Trump vows Iran will ‘pay the price’ & inside the Pentagon's drone revolution

Starmer ‘fudges’ defence spending to avoid Trump clash at Nato. Will it work?

As the US and Iran meet in Qatar, the UK has unveiled £15 billion in defence spending - but is it all a giant “fudge” to avoid humiliation by Donald Trump at next week’s Nato summit?  Announcing the Defence Investment Plan, Prime Minister Keir Starmer boasted it meant the UK is spending 4.2% of GDP on wider security. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey talks to Ukraine: the Latest host and defence associate editor Dom Nicholls about why the numbers don’t add up.  Plus, they unpack the UK’s high-stakes gamble on exquisite uncrewed autonomous aircraft and vessels and why the UK is ignoring the vital lesson from wars in Ukraine and Iran: expensive tech cannot replace raw mass. CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Dom Nicholls, Ukraine: the Latest host and defence associate editor @DomNicholls  WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk] CONTENT REFERENCED: Gulf plans to cut the US out of Iran deal https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/30/gulf-states-plan-to-cut-the-us-out-of-iran-deal/ Iran says frozen $6bn will soon be returned as part of peace deal https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/29/iran-frozen-assets-us-sanctions-peace-deal/ Producer: Max Bower and Rachel Porter 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 battlelines@telegraph.co.uk ► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/ Highlights * Starmer ‘fudges’ defence spending to avoid Trump clash at Nato. Will it work? * The plan that proves the UK hasn’t learned the mass drone lesson from Iran and Ukraine ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

US hammers Iran after Strait of Hormuz shipping attacks

Tit-for-tat violence between Iran and the US erupted over the weekend as missiles and drones flew in both directions across the Strait of Hormuz. On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, we break down a dangerous weekend of military escalation that has left the fragile 60-day interim peace agreement hanging by a thread. Host Venetia Rainey is joined by Bahraini political analyst Ahmed Khuzaie to dissect Iran’s widening campaign of violence and give the Gulf view on who should be allowed to control the vital Hormuz waterway. He explains why there is no trust in Tehran sticking to its side of any deal and how some Gulf states would like to see Donald Trump return to war - but a more decisive and better planned one.  Plus, Israel and Lebanon have signed a peace deal too. But as fighting continues with Iranian proxy Hezbollah, is it even worth the paper it’s written on? Highlights * US hammers Iran after Strait of Hormuz shipping attacks * Why some Gulf states would like to see Donald Trump return to war CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Ahmed Khuzaie, Bahraini analyst @AhmedAlkhuzaie WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk] CONTENT REFERENCED: Trump’s flimsy Iran deal comes back to haunt him https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/29/trumps-flimsy-iran-deal-comes-back-haunt-him/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/29/trumps-flimsy-iran-deal-comes-back-haunt-him/] Iran and US agree to halt attacks https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/28/iran-missile-strikes-new-hormuz-demand-bahrain-kuwait-trump/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/28/iran-missile-strikes-new-hormuz-demand-bahrain-kuwait-trump/] Israel agrees to partial Lebanon withdrawal https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/26/israel-agrees-to-partial-lebanon-withdrawal/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/26/israel-agrees-to-partial-lebanon-withdrawal/] Producer: Max Bower  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 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 [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Iran strikes ship in Strait of Hormuz & is Trump's Iran deal better or worse than Obama's?

Iran’s direct strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz has shattered US hopes of bypassing the IRGC with a covert new route. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey exposes how this tactical escalation threatens to derail the fragile 60-day peace roadmap. Plus, is Trump’s Iran deal better or worse than Obama’s? Former US lead negotiator Robert Malley joins the podcast to deliver his blunt assessment, including why it’s not as financially generous as some claim, how close Iran now is to going nuclear, and what to do with all that enriched uranium.  Highlights * Iran strikes ship in Strait of Hormuz * Trump vs. Obama: Who got the better Iran deal? CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Robert Malley, former JCPOA US negotiator and program director International Crisis Group @Rob_Malley WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk] CONTENT REFERENCED: Iran attacks cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/25/iran-attacks-cargo-ship-strait-of-hormuz/ Israel suspected of cyber attack on Iranian banks https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/23/israel-behind-cyber-attack-on-iranian-banks/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/23/israel-behind-cyber-attack-on-iranian-banks/] The US-Iran war may have ended, but 6,000 miles away the death toll is rising https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/madagascar-fuel-food-shortages-iran-war-death-toll/ Producer: Max Bower and Lucy Dichmont 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 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 [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Iran war leaves US facing 'alarming' weapons shortage

President Donald Trump needs more than $65bn in urgent funding for the Pentagon as a result of the Iran war, a stark reminder of the cost to America’s military. Amid a munitions crunch, the defense industrial base is being told to go faster - and the US’ adversaries are taking note. In today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey sits down with Dana Stroul, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East and now director of research at the Washington Institute.  She delivers a blunt assessment of the conflict's fallout, why lopsided sanctions relief has handed Tehran an economic windfall, and how the war has severely strained America’s Gulf alliances. Plus, they discuss new reports that an advanced Iranian "jellyfish" drone formation successfully brought down a US F-15 fighter jet back in April. CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Dana Stroul, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Middle East and research director Washington Institute @dstroul WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk] CONTENT REFERENCED: Iran was using ‘jellyfish’ swarm of drones, reports downed F-15 pilot https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/23/f-15-pilot-shot-down-over-iran-saw-jellyfish-swarm-of-drone/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/23/f-15-pilot-shot-down-over-iran-saw-jellyfish-swarm-of-drone/] Dana Stroul: How the Iran War Will Transform America’s Military Role https://www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/middle-east-power-paradox-dana-stroul Producer: Max Bower and Rachel Porter 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 battlelines@telegraph.co.uk ► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/ Highlights * US facing weapons shortage - can Trump fix it? * Did Iran down a US fighter jet with a secret new drone weapon? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Trump’s radical plan for Syria to attack Hezbollah: ‘No one is on board’

The war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah remains a major sticking point in US-Iran peace talks - but Donald Trump has a controversial solution.  At the G7 summit, he said he wants Syria to militarily intervene in their neighbour and disarm the Iranian proxy by force. Sophia Yan is joined by Ahmad Sharawi, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies to discuss why Damascus has flatly rejected the plan. From the dark history of Syria’s occupation of Lebanon to the potential for a proxy war between Turkey and Israel, he outlines how such a move could seriously backfire. Plus, the latest news from the region including the row over Iran letting in nuclear inspectors from the IAEA and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's high-stakes warnings on the Strait of Hormuz. CONTRIBUTORS: Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan  Ahmad Sharawi, senior research analyst FDD @AhmadA_Sharawi Producer: Max Bower and Rachel Porter 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 battlelines@telegraph.co.uk ► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/ Highlights * ‘Creative but wrong’: Trump’s plan for Syria to attack Hezbollah * Plus, a row over Iran letting in nuclear inspectors from the IAEA ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.