Iran: The Latest

British RAF Typhoon fighter jets will be deployed to defend cities and critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, following the Yemen-based militant group’s deadliest attack yet, a devastating assault that killed at least 70 people, all new recruits aged 18 to 20, at a training camp. On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Sophia Yan is joined by former UK Ambassador to Yemen Edmund Fitton-Brown to examine the escalating Houthi missile campaign, Britain's military role in the Gulf, and whether Donald Trump will expand US strikes following the midterms. They discuss whether Iran can keep control over the ‘violent’ and ‘ambitious’ Houthi militants, the origin story of the Yemen-based mlitant group, and the strength of their support base.Plus, Fitton-Brown reveals inside details of the near-miss 2016 peace deal between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, and why the militants walked away at the final hour to insist total victory.HighlightsUK RAF Typhoon jets deploy to defend Saudi ArabiaNetanyahu insists he and Trump “have a job to finish” as speculation rises over whether Trump will launch another attack on Iran after the midterms. CONTRIBUTORS:Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanEdmund Fitton-Brown, former UK ambassador to Yemen and current senior fellow at FDD @EFittonBrownWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:RAF fighter jets to defend Saudi cities from Houthi attacks https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/20/raf-fighter-jets-to-defend-saudi-cities-from-houthi-attacks/ Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower 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 Iran war has stretched the US Congress to breaking point and exposed Pete Hegseth’s leadership of the Pentagon as fundamentally lacking, according to an ex-tank commander who is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. On today’s bonus episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to Todd Achilles, a US veteran of the First Gulf War who is running as an independent for Senate in Idaho. With the November midterm elections just weeks away, Achilles’ battle against Republican stalwart Jim Risch is a window into the problems facing the GOP as Donald Trump’s Iran war leads to rising fuel prices and fertiliser shortages back home. Is this the moment for a rise in independent military veteran candidates such as Achilles?Highlights‘We lost 15 bases - Hegseth is unfit for duty’US tank commander Todd Achilles on Iran war failures and running for SenateCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyTodd Achilles, US Senate Idaho candidate @Achilles4IdahoWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Green Beret leads ‘double haters’ in mission to blow up midtermshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/10/05/rhodes-scholar-green-beret-end-two-party-politics-montana/US midterm elections 2026: How do they work and what could they mean for Trump?https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/10/16/us-midterm-elections-2026/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower 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/

A new report exposes how pinpoint strikes by Iran and its proxies hit at least 84 Gulf infrastructure targets a total of 135 times, systematically disabling key infrastructure throughout the war.On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Sophia Yan speaks to national security editor Rozina Sabur and Iranian terrorism specialist Roger Macmillan about the widening scope of Tehran's hybrid warfare, from the Middle East to Europe. They unpack how the IRGC is weaponising criminal networks to orchestrate hit squads and sabotage operations on Western soil - including a growing number of foiled terror plots targeting military and Jewish sites in the UK. MI5’s boss this week issued a rare warning - but is anyone paying attention?Plus, Houthi ballistic missiles kill five at the presidential palace in the port city of Aden, and how US President Donald Trump is balancing escalating nuclear strike options ahead of the US midterm elections - and why it could make Iran more dangerous. HighlightsHow pinpoint Iranian strikes smashed up the Gulf’s key sitesIRGC’s terror network across Europe exposed CONTRIBUTORS:Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanRozina Sabur, national security editor @RozinaSaburRoger Macmillan, former Director of Security at Iran International TV @RogermacmillanWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Iran-backed Houthis on brink of taking Taiz in massive blow to Saudi Arabiahttps://youtu.be/cSyCHTlh9Vo?si=nWqBqSjpqgOa2IxpIran’s precision strikes picked apart Gulf infrastructure, blunting US war planshttps://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/iran-crisis-infrastructure-attacks/Iran’s terrifying global campaign of revenge – and how it targets enemieshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/27/irans-terrifying-revenge-countries-that-oppose-it/Teenage assassin sent to Britain by Iranian proxy jailed for 20 yearshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/16/teenage-assassin-sent-to-britain-by-iranian-proxy-jailed/Migrant who ‘planned UK terror attack’ claimed asylum in Germanyhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/03/israel-anti-semitism-iran-ahmadyan-salehi/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower 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/

Iran has sunk two cargo vessels in under 24 hours in the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the war began in March. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair about why Tehran is expanding its pace of attacks. So far the US has avoided a military response but how long can that last? Meanwhile, news that US President Donald Trump is considering using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb - aka the “mother of all bombs”. Plus, the Iran-backed Houthis have encircled Yemen’s Taiz and are on the cusp of taking the strategic city for the first time in the war in what would be a major blow to Saudi Arabia. Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, a Yemeni senior researcher from the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, explains why the Houthis are so desperate to capture Taiz as a stepping-stone to oil-rich Marib and port city Aden and how it could take just “days” to fall. With around a million people trapped inside and news of food and medicine shortages, a humanitarian disaster is looming and Iran’s proxy group is on the brink of a major victory. HighlightsIran sinks two ships in Strait of Hormuz as attacks escalateHouthis ‘days’ from taking Yemen’s key city of TaizCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyDavid Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdtMaysaa Shuja Al-Deen from the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies @maysaashujaaWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Iran hits six oil tankers in single dayhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/13/iran-hits-six-oil-tankers-day-hormuz-war-america-trump/Trump lines up ‘mother of all bombs’ to strike Iranhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/15/trump-mother-of-all-bombs-strike-iran-moab/Houthis on brink of taking their biggest scalphttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/13/houthis-on-brink-of-seizing-their-biggest-scalp/Con Coughlin: The Houthis are Europe’s problemhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/15/houthis-are-europe-problem/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower 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 Houthi offensive in Yemen is reaching a critical tipping point as the Iran-backed militants encircle the strategic city of Taiz, threatening to tip the war in their favour. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Roland Oliphant speaks with Lieutenant General Graeme Lamb, former director of UK Special Forces and commander of the British Field Army, about the battle for Taiz and whether the West is underestimating Saudi Arabia’s capability to push them back. As US President Donald Trump scolds the “nasty” Houthis for “bad behaviour”, Lt Gen Lamb unpacks the ways in which the Yemen war folds into Iran’s strategy of global economic warfare and how Russia is helping Tehran keep going. Plus, the importance of civil society resilience in a time of war, why aid cuts don’t make us safer, and how special forces soldiers navigate international humanitarian law in tricky war zones.HighlightsTrump scolds ‘nasty’ Houthis for ‘bad behaviour’ by attacking Saudi ArabiaLt Gen Graeme Lamb on the IRGC, Yemen’s Houthis and the special forces HighlightsTrump scolds ‘nasty’ Houthis for ‘bad behaviour’ by attacking Saudi ArabiaLt Gen Graeme Lamb on the IRGC, Yemen’s Houthis and the special forces CONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantLt Gen Graeme Lamb, former director of UK Special Forces and commander of the British Field Army WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Houthis on brink of taking their biggest scalp https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/13/houthis-on-brink-of-seizing-their-biggest-scalp/Sal Mercogliano: The ayatollahs have been humbled by the power of capitalismhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/14/strait-of-hormuz-iran-war-shipping-oil-gas-diesel-drones/Iran hits six oil tankers in single dayhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/13/iran-hits-six-oil-tankers-day-hormuz-war-america-trump/Diesel crisis to drag on for months, warns IEAhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/14/diesel-crisis-to-drag-on-for-months-warns-iea/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower 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 closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Iran war is throttling global fertiliser supply chains, driving up transport costs, and sparking a looming food price crisis. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Roland Oliphant talks to Joseph Glauber from the International Food Policy Research Institute about the nuts and bolts of how the Iran war is impacting food security - and why the worst is yet to come. They discuss how farmers and markets have adapted to the drop off in exports, and why Russian attacks on Black Sea ships and the strengthening ‘super’ El Niño are creating a food time bomb for 2027. Plus, Yemen warns of a “catastrophe” in Taiz amid the Houthi siege, MI5 says Iran is now targeting British military sites showing a “major shift” in its ambitions, and why Donald Trump is wrong to insist that China and Russia aren’t helping Tehran. HighlightsThe Iran war’s looming food price crisis, from fertiliser to gasMI5 warns IRGC targeting UK military sites CONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantJoseph Glauber, senior research fellow International Food Policy Research Institute @JoeGlauber1WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:MI5 chief: Terrorists plotting AI drone attacks on Britainhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/13/mi5-chief-terrorists-plotting-ai-drone-attacks-on-britain/RAF terror plot ‘highly likely’ to be work of IRGC, Burnham sayshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/10/12/burnham-highly-likely-irgc-behind-raf-terror-plot/Cowering MBS faces biggest challenge to Saudi ambitionshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/12/cowering-mbs-challenge-to-saudi-ambitions/The hunger crisis experts warned of is here – and it’s likely to get worsehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/the-food-crisis-experts-have-been-warning-about-is-here/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower 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/

A brutal wave of Houthi missiles have struck Saudi Arabia’s main Riyadh airport, killing at least 14 in the deadliest attack on a Gulf nation since the US-Iran war began. On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined by Riyadh-based Saudi analyst Salman Al-Ansari to examine the catastrophic attacks on King Khalid International Airport and why Iran’s Houthis are able to cause so much damage. They also discuss what might happen next: will Donald Trump launch US strikes in Yemen? Will a new Arab-led coalition emerge? And why does Saudi Arabia think it has a better chance of defeating the Iranian proxy group now than before?Plus, as Iranian officials threaten to destroy US data centres and other infrastructure in the Gulf if the conflict restarts, Aramco’s CEO warns of severe global crude oil shortages while the Strait of Hormuz remains under attack. HighlightsTrump weighs US strikes after Houthi missiles shut Riyadh airportSaudi Arabia vows ‘serious response’CONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineySalman al-Ansari, Saudi analyst @alansariWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:The Houthi missiles that will make Trump think twicehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/12/houthi-missiles-trump-think-twice/ The UAE-backed ‘Giants Brigade’ changing the Saudi-Houthi warhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/09/giants-brigade-militia-changing-saudi-houthi-war/Trump may join Saudi war after Houthi strike on airport kills 12https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/10/saudi-yemen-king-khalid-iran-gulf-war/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower 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/

US military veterans are turning on Donald Trump and the Republican party as the Iran war drives fuel prices past $6 a gallon ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections.In today’s bonus episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined by US reporters Poppy Wood and Ben Smith, who have been speaking to ex-military voters and candidates at the Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia and key midterm races. They examine why Republican ex-servicemen are increasingly choosing to sit out the vote and how an ex-Green Berets independent candidate is part of a broader veteran movement to challenge both mainstream parties. Plus, leaked audio shows Ken Paxton, a close Trump ally running for a Republican Senate seat in Texas, criticising the war’s economic fallout for Americans, and the latest predictions for who will win what in Congress. HighlightsUS veterans revolt against Trump and Republicans ahead of midtermsIran war causes $6 diesel spike for AmericansCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyPoppy Wood, US correspondent @poppyehBenedict Smith, Washington correspondent @bsmithjournoWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:Veterans turn on Trump over Iran warhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/28/veterans-trump-iran-war-midterms-dispatch/Green Beret leads ‘double haters’ in mission to blow up midtermshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/10/05/rhodes-scholar-green-beret-end-two-party-politics-montana/The Left-wing streamer becoming a toxic liability for Democratshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/25/hasan-piker-controversy-abdul-ed-sayed-us-midterms/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower 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/