Iran: The Latest

The UK is in shock after an Iran-linked Islamist group claimed yet another attack on Jews in London. In the wake of the Golders Green stabbing attack, national security editor Rozina Sabur looks at what we know about the shadowy online group known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI) and its links to the Iranian regime. Plus, as Donald Trump weighs whether to take further military action against Iran or in the Strait of Hormuz, Samuel Olsen, chief analyst at risk and intelligence firm Sibylline, explains that the conflict has further indebted the US to China. Why? Beijing’s near-total dominance of the supply chain of rare earths and critical minerals, which every bit of modern military kit requires. Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping is likely to centre on this issue - as well as Taiwan. Elsewhere, Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan analyse what we learned from Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s first under-oath testimony on the war and why the ceasefire seems to be holding everywhere apart from Iraq. HighlightsWhy the US cannot rearm post-Iran war without China Rozina Sabur on the Iran-linked group claiming to be behind the Golders Green attackCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiaraineySophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanSamuel Olsen, chief analyst Sibylline @samolsenxCONTENT REFERENCED:Project Vault: Trump’s battle to break China’s critical mineral strangleholdhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/09/project-vault-trumps-battle-to-break-chinas-mineral-strangl/China just proved it can cripple the US military in days. Now Trump is furioushttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/20/china-just-proved-it-can-cripple-the-us-military-in-days-no/The Iranian sleeper cell bringing terror to Europehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/23/iranian-sleeper-cell-islamic-movement-companions-synagogue/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/

From the Strait of Hormuz to Lebanon, the Iran war has seen the West’s foes adopt asymmetric warfare with growing efficacy. Fresh off the boat from the Omani side of the Strait, Adrian Blomfield joins Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant. He explains how being out on the busy, misty and historic waterway helped him to understand why it is almost impossible for the US to counter Iran’s so-called “mosquito” fleet of fast boats.Meanwhile, Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin discusses the growing threat posed by Hezbollah as it adopts Ukrainian drone tactics to fight Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. He talks through a particularly worrying video showing the terror group flying a fibre-optic first-person view (FPV) drone at a medivac helicopter. Plus, Venetia and Roland run through the latest updates from today, including Donald Trump’s new threat to Iran and bad signs from the Iranian economy. Highlights: Adrian Blomfield on his trip to the Strait of HormuzHenry Bodkin on the growing threat posed by Hezbollah as it adopts Ukrainian drone tacticsCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiaraineyRoland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantAdrian Blomfield, senior foreign correspondent @adrianblomfieldHenry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkinCONTENT REFERENCED:Hezbollah attacks Israeli military helicopter with fibre optic droneshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/hezbollah-attack-israeli-idf-helicopter-fibre-optic-drones/Adrian Blomfield: Here in the Strait, Iran’s mosquito fleet renders Trump blockade futilehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/strait-of-hormuz-irans-mosquito-fleet-winning-blockade/Akhtar Makoii: Iran’s cost of living is out of control as Trump’s blockade takes holdhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/29/irans-cost-of-living-trump-blockade/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’s regime is facing an existential crisis prompted by the US-Israeli war. Despite taking a military battering and the economy being in ruins, Tehran refuses to surrender to Donald Trump. Historian Arash Azizi takes Roland Oliphant and Sophia Yan inside the clash between the regime establishment and the ultra-hardliners who fear their vision of the Islamic Republic will not survive peace.  He explains why the country’s powerful, IRGC-linked chief negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf is increasingly being attacked in Iranian media and the dilemma facing the Islamic Republic as it looks to make a deal without surrendering the anti-American dogmatism that revolutionaries hold so dear. Plus, senior foreign correspondent Adrian Blomfeld reports from the Strait of Hormuz and Sophia and Roland discuss the significance of the UAE pulling out of OPEC. HighlightsArash Azizi on why Iran’s hardliners are a “bunch of losers with no power”How the Iranian regime is facing a choice between reform and destruction CONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host @rolandoliphantSophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophiacyan Arash Azizi, author and historian Yale University @arash_tehran CONTENT REFERENCED:Adrian Blomfield: Here in the Strait, Iran’s mosquito fleet renders Trump blockade futilehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/strait-of-hormuz-irans-mosquito-fleet-winning-blockade/Robert White, Iona Cleave: Trump ‘unlikely to accept’ Iran’s Hormuz deal https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/iran-war-live-trump-peace-talks-hormuz-strikes-lebanon/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/

The US has severely depleted key munitions in the Iran war - and it’s already having global consequences. From delayed deliveries to allies such as Japan, South Korea and Ukraine, to a knockon impact on any future wars - such as a potential conflict with China over Taiwan - new analysis of America’s strategic stockpiles do not make for comfortable reading. Venetia Rainey talks to Mark Cancian and Chris Park from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) about what’s running low, why and what impact it will have. Plus, will Donald Trump strike a deal with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz instead of prioritising a nuclear agreement? That’s what Tehran is reportedly proposing today, but as veteran US diplomat David Satterfield explains, that comes with its own problems. With Iran playing the long-game in an asymmetric war, the former ambassador says Trump does not have many good options available. CONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiaraineyDavid Satterfield, former US diplomat and director of Baker Institute for Public PolicyMark Cancian, senior fellow CSIS @MarkCancianChris Park, research associate CSIS @chrhsparkCONTENT REFERENCED:Last Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War Ceasefirehttps://www.csis.org/analysis/last-rounds-status-key-munitions-iran-war-ceasefireProducer: Elliot LampittExecutive 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-Iran ceasefire has limped into its third week, but can stuttering peace talks deliver a deal before war resumes? Roland Oliphant is joined by Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, to discuss the latest news and updates, including what Mojtaba Khamanei’s reported injuries tell us about the balance of power in Tehran. She also explains why the normally factional Iranian regime is united in its need to end the war, and how Donald Trump’s attempt to drive a wedge between “moderates” and “hardliners” is likely to fail.Plus, international economics editor Hans van Leeuwen explains why the world has been watching the wrong oil price - and how the global impact of the war could be worse than we thought. Highlights Why time is not on Trump’s side in the Iran warMojtaba Khamenei’s injuries and what they say about the Iranian regimeCONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantHans van Leeuwen, International economics editor @hansvan333Sanam Vakil, MENA programme director Chatham House @SanamVakilCONTENT REFERENCED:Hans van Leeuwen: The world is watching the wrong oil priceProducer: Elliot LampittExecutive 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/

What will it take to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iran’s sea mines and fast boats?With Tehran now charging extortionate tolls, attacking commercial ships who do not get permission to transit and reportedly laying around 20 sea mines, the vital waterway has become a living nightmare. President Donald Trump today told the US Navy to fire on any boats laying mines, but with Pentagon estimates that it will take six months to mine-sweep the Strait, is that enough? To discuss the problem, Venetia Rainey is joined by Emma Salisbury, an Associate Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. Emma explains how American minesweeping capabilities became so heavily degraded, why Iran’s non-conventional navy remains so effective and hard to destroy, and the maritime signs that Trump may be considering a return to all-out war. Plus, senior foreign correspondent Sophia Yan talks through the latest news and updates from the region, including the status of the US-Iran ceasefire, reports that America is running out of munitions, and the Lebanon-Israel peace talks to disarm Hezbollah. Highlights: Why it would take the US six months to minesweep the Strait of Hormuz - in peacetimeSophia Yan on how the Iran war became a game of chickenCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiaraineySophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanEmma Salisbury, associate fellow Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre @salisbotCONTENT REFERENCED:The Mine Gap: America Forgot How to Sweep the SeaIranian shadow fleet tankers break through US blockadeTrump has eight days to make up his mind on IranLast Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War CeasefireProducer: 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/

Instead of peace talks today, the US-Iran ceasefire is on the brink of collapsing and the Strait of Hormuz is heating up. Despite the two-week deadline expiring today, JD Vance never boarded a plane to Pakistan for negotiations and neither did anyone from Iran. Instead, Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire indefinitely and the IRGC has today attacked several more international ships.Is the war about to restart? Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant are joined by chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair and foreign correspondent Akhtar Makoii to discuss the latest news, decode the signals from each side and explain what might happen next. Plus, Roland chats to Richard Mead, editor-in-chief of the maritime industry bible Lloyd's List, about the wider implications of the Strait of Hormuz being in “utter chaos”, how ships are increasingly going dark to avoid detection, and China’s role in everything. HighlightsDavid Blair and Akhtar Makoii discuss whether the Iran war will restartWhy the Strait of Hormuz being in “utter chaos” matters for everyoneCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiaraineyRoland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantDavid Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdtAkhtar Makoii, foreign correspondent @akhtar_makoiiCONTENT REFERENCED:Connor Stringer: ‘It’s all a giant clusterf---’: Inside Trump’s floundering Iran peace processAkhtar Makoii: Iran’s real negotiator is staring Trump down from the shadowsDavid Blair: Trump’s flip-flopping will only embolden Iran to harden its demandsHormuz chaos shows Iran is too fractured to speak with one voiceProducer: 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/

Can the US and Iran strike a last-minute nuclear deal to end the war?With the two-week ceasefire deadline expiring on Wednesday, peace talks are tentatively set to go ahead in Pakistan between US Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by Mohammad Ghalibaf. Donald Trump has threatened to resume bombing if negotiations fail, but a major stumbling block remains: Iran’s nuclear programme. Washington wants Tehran to end all advanced uranium enrichment and give up its 450kg of “nuclear dust” that is currently buried under rubble. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, tells foreign editor Louis Emanuel that without proper verification on the ground, any agreement will be an “illusion”. Meanwhile, senior foreign correspondent Memphis Barker explains how the "ghost" of the previous Iran nuclear agreement - Barack Obama's 2015 JCPOA - looms large over everything. Can Trump strike a better deal now than the one he tore up in 2018?Plus, Roland Oliphant runs through the latest updates and news from across the region, including what is going on in the Strait of Hormuz and some clarity on when the ceasefire actually ends.  Highlights:Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, on why a nuclear deal with Iran is tricky but doableWhy the ghost of Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal looms over peace talksCONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantMemphis Barker, senior foreign correspondent @memphisbarkerLouis Emanuel, foreign editor @louisjemanuelRafael Grossi, director general IAEA @rafaelmgrossiCONTENT REFERENCED:Exclusive interview: World faces new nuclear arms raceWhy Obama’s Iran nuclear deal looms large over Trump’s negotiationsProducer: Peter ShevlinExecutive Producer: 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/