Iran: The Latest

Trump has vowed Iran will “pay the price” after it launched multiple strikes on US bases throughout the Middle East. The latest escalation came up after the US bombed Iran in response to a Shahed drone downing an American Apache helicopter in the Gulf of Oman. The crew were rescued by an unmanned boat - a US first. Venetia Rainey speaks to former US Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks about what this week’s events tell us about the growing role of autonomous systems in the military. Plus, what is the Pentagon’s plan to combat the drone threat posed by enemies from Iran to China - and is it moving fast enough? Hicks and Aaron Sherman from the Atlantic Council talk about the Replicator project they launched in 2023 in the Department of Defence and why it’s more vital than ever. HighlightsTrump vows Iran will ‘pay the price’ for firing at US bases From Iran to China: inside the Pentagon's drone revolutionCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyKathleen Hicks, former US Deputy Secretary of Defence Aaron Sherman, non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic CouncilCONTENT REFERENCED:How a cutting-edge AI drone boat saved defenceless US Apache pilotshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/09/apache-pilots-rescued-ai-drone-boatMove Fast and Scale: A Brief Insiders' History of the Replicator Initiativehttps://www.belfercenter.org/research-analysis/move-fast-and-scale-brief-insiders-history-replicator-initiativeProducer: 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/

The exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran have highlighted the tensions between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu after more than 100 days of war.The US president wants the war to stop - now. The Israeli leader wants to keep going. Why? What else does he want to achieve? And why is Trump stopping him?Venetia Rainey chats to Danny Citrinowicz, senior researcher at Israeli think tank the Institute for National Security Studies, about why most Israelis think that the war has been a ‘colossal failure’ and how he fears Iran’s regime has been the real winner in all of this. Highlights:Why Israelis think the war has been a ‘colossal failure’ Why Israel wants the Iran war to continue - and why Trump says noCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyDanny Citrinowicz, senior researcher INSS @citrinowiczCONTENT REFERENCED:WATCH: 100 days of US-Iran war: the winners and losers so farhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3VEIOK3-SUIsraelis grow tired of Bibi and bomb sheltershttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/08/israelis-grow-tired-of-bibi-and-bombshelters/Netanyahu: Our war with ‘weak’ Iran isn’t finishedhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/07/iran-launches-missile-attack-on-israel/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/

How did heavily sanctioned Iran create a drone so cheap, deadly and effective that everyone from Russia to the US has copied it?From the Gulf being inundated with attacks by Iranian Shaheds to Ukraine finding innovative new ways to counter the Russian version, Tehran has mass-produced a strategic weapon that has challenged traditional Western air-defence thinking. To look at how Iran did it, what makes the Shahed so brutal and how to counter it, guest host from the Ukraine: the Latest team Sophie O’Sullivan speaks to Mykola Bielieskov, research fellow at the Kyiv-based National Institute for Strategic Studies, and Peter Lee, co-Director of the Centre for Defence, Risk and Resilience at Britain’s University of Portsmouth.Plus, Sophie covers the latest major updates from the region, including Hezbollah’s rejection of the Israel-Lebanon deal as “Satan’s dream” and news of a secret deployment of elite Israeli military units to Azerbaijan. HighlightsIran’s cheap but deadly drones have reshaped warfare. Can the US catch up?Why everyone from Russia to the US are copying the ShahedCONTRIBUTORS:Sophie O’Sullivan, guest host and producer Ukraine: the LatestMykola Bielieskov, research fellow at National Institute for Strategic Studies @MBielieskovPeter Lee, professor at the University of PortsmouthProducer: Phil AtkinsExecutive 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/

The US military is secretly helping ships circumvent Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz along a new route hugging the Omani coast. Bryan Clark, a former US Navy officer and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, looks at whether this is a solution to the Hormuz crisis that has plagued Donald Trump and the rest of the world since the war began.Plus, Hezbollah accuses Lebanon of “surrendering” after agreeing a deal with Israel. Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan discuss the latest news, including the significance of the US House passing a war powers resolution to curb further American military activity and the death of British MI6 boss Sir Alex Younger.  HighlightsThe secret US operation evading Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade Israel and Lebanon to use “pilot zones” to push out Hezbollah CONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineySophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanCONTENT REFERENCED:Sir Alex Younger, long-serving head of MI6 who shaped the service for a ‘fourth generation of espionage’https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2026/06/03/sir-alex-younger-mi6-secret-intelligence-service-edward-sno/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-03/us-looks-to-unblock-hormuz-with-quiet-version-of-project-freedomThe Economist: A former spy chief’s take on intelligence and the Iran warhttps://www.economist.com/insider/inside-defence/a-former-spy-chiefs-take-on-intelligence-and-the-iran-warProducer: 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/

Is Donald Trump waiting until after the World Cup to restart the war with Iran despite the largest attack on the Gulf since the ceasefire began?Violence erupted overnight in the Middle East after the US attacked a ship heading to Iran and Tehran fired missiles and drones at Kuwait and Bahrain. Roland Oliphant looks at the latest news of clashes in the Persian Gulf and speaks to Maziar Bahari, founder of Iran Wire, about why the war is unlikely to erupt until after the World Cup.  One of Iran’s most experienced journalists until he was forced into exile, Bahari’s English and Persian website has become an invaluable source of reliable information for anyone interested following the war. He explains why the Iranian regime is weaker than most think and shares his experiences of being interrogated by IRGC officials who rely on pornography to understand the Western world.  Plus, global health security editor Paul Nuki explains why Israelis can’t ignore Donald Trump’s explosive reported warning to leader Benjamin Netanyahu that the world is starting to hate his country due its military activity.HighlightsIran strikes Kuwait airport after US bombs Qeshm IslandWhy IRGC officers believe the West is just like in porn filmsCONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, chief foreign analyst, @rolandoliphantMaziar Bahari, founder of Iran Wire, @maziarbahari Paul Nuki, global health security editor, @PaulNukiCONTENT REFERENCED:Paul Nuki: Trump outburst reflects Israel’s sinking popularity in American eyeshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/02/trump-netanyahu-outburst-reflects-israel-unpopularity/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/

Could Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah ruin the US’s attempts to strike a deal with Iran?News today about a fiery, expletive-laden phone call suggests Donald Trump is very upset with Benjamin Netanyahu and has forced him to halt a planned attack on Beirut.Michael Young from the Carnegie Middle East Center think tank joins from the Lebanese capital to take Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan through the latest news from this active frontline, how Hezbollah has been rearmed by Iran and what it means for the broader war. Plus, Roland Oliphant gets a rare look inside Iran with Jan Egeland, secretary general of the aid organisation Norwegian Refugee Council, who describes the bombed-out police stations, factories, military posts and homes he has seen first-hand across the country. HighlightsWhat Trump's angry call with Netanyahu means for the Iran warInside Iran: ‘Bombed-out police stations, factories and military posts’CONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineySophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanJan Egeland, NRC secretary-general @NRC_EgelandMichael Young, Carnegie Middle East Center senior editor @BeirutCalling 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/

Iran 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/

Donald 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/