jumps overboard after 250 days at seahttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/13/us-navy-sailors-jump-overboard-after-nine-months-at-sea/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producer: Max BowerVideo Producer: Peter ShevlinResearcher and Social Producer: Anna HindmarshStudio Operator: Andy WatsonExecutive 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/

The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out their first deadly strikes of the war, killing six mariners in a double-tap ballistic missile attack on a cargo vessel in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, near the Strait of Hormuz, US Navy helicopters have fired Hellfire missiles to disable a ship breaking Donald Trump’s blockade.On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined by veteran British Army officer Tim Collins, famous for his ‘tread lightly’ speech prior to leading British troops into Iraq in 2003 (and dramatised by Kenneth Branagh in the 2008 BBC series 10 Days to War). Just back from a trip to Bahrain, Tim unpacks the difficult position the Gulf is now in and the parallels between the Iraq and Iran regimes. Plus, is this America’s Suez Crisis? Tim argues that US dominance is declining as a result of the fast-escalating conflict and offers a piece of advice to Trump for how to end the war.CREDIT: BBC HighlightsUS Navy fires Hellfires as Houthi Red Sea strikes kill first marinersIs the Iran war America’s Suez Crisis moment?CONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyTim Collins, former British Army officer @tim_324WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Tim Collins: Britain’s old friend and ally in the Gulf would welcome us backhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/10/britains-old-friend-and-ally-in-the-gulf-would-welcome-us/Britain opens first naval overseas base in 50 years in sign of ‘global reach’  ​​https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/05/britain-opens-first-naval-overseas-base-50-years-sign-global/Col. Tim Collins' full speech, Kuwait, 19 March, 2003https://www.dajobe.org/2003/03/collins/BBC: 10 Days to War mini series https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009rcp0Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producer: Peter ShevlinVideo Producer: Max BowerResearcher and Social Producer: Anna HindmarshStudio Operator: Andy WatsonExecutive 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/

Iran’s proxy group the Houthis have launched fresh missile attacks on Yemeni ports in the Red Sea as their conflict with Saudi Arabia heats up. A new war in the Arabian Peninsula is now inevitable, according to former Yemeni diplomat Mahmoud Shehrah.On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Roland Oliphant talks to Chatham House’s Shehrah to unpack the Houthis' intentions and to what extent they are acting on Tehran’s orders. Could they close the Bab al-Mendab strait and what can the West do about it?Plus, news of an Iranian assassination plot against Donald Trump that forced him to hide in an airplane catering trolley, and why the US president is now demanding war reparations from Iran to resolve their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz. HighlightsIran’s proxy group the Houthis restarting the Yemen warIran's Trump assassination plot exposedCONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantMahmoud Shehrah, former Yemeni diplomat and associate fellow Chatham House @shehrah_mahmoud WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Trump demands ‘reparations’ from Iranhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/08/10/trump-demands-reparations-iran/Trump sneaked out of Turkey in catering cart over Iranian plot fearshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/08/11/trump-secret-flight-turkey-iran-plot-air-force-one/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producer: Max BowerVideo Producer: Peter ShevlinResearcher and Social Producer: Anna HindmarshStudio Operator: Andy WatsonExecutive 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/

Iran has issued a series of demands to the US in return for reopening the Strait of Hormuz - everything from war reparations to withdrawing regional military assets. Many of them echo the previous peace deal, so will Donald Trump accept?On today's episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan look at who is in a stronger position. Trump’s naval blockade has forced Tehran’s primary oil terminal on Kharg Island to grind to a halt and is pushing food inflation above 200 per cent in some cases. But Iran has just appointed a hardline new security council leader who has vowed to retain full control of Hormuz. Plus, why Tehran has released an old video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Houthi attacks on a Saudi oil refinery puts the new Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan Mecca defence pact to an early test, and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu explicitly rejects Donald Trump’s 15-point Gaza peace deal.HighlightsUS blockade squeezes Iran as main oil terminal goes darkTehran names price to reopen the Strait of HormuzCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineySophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Iran names price to reopen Strait of Hormuzhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/09/iran-names-price-to-reopen-strait-of-hormuz/ As one oil chokepoint calms, Houthis threaten anotherhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/08/war-yemen-threatens-drag-middle-east-deeper-crisis/Israel rejects Trump’s Gaza planhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/09/benjamin-netanyahu-israel-donald-trump-gaza-plan-hamas/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producer: Max BowerVideo Producer: Peter ShevlinResearcher and Social Producer: Anna HindmarshStudio Operator: Andy WatsonExecutive 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/