Iran: The Latest

A Houthi ballistic missile struck an Aramco jet-fuel depot near Riyadh’s international airport, a major escalation in the war between Yemen’s Iran-backed militants and Saudi Arabia.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to Bahraini analyst Ahmed Khuzaie about Turkey and Pakistan’s vows of military support for Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Defence Pact after Donald Trump refused to provide US assistance. They also discuss the dilemma for Egypt as the rise of Iranian-backed Islamist factions in Sudan’s civil war threatens to pile additional pressure on the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Plus, what Gulf leaders at the UN General Assembly want from Trump as he weighs whether to restart the war, and new satellite images show Iran rapidly rebuilding and fortifying a nuclear-linked facility at Parchin.

Highlights
Houthis strike Riyadh jet-fuel depot as Turkey, Pakistan vow Saudi Arabia support
IRGC fortifies and rebuilds key nuclear-linked site

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Saudi Arabia confirms Houthi missile attack on capital
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/19/riyadh-sounds-first-air-raid-alerts-since-houthi-escalation/

Pakistan hints at joining war on Houthis
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/18/iran-saudi-arabia-mecca-joint-defence-gulf/

Trump considering ‘blowing up entire nation’ of Iran
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/20/trump-considering-blowing-up-iran/

Satellite images show Iran rapidly rebuilding nuclear facility
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/18/satellite-images-iran-rapidly-rebuilding-nuclear-facility/

ISIS: Iran is Rapidly Reconstructing Taleghan 2
https://isis-online.org/isis-reports/iran-is-rapidly-reconstructing-taleghan-2

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/

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Donald Trump has once again threatened to "annihilate" the Iranian regime, saying he faces a major decision on how to proceed with the Iran war but will consult with his Gulf allies at the UN General Assembly next week first.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Roland Oliphant speaks to former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe about whether Trump will execute his strike threat given Washington appears to lack the risk appetite for further military escalation. They unpack how the US and Saudi Arabia are smuggling millions of barrels of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz to keep prices down, and what it says about the crippled Iranian military’s inability to police the narrow waterway.

Plus, satellite imagery reveals China is upgrading its military base in Djibouti near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, Yemen’s Houthis claim their first fatality in this round of strikes on Saudi Arabia, and what a looming US naval drawdown in the Gulf means for Western security.

Highlights
Trump threatens to ‘annihilate’ Iran as China upgrades Djibouti military base
Inside the Strait of Hormuz dark route: ship-to-ship transfers and US escorts

CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Tom Sharpe, former Royal Navy commander @TomSharpe134

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Daniel DePetris: Iran is proving it can push America out of the Middle East
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/18/iran-war-proving-push-america-out-middle-east/

Pentagon exposes mass US aircraft losses and base damage from Iran war
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/17/pentagon-exposes-mass-us-aircraft-losses-and-base-damage-fr/

CSIS: China Upgrades Its Military Base in Djibouti
https://features.csis.org/hiddenreach/china-djibouti-base-upgrade/

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: David Dargahi
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/
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A landmark Pentagon report has exposed the devastating cost of the Iran war for the US military: 59 aircraft damaged or destroyed, bases struck across the Middle East, and critical missile stockpiles depleted for up to 5 years.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to former Defense and State Department insider Kori Schake, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She unpicks how the report lays bare the underpreparedness of Donald Trump’s administration for Iran’s precision missile attacks on key US assets. They also discuss how the toll of the war has created a critical window of vulnerability that China could exploit in the Pacific if it wanted to seize Taiwan.

Plus, Anthropic’s new threat report reveals how Iran and the Houthis are using Claude AI to finetune weapons and target the US Navy, Trump goes behind Saudi Arabia’s back to make a secret deal with the Yemeni militants over the Red Sea, and will Pete Hegseth be impeached?

PIC CREDIT: CBS

Highlights

Pentagon exposes mass US aircraft losses and base damage from Iran war
Trump makes secret deal with the Houthis over the Red Sea

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Kori Schake, director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute @KoriSchake

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Houthis claim to have shot down Saudi fighter jet
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/16/houthis-claim-downing-of-saudi-fighter-jet/

Akhtar Makoii: Four ways the Houthis became a major military power
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/17/four-ways-houthis-major-military-power-yemen-iran-weapons/

US committed war crimes in Iran school strike, say UN experts
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/17/us-committed-war-crimes-iran-school-strike-experts/

CBS: New photos show widespread damage at U.S. positions caused by Iranian missile, drone attacks
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-photos-damage-u-s-kuwait-saudi-arabia-iran-drone-missile-attacks/

LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT ON OPERATION EPIC FURY
https://media.defense.gov/2026/Sep/09/2003993626/-1/-1/1/OEF_Q3_JUN2026_FINAL_508%20SECURE.PDF

Anthropic: Detecting and countering misuse of AI - September 2026
https://www-cdn.anthropic.com/e50be2e51e7695dc4b1366a37a245a597377d3b5/Anthropic-Detecting-and-countering-091026.pdf

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/
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Saudi Arabia claimed that Yemen’s Houthis tried to attack the holy city of Mecca, and the Iran-backed militia claims to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemen, as fighting by the Red Sea continues.

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Roland Oliphant speaks with Maziar Bahari, editor of IranWire, to dive into the bleak daily reality inside Iran. They discuss how regime corruption, the mounting costs of war amid a maritime blockade on oil exports, and Donald Trump’s sanctions have plunged Iran into its most severe economic crisis in recent history.

Today also marks four years since Mahsa Amini died in police custody after being arrested in Tehran for not wearing her hijab properly. Bahari reveals how the regime is now quietly backing down on core ideological mandates such as the hijab to survive.

Plus, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces impeachment articles over unauthorised strikes on Iran, Israel is about to get a $2.8bn arms package, and China calls on the US and Iran to restart peace talks and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Highlights
Why the Iranian regime is relaxing its hijab enforcement laws in order to survive
Yemen’s Houthis target Mecca and down Saudi jet

CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Maziar Bahari, editor of IranWire @maziarbahari

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Iran is trying to break Trump’s stranglehold by hitting him where it hurts https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/15/iran-is-trying-to-break-trumps-stranglehold/

US mulls diesel export ban as prices skyrocket https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/09/15/us-mulls-diesel-export-ban-as-prices-skyrocket/

Woman, Life, Freedom: How a Protest Movement Changed Iran https://iranwire.com/en/features/133949-woman-life-freedom-how-a-protest-movement-changed-iran/

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.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia have exchanged further strikes, amid signs that Tehran is ramping up the war against Riyadh to compensate for a stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz.

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks with Arabist and Yemen expert Dr. Elisabeth Kendall (mistress of Girton College) to explain why the Houthis and Iraqi militias are part of a new Iranian Axis of Resistance. They also discuss how Saudi leader Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) is facing an existential crisis following devastating pipeline attacks and escalating violence, with missile alerts sounding as far as Jeddah. Following Donald Trump’s refusal to help, Saudi Arabia has called on the UK and Egypt while Iran turns to China. Who will step in?

Plus, how Iran helped the Houthis to evolve into a formidable fighting force and the US pushes back against the IRGC’s fake news about sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Highlights

Iran activates Yemen Houthi ‘ace card’ amid Strait of Hormuz stalemate
Saudi Arabia turns to UK for help after ‘shocking’ Trump-Houthi call

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Elisabeth Kendall, mistress of Girton College, University of Cambridge @Dr_E_Kendall

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-september-14-2026/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/09/14/proscribing-houthis-bring-energy-bills-down-burnham/

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: Elliot Lampitt
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.