Iran: The Latest

Will Israel’s war to eliminate Hezbollah in Lebanon collapse the fragile US-Iran ceasefire?

Tehran has accused Israel of violating the terms of its deal with Donald Trump by launching a massive military operation against its Lebanese proxy on Wednesday afternoon, killing more than 250 people with strikes on more than 100 targets in the space of 10 minutes. Today, Hezbollah has responded by firing a barrage of rockets at northern Israel.

Iran and Europe want Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire, but Israel and the US say it’s a separate theatre of the war. Venetia Rainey talks through the latest updates and what it could mean for the upcoming peace talks in Pakistan.

Plus, as Keir Starmer tours the Gulf, countries in the normally stable region are reeling from more than 40 days of war.

Qatar-based IISS research fellow Sascha Bruchmann and Bahraini political consultant Ahmed Alkhuzaie discuss the Gulf’s scepticism of the ceasefire, why a counter-force in the Strait of Hormuz is essential, and how Ukraine is helping tackle the Iranian drone threat.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Ahmed Alkhuzaie, Bahraini political consultant @AhmedAlkhuzaie
Sascha Bruchmann, IISS research fellow

Producer: Max Bower

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

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Is this the end of the Iran war?

Donald Trump has announced a two-week ceasefire deal after 40 days of fighting, with peace talks mediated by Pakistan set to go ahead this Friday. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth today said the US had achieved a “historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield”.

But many questions remain unanswered. Will the ceasefire turn into a lasting peace? What guarantees and concessions have been offered by each side? Will the Strait of Hormuz ever be fully open again? And why is Israel still attacking Lebanon?

Venetia Rainey is joined by chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair and foreign correspondent Akhtar Makoii to discuss the latest news and what it could mean for the region in the weeks and months ahead.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt
Akhtar Makoii, foreign correspondent @akhtar_makoii

CONTENT REFERENCED:

David Blair: Trump’s ceasefire threatens to hand Iran a critical advantage

Akhtar Makoii: Trump will never be able to wipe out my civilisation

New York Times: How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran

Producer: Max Bower

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

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What will happen after Donald Trump’s midnight deadline for Iran to strike a deal?

The US president has issued a series of increasingly hardline threats to Tehran to force it sue for peace and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, from the complete demolition of all of its bridges and power plants to destroying its entire civilisation.

Venetia Rainey is joined by senior foreign correspondent Sophia Yan to discuss Trump’s latest ultimatum, the frantic peace talks underway to avoid further escalation, and the possible impact on Iranians of such a widespread campaign of destruction.

Plus, they discuss China’s fuel shipments to the Iranian regime, the fallout from the latest attacks on the Gulf, and how Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon is heightening sectarian tensions among local communities.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Akhtar Makoii: How Trump is turning Iran into a full military dictatorship
Adrian Blomfield: Ceasefire remains unlikely while both Iran and the US think they’re winning

Producer: Max Bower
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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How did America manage to rescue two airmen after their plane was shot down over Iran?

In this bonus bank holiday episode, Venetia Rainey is joined by Jack Murphy, ex-US special forces who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, including as a Green Beret. He is now a journalist and military commentator and hosts The Team House national security podcast. He broke the story that the weapons systems officer (WSO) from the downed F-15E had been rescued alive after 36 hours stranded behind enemy lines.

Jack provides a unique insight into the dramatic double rescue mission - already being described as the most complex in American military history. He explains the initial search and rescue (CSAR) efforts, what the WSO would have been doing to survive on the ground, and why the US abandoned and blew up two multimillion-dollar aircraft at a remote desert airstrip.

Plus: what role is AI playing in the Iran war and beyond, in battlefields from Ukraine to Gaza?

The US military increasingly relies on an AI decision support system called Maven to help with targeting, intelligence assessments and troop deployments. Israel and Ukraine use similar technology. Proponents of artificial intelligence argue it makes warfare faster and more efficient - giving the West a key battlefield advantage in a time of rising conflict.

But critics say there are concerns over safety and low accuracy, and worry humans are increasingly being left out of the loop. Some of these concerns come from industry insiders such as AI company Anthropic, which is in a dispute with the Pentagon over the use of its system Claude for autonomous weapons.

Venetia Rainey is joined by Adam Wishart, the filmmaker behind new Channel 4 documentary, Click to Kill: the AI War Machine, and Heidy Khlaaf, chief AI scientist at the AI Now Institute and previously at OpenAI.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Jack Murphy, ex-special forces and host The Team House @JackMurphyRGR
Heidy Khlaaf, chief AI scientist AI Now Institute @HeidyKhlaaf
Adam Wishart, director Click to Kill: the AI War Machine @adam_wishart

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Click to Kill: the AI War Machine on Channel 4

Producer: Rachel Porter
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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Why hasn’t the Iranian regime surrendered yet?

The Islamic Republic is at the centre of a war sending shock waves around the world, and despite being pummelled by the US and Israel, it remains defiant. The explanation lies in the country's ancient history and myths, which still permeate modern Iranian politics today.

For this special Easter edition, Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history at the University of St Andrews, joins Roland Oliphant to take us all the way back to the empire of Cyrus the Great and the legendary heroes of Persian literature on a quest for the origins of the country.

Who are Iranians? Why do they think of themselves as a great power that can rival the West? And how has their long history shaped the regime at war with Donald Trump today?

Ansari explains how Iran is not as Islamic as the ayatollahs make out, why Iran adopted Shia rather than Sunni Islam, and how history and myth are used by both the regime and its opponents. Plus, perhaps most importantly, why the ancient Persians loved a drink.

CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Ali Ansari, professor University of St Andrews @aa51_ansari

Pic credit: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949

Producer: Rachel Porter
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/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.