Iran: The Latest

Donald Trump has set out a 15-point Iran peace plan, but is he serious about ending the war?

With news that another 2,000 elite American troops are en route to the Middle East, Tehran has its doubts - particularly as they’ve been here twice before with Trump.

The Telegraph’s senior foreign correspondent Sophia Yan joins Venetia Rainey to talk through how realistic the proposal is and how it’s being viewed in Iran. They also discuss Turkey’s role as a potential mediator and the impact of the conflict on China.

From the Telegraph’s US bureau, editor Lottie Tiplady-Bishop explains why Vice President JD Vance is now involved in peace negotiations and how boots on the ground is a red line for Trump’s MAGA base.

Plus, how is the Iran war being viewed by ordinary Americans? Reporter Natasha Leake takes the temperature on the streets of Washington DC.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan
Lottie Tiplady-Bishop, associate US news editor @lottietipbishop
Natasha Leake, US reporter @NatashaLeake

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Trump hands Iran 15-point plan to end war
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/25/donald-trump-iran-war-15-point-plan-nuclear-missile/

‘Where the hell is JD Vance?’: Why Trump’s VP is missing in action
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/03/10/jd-vance-trump-iran-war-missing/

JD Vance met with Trump security official who quit over Iran war
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/03/18/jd-vance-met-joe-kent-quit-iran/

Donald Trump said he would be the president of peace
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/20/trump-promised-peace-then-he-started-war/

Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

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Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

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After four weeks of war with Iran, is Donald Trump calling it quits?

The US president claims he is in advanced talks with a highly placed regime insider on a peace deal that would end Iran’s nuclear ambitions, reopen the strait of Hormuz, and give the country’s leadership a reason to make up with the rest of the Middle East.

Pakistan and Egypt say they have brokered a meeting between US Vice President J D Vance and an Iranian delegation in Islamabad later this week. But who is the mystery Iranian negotiator? Does Iran have any reason to stop fighting now? And if peace is about to break out, why is the Iran war on the battlefield accelerating?

Meanwhile, amid a bruising war with Israel, Iran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah is finding itself increasingly isolated.

Roland Oliphant is joined by David Blair, the Telegraph’s chief foreign affairs commentator, and Lina Khatib, associate fellow for the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt
Lina Khatib, associate fellow Chatham House @LinaKhatibUK

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Trump may have blinked, but his war of necessity will grind on
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/23/iran-war-no-end-in-sight/

Iran now has a clear path to victory
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/24/iran-now-has-a-clear-pathway-to-victory/

Producer: Elliot Lampitt
Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

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Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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Could US Marines seize Kharg Island and reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

President Donald Trump has U-turned on his threat to bomb Iranian energy infrastructure after announcing a five-day moratorium and peace talks underway. But the Strait of Hormuz problem remains.

Iraq veteran, Ohio State University military historian and former US Colonel Peter Mansoor joins Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant to discuss the hard power options open to Trump, from taking an island in the waterway to invading the mainland coastline.

He also talks about the option of conducting special raids to seize enriched uranium to hobble Iran’s nuclear programme and explains why the war risks becoming a quagmire for the West akin to what he saw first-hand in Iraq.

Plus, The Telegraph’s acting defence editor Tom Cotterill explains what we know about the hugely significant Iranian ICBM attack on Britain’s Diego Garcia base and how worried the UK and Europe should be of repeat incidents.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Tom Cotterill, acting Defence Editor @TomCotterillX
Peter Mansoor, chair military history Ohio State University

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Telegraph View: Britain must do what it can to open the Strait of Hormuz
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/22/britain-must-do-what-it-can-to-open-the-strait-of-hormuz/

Britain ‘defenceless against Iranian missiles’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/22/britain-defenceless-against-iranian-missiles/

Producer: Peter Shevlin
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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Thousands of US Marines and sailors are heading towards Iran - does this mean boots on the ground?

Venetia Rainey is joined by Reuters global defence commentator Peter Apps to discuss the war three weeks in, how to open the Strait of Hormuz and whether as part of it, Trump will order troops to take Kharg Island.

They also discuss whether this counts as a world war and why this conflict is likely deterring China from taking Taiwan by force for at least another few years.

Plus, how is Iran still able to inflict so much damage on its neighbours? University of Oslo missiles expert Fabian Hoffman explains why Iran’s launchers may run out before its missiles do and how much longer interceptor stocks in the Gulf and Israel could last.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Peter Apps, Reuters defence columnist @pete_apps
Fabian Hoffman, University of Oslo @FRHoffmann1

Producer: Peter Shevlin
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.

Has Israel gone rogue with the attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field?

The bombing triggered a furious response from Tehran and led to a further escalation in the energy crisis caused by the US and Israeli war with Iran.

President Donald Trump says the US did not know about it but Israeli officials say it was coordinated. The Telegraph’s Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin joins Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant to explain why the attack is consistent with Israel’s war goals and how tactics are potentially being prioritised over strategy.

Henry also discusses his reporting from northern Israel where troops are readying for an expanded ground invasion of Lebanon to root out Hezbollah and why talk of a buffer zone there may not match up with the threat.

Plus, senior foreign correspondent Sophia Yan joins to discuss her time on the ground in Iraq and why things there are much worse than being reported. She also shares her thoughts on how Turkey is so far staying out of the conflict and why Iranian Kurds are pushing the US to let them invade.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Sophia Yan, Senior Foreign Correspondent @sophia_yan
Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem Correspondent @HenryBodkin

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Trump’s three options for reopening the Strait of Hormuz:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/18/trump-three-options-reopening-strait-hormuz/

Missiles and drones chase Americans out of Iraq
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/15/missiles-and-drones-chase-americans-out-of-iraq/?recomm_id=faf315cd-c56c-4a5d-a833-90e89545db06

Tehran won’t fall without a ground offensive, says Kurdish leader
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/18/tehran-iran-war-ground-offensive-kurdish-leader-khabat/?recomm_id=35c185da-6605-4d40-aa0e-d19bf63781b0

Producer: Peter Shevlin
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.