Iran: The Latest

Donald Trump’s approval rating has plummeted to a record low as the military and economic toll of the US-Iran war collides with the upcoming 2026 midterm elections - and the pressure is on.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to US correspondents Ben Smith and Poppy Wood to examine how the conflict in the Middle East is threatening Trump’s control of Congress and driving inflation at American gas pumps. With oil prices surging past $90 a barrel due to sustained disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, Republican candidates from Texas to Maine are increasingly worried.

Plus, amid a growing mutiny inside the Pentagon over the Iran war, could Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth be on the chopping block if the midterms go badly for Trump?
Highlights

Donald Trump’s approval rating plummets to a record low
Could Pete Hegseth be on the chopping block if the midterms go badly?

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Ben Smith, Washington correspondent @bsmithjourno
Poppy Wood, US correspondent @poppyeh

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Out with the old: Democrats replace stalwarts with young blood
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/08/15/elderly-democrats-forced-retire/

US army secretary to step down after tension with Hegseth
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/08/21/us-army-secretary-step-down-hegseth/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Max Bower
Video Producer: Peter Shevlin
Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh and Lucy Hadlow
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive 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/

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US Vice President JD Vance has said there will be an investigation into a deadly strike on a wedding in southern Iran after an American precision-guided glide bomb appears increasingly likely to have been the culprit.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to former naval officer Bryan Clark about how accurate the bombs are and what might have gone wrong. They also discuss the growing strain on the US Navy by the Iran war following a record deployment by the USS Abraham Lincoln and warnings from top admirals that the blockade is depleting destroyers and leaving Taiwan vulnerable to China. Bryan lays out what it will mean for the US presence in the Middle East in the coming months as they seek to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring down oil prices.

Plus, why Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth is facing growing calls to resign amid growing turmoil in the Pentagon, and how Argentina’s Javier Milei is exploiting Donald Trump’s anger with the UK to make moves on the Falklands.

Highlights
US Navy drained by Iran war as Hegseth-Pentagon turmoil grows
JD Vance vows investigation into deadly wedding strike in southern Iran

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Bryan Clark, senior fellow at Hudson Institute @clarkdefense

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:
My night out with US sailors in Thailand’s ‘Sin City’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/03/my-night-out-with-us-sailors-in-thailands-sin-city/

‘It’s a fever dream’: 5,000 US sailors hit Thai sex tourism hotspot
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/02/us-sailors-descend-thai-party-town-after-eight-months-sea/

Milei: Argentina ‘will prevail’ over declining Britain
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/04/argentina-sanctions-oil-fields-falklands/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Max Bower
Video Producer: Peter Shevlin
Researcher and Social Producer: Lucy Hadlow
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive 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/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s it like to be taken hostage by the Iranian regime and imprisoned for months on end in Evin, Tehran’s most notorious prison, amid an unprecedented war with the US and Israel?

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Roland Oliphant speaks to Joe Bennett, son of Lindsay Foreman, who has been detained since January 2025 with her husband Craig Foreman while on a round-the-world motorcycle tour. The British couple were this year sentenced to 10 years in prison over charges of espionage, which they deny and the British government has called “appalling” and “unjustifiable”.

Bennett discusses the harrowing conditions faced by his mum and their gruelling hunger strike protest. He shares the “chilling” moment he was on the phone with Lindsay while Israel conducted air strikes on Evin prison, saying he had “never heard screams like it”. He also blames the UK for not doing more to support his mother and other British hostages before her such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori.

Plus: Iran has launched a further wave of strikes on US bases in Kuwait and the UAE, and Donald Trump has suggested the Strait of Hormuz should be renamed the 'Trump Strait'.
Highlights
'My mum was in Evin prison when Israel bombed it'
Joe Bennett on his mother Lindsay Foreman’s experience being held hostage by Iran

CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Joe Bennett, son of Iran detainee Lindsay Foreman

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Joe Bennett: Starmer is allowing my mother to languish in Iranian jail
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/02/starmer-allowing-my-mother-to-languish-in-iranian-jail/

In Iran’s most notorious prison, I survived the very worst of human nature
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/08/mahvash-sabet-open-wide-the-doors/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Peter Shevlin
Video Producer: Max Bower
Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive 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/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has ordered the deadliest attacks against Iranian targets since July, striking IRGC air defense systems, radars, telecommunications - and reportedly a wedding party.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant look at the fresh round of deadly escalating violence, including Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone barrage targeting US positions in Jordan, Iraq and the UAE, as well as killing sailors in the Strait of Hormuz.

Plus, SOAS’s China Institute director Steve Tsang breaks down Beijing’s calculated gamble on the Iran war, how China is building a new world order around itself, and why Xi Jinping is kicking himself that the PLA isn’t ready to invade Taiwan at this opportune moment.

Highlights
US strikes hit IRGC bases & Iran-Russia supersonic missile deal exposed
Why Xi Jinping is kicking himself that the PLA isn’t ready to invade Taiwan

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Steve Tsang, director SOAS China Institute

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Iran attacks US bases after claiming American missiles hit wedding party
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/02/us-strikes-iran-airport/

Russia secretly helped Iran build missiles to target US warships
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/02/russia-helps-iran-build-c340l-supersonic-cruise-missiles/

Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung: China's Global Strategy under Xi Jinping
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/chinas-global-strategy-under-xi-jinping-9780197828816

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Peter Shevlin
Video Producer: Max Bower
Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh and Lucy Hadlow
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive 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/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time in over a month, fighting has erupted in the Strait of Hormuz after US forces struck Iranian sea mine-equipped rocket launchers on Larak Island. Iran retaliated by targeting US bases in Jordan, prompting Donald Trump to vow to hit Iran “hard”.

On today's episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant unpack the details of the violence and why Trump has posted an AI video of an attack on Kharg Island. They also discuss why President Masoud Pezeshkian is calling for a return to the Memorandum of Understanding peace deal amid growing pressure on Iran’s economy from the US blockade.

Plus, a leaked report shows top military commanders have warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the war is unsustainable, as US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll abruptly resigns amid growing chaos in the Pentagon.

Picture credit: Trump / Truth Social - note, this image was AI generated

Highlights
Trump threatens Iran oil hub after US Jordan base attacked
US military warns war unsustainable amid growing Pentagon chaos

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:
US strikes Iran for first time in a month
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/30/pete-hegseth-told-not-to-extend-iran-war/

Trump posts AI video of Kharg Island being ‘blown to smithereens’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/31/donald-trump-ai-video-kharg-island-iran-middle-east/

Washington Post: Military leaders warn Hegseth against extending Iran war operations
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/30/military-leaders-warn-hegseth-against-extending-iran-war-operations/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Max Bower
Video Producer: Peter Shevlin
Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive 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/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.