Trump’s five-hour blitz triggers Iran war escalation & Mossad’s secret plot exposed

Trump’s five-hour blitz triggers Iran war escalation & Mossad’s secret plot exposed

Donald Trump has reimposed the US’s naval blockade on Iran and, for the third night in a row, launched a brutal five-hour blitz hitting Iran’s coastal defences. In retaliation, the IRGC has struck back, killing one and injuring several onboard two oil supertankers in the Strait of Hormuz and targeting critical American assets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant run through the latest updates from the region as the war escalates. Plus, why hasn’t Israel rejoined the US war with Iran? Sima Shine, former head of research and evaluation at Mossad and Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, explains why she thinks Donald Trump has put a break on Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu participating in the latest round of fighting.  She also discusses the explosive news about Israel’s Operation Puss in Boots, a yearslong, multi-pronged effort to overthrow the Iranian regime and install the most unlikely of candidates, arch Israeli enemy former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Highlights * Trump’s five-hour blitz triggers Iran war escalation * Ex-Mossad chief on why Israel is out of Iran war CONTRIBUTORS: Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Sima Shine, director of the Iran and the Shiite Axis Research Program at INSS @INSSIsrael WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk] CONTENT REFERENCED: US attacks Iran using kamikaze drone boats for first time https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/13/us-attack-iran-kamikaze-drone-boats-hormuz-war/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/13/us-attack-iran-kamikaze-drone-boats-hormuz-war/] Inside the Mossad Plot to Install Israel's Arch-enemy Ahmadinejad as Iran's Leader https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-07-13/ty-article-magazine/.premium/inside-the-mossad-plot-to-install-ahamadinijad-as-irans-leader/0000019f-5b28-de66-a5bf-5b7b3bbd0000 [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-07-13/ty-article-magazine/.premium/inside-the-mossad-plot-to-install-ahamadinijad-as-irans-leader/0000019f-5b28-de66-a5bf-5b7b3bbd0000] ITL Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026 The Telegraph Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026 ITL Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026 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 [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Trump reimposes naval blockade & how China and Russia use Iran to bleed US munitions

The US-Iran ceasefire is in crisis following a violent weekend of escalation. From the IRGC damaging a ship in the Strait of Hormuz so badly that the crew had to abandon it, to President Donald Trump declaring he "bombed the hell out of them" after striking dozens of targets, the war appears to be back on in all but name. Now, Trump has reimposed the US naval blockade and announced a toll. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant break down a frantic weekend of military action, including the US deploying one-way attack sea drones for the first time and the collapse of Omani negotiations to reopen the Hormuz waterway.  Plus, the damage done by Iran repeatedly launching missile and drone strikes against US airbases across the Gulf and Jordan is growing. King’s College London security expert Dr. Andreas Krieg unpacks how China and Russia are actively backing Iran's underground missile infrastructure to bleed Western interceptor stocks and distract the US from the Indo-Pacific. Highlights Trump reimposes Strait of Hormuz blockade and attacks Iran with sea drones Iran attacks on American bases across Middle East ‘leave US in the dark’ CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant Andreas Krieg, King’s College London and Institute of Middle Eastern Studies @andreas_krieg WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk CONTENT REFERENCED: Telegraph View: The Iranian regime continues to sow chaos https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2026/07/13/the-iranian-regime-continues-to-sow-chaos/ Iran bombs US supply lines in fight for Strait of Hormuz https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/12/iran-aims-to-cripple-us-navy-supply-in-major-air-strikes/ Starmer proscribes Iran’s IRGC https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/13/keir-starmer-proscribes-irans-islamic-revolutionary-guards/ ITL Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026 The Telegraph Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026 ITL Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026 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 [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

‘Bitter, weak and corrupted’: How Ali Khamenei ruined Iran

Four months after he was assassinated by Israeli and US airstrikes on the first day of the Iran war, former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei has been buried in an elaborate funeral. But who was he behind all the mythology and pomp? How did he shape modern Iran into the impoverished, rogue nation it is today? And what does his life tell us about what his son Mojtaba Khamenei will be like as Iran’s new leader? Venetia Rainey speaks to Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian History and director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews, about Khamenei’s legacy and backstory. Ali lays out how this fake ayatollah was corrupted by absolute power, how he allied with the IRGC to steal the state's wealth, and why his "princeling" son Mojtaba is even weaker.  Highlights * ‘Bitter, weak and corrupted’: how Ali Khamenei ruined Iran * Ali Ansari on his backstory and what his son Mojtaba will be like CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Ali Ansari, professor University of St Andrews @aa51_ansari WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk] 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 [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Iran’s Trump ‘assassination plot’ revealed & America’s ‘protection racket’

The burst of strikes between Iran and the US has died down but the Strait of Hormuz has seized up, with shipping coming to an almost complete standstill on the southern non-Iranian route. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant discuss how this is exactly what Tehran wants.  Meanwhile, Israel has revealed that Donald Trump is the subject of a “new and specific” assassination plot by Iran, and Ali Khamenei has finally been buried - with his son Mojtaba Khamenei still nowhere to be seen.  Plus, what does this week’s Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey tell us about the future of the alliance and the trans-Atlantic security relationship? Rachel Ellehuus, director-general of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), gives her analysis of Trump’s Greenland comments, how Ukraine was the real winner, and why America's aggressive global force posture review is a "protection racket".  Highlights * Iran’s Trump ‘assassination plot’ revealed as Strait of Hormuz closes up * RUSI chief Rachel Ellehuus on Trump, the Nato summit and Greenland CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign analyst @rolandoliphant Rachel Ellehuus, RUSI director-general @rach_ellehuus WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk] CONTENT REFERENCED: What I saw behind the scenes at Nato’s tumultuous summit https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/09/behind-the-scenes-nato-turkey-summit/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/09/behind-the-scenes-nato-turkey-summit/] Trump ‘forced to use old Air Force One over security fears’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/07/09/trump-forced-to-use-old-air-force-one-over-security-fears/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/07/09/trump-forced-to-use-old-air-force-one-over-security-fears/] Millions block streets for Khamenei burial https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/09/iran-us-war-latest-news-strikes-strait-of-hormuz-nato/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/09/iran-us-war-latest-news-strikes-strait-of-hormuz-nato/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Iran attacks more US bases after Trump strikes key Russia-China railway link

The US-Iran war has escalated significantly amid a second consecutive night of heavy American strikes on Iran and a furious response from Tehran. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan look at why for the first time since the ceasefire in April, President Donald Trump ordered cruise missiles to attack a critical railway bridge used to trade with Russia and China. After Tehran responded with kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles targeting US military assets across Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan, they ask what next for the peace talks.  Plus, why the 2026 Nato summit's quiet winner is Turkey. Sophia dives into the country’s exploding defence sector, its simmering rivalry with Israel, and how it has gone from black sheep to core member of Nato. And everything we know about the personalised handgun Erdogan gave world leaders as a farewell gift. Highlights * Iran attacks more US bases across the Middle East * Comes after Trump struck a key Russia-China railway link in Iran CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk] CONTENT REFERENCED: How Turkey is powering Europe’s rearmament https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/09/how-turkey-became-new-pillar-european-defence/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/09/how-turkey-became-new-pillar-european-defence/] Erdogan gives every Nato leader a gun as farewell gift https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/08/erdogan-nato-summit-fun-keir-starmer-donald-trump/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/08/erdogan-nato-summit-fun-keir-starmer-donald-trump/] Monday’s episode: Where is Iran’s new supreme leader? https://linktr.ee/iranthelatest [https://linktr.ee/iranthelatest] 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 [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.