- 42 minutes 46 secondsIranian terror in London & why the US needs China to rearm
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.
Highlights
- Why the US cannot rearm post-Iran war without China
- Rozina Sabur on the Iran-linked group claiming to be behind the Golders Green attack
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan
Samuel Olsen, chief analyst Sibylline @samolsenx
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Project Vault: Trump’s battle to break China’s critical mineral stranglehold
https://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 furious
https://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 Europe
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/23/iranian-sleeper-cell-islamic-movement-companions-synagogue/
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
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30 April 2026, 3:59 pm - 37 minutes 9 secondsA trip to the Strait of Hormuz & Hezbollah adopts Ukraine-style drone warfare
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 Hormuz
- Henry Bodkin on the growing threat posed by Hezbollah as it adopts Ukrainian drone tactics
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Adrian Blomfield, senior foreign correspondent @adrianblomfield
Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkin
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Hezbollah attacks Israeli military helicopter with fibre optic drones
Adrian Blomfield: Here in the Strait, Iran’s mosquito fleet renders Trump blockade futile
Akhtar Makoii: Iran’s cost of living is out of control as Trump’s blockade takes hold
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/29/irans-cost-of-living-trump-blockade/
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
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► EMAIL US: Contact the team on [email protected]
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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29 April 2026, 4:16 pm - 43 minutes 23 seconds‘A bunch of losers with no power’: Why Iran’s hardliners won’t win
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.
Highlights
- Arash 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 @rolandoliphant
Sophia 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 futile
https://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 Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
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► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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28 April 2026, 4:49 pm - 41 minutes 23 secondsThe true cost of America’s hidden missile crisis & why US-Iran talks are deadlocked
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 @venetiarainey
David Satterfield, former US diplomat and director of Baker Institute for Public Policy
Mark Cancian, senior fellow CSIS @MarkCancian
Chris Park, research associate CSIS @chrhspark
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Last Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War Ceasefire
https://www.csis.org/analysis/last-rounds-status-key-munitions-iran-war-ceasefire
Producer: Elliot Lampitt
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
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► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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27 April 2026, 4:42 pm - 42 minutes 53 seconds‘Trump is wrong - Iran’s regime is not split over this 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 war
- Mojtaba Khamenei’s injuries and what they say about the Iranian regime
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Hans van Leeuwen, International economics editor @hansvan333
Sanam Vakil, MENA programme director Chatham House @SanamVakil
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Hans van Leeuwen: The world is watching the wrong oil price
Producer: Elliot Lampitt
Executive 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 [email protected]
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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24 April 2026, 3:41 pm - 46 minutes 27 secondsSea mines and fast boats: how Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz
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 peacetime
- Sophia Yan on how the Iran war became a game of chicken
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan
Emma Salisbury, associate fellow Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre @salisbot
CONTENT REFERENCED:
The Mine Gap: America Forgot How to Sweep the Sea
Iranian shadow fleet tankers break through US blockade
Trump has eight days to make up his mind on Iran
Last Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War Ceasefire
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive 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 [email protected]
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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23 April 2026, 4:20 pm - 50 minutes 3 secondsTrump’s Iran ceasefire flounders as ‘utter chaos’ engulfs Strait of Hormuz
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.
Highlights
- David Blair and Akhtar Makoii discuss whether the Iran war will restart
- Why the Strait of Hormuz being in “utter chaos” matters for everyone
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt
Akhtar Makoii, foreign correspondent @akhtar_makoii
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Connor Stringer: ‘It’s all a giant clusterf---’: Inside Trump’s floundering Iran peace process
Akhtar Makoii: Iran’s real negotiator is staring Trump down from the shadows
David Blair: Trump’s flip-flopping will only embolden Iran to harden its demands
Hormuz chaos shows Iran is too fractured to speak with one voice
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive 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 [email protected]
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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22 April 2026, 3:34 pm - 33 minutes 8 seconds‘Any US-Iran nuclear deal is an illusion without proper checks’
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 doable
- Why the ghost of Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal looms over peace talks
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Memphis Barker, senior foreign correspondent @memphisbarker
Louis Emanuel, foreign editor @louisjemanuel
Rafael Grossi, director general IAEA @rafaelmgrossi
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Exclusive interview: World faces new nuclear arms race
Why Obama’s Iran nuclear deal looms large over Trump’s negotiations
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive 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 [email protected]
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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21 April 2026, 3:54 pm - 36 minutes 15 secondsUS seizure of Iran vessel near Strait of Hormuz leaves ceasefire in peril
Will the weekend showdown in the Strait of Hormuz collapse the US-Iran ceasefire?
After Iran opened and then closed the Strait, attacked an Indian tanker and turned around ships, Donald Trump ordered the seizure of a sanctioned Iranian vessel that was attempting to pass through the US blockade. What followed was a new first for the war: shots fired at the Iranian container ship’s engine and the whole vessel taken into custody.
Retired Royal Navy commodore Steve Prest looks at how such seizures normally happen, the tricky question of what will happen to the vessel now and the long-term prospects of the Strait of Hormuz being reopened for global trade.
Plus, with the deadline for ceasefire talks in Pakistan fast approaching, Venetia Rainey looks at the signs today that talks may go ahead on Tuesday despite Iranian denials. She also explains the latest updates from Lebanon, where Hezbollah killed two Israeli soldiers over the weekend.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Steve Prest, ex-Royal Navy commodore @fightingsailor
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Akhtar Makoii: Hormuz chaos shows Iran is too fractured to speak with one voice
‘Vacate your engine room’: US Navy warns Iran ship before firing
You’re firing, let me turn back: Panicked sailor pleads with Iranian attackers
Israeli soldier smashes Jesus statue in face with sledgehammer
Times of Israel: 26 years later, IDF restores its south Lebanon security zone — with key changes
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive 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 [email protected]
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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20 April 2026, 3:58 pm - 37 minutes 25 secondsIran ‘surrendering’ enriched uranium & why Israel-Lebanon ceasefire won't hold
Is Iran giving up its enriched uranium?
US President Donald Trump says Tehran has agreed to hand over all of its “nuclear dust” - a potentially huge concession in the war. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant discuss why this would be so significant and what might have been offered to Iran in return. They also discuss what this means for US-Iran peace talks and the latest updates from the Strait of Hormuz after Tehran said it was “completely open”.
Plus, as the separate Israel-Lebanon ceasefire comes into force today, The Telegraph’s Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin and AP’s Beirut correspondent Kareem Chehayeb look at the prospect of it lasting. Kareem explains why disarming Hezbollah is desirable for many Lebanese but difficult, while Henry analyses why Israelis are feeling dejected and pessimistic about all fronts of the war.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkin
Kareem Chehayeb, AP Beirut correspondent @chehayebk
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Lebanon can’t expel one Iranian. So how will it disarm Hezbollah?
Lebanon peace deal in full – and how it could unravel
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive 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 [email protected]
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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17 April 2026, 3:56 pm - 43 minutes 28 secondsCeasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon & how Trump’s ‘toxic’ Iran war broke the European Right
On today’s episode, Donald Trump wrangles the leaders of Israel and Lebanon into their first direct talks in decades. Ending the fighting in Lebanon would bring the White House’s “grand bargain” peace deal with Iran itself a step closer. But on the ground, Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah rages unabated.
While the ceasefire In Iran itself is holding, the war is remaking the political map of Europe.
James Crisp, the Telegraph’s Europe editor, explains how the conflict has turned Donald Trump from populist inspiration to an electoral kiss of death for the European right, and asks whether Iran’s attempts to manipulate Western voters with Lego propaganda videos is paying off.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
James Crisp, Europe editor,
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Starmer and Macron to cut Trump out of Hormuz patrols
Meloni-Trump love-in falls apart as a political affair comes to an end
How Trump’s ‘toxic’ Iran war broke the European Right
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producer: Louisa Wells
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