Donald Trump says the Iran war could be ended with a peace deal this weekend.

For the Gulf, everything is at stake. Battered by Iranian missiles and drones throughout the war and economically strangled by the Strait of Hormuz crisis, the Gulf states are desperate for the war to end - so much so that some are even having their own talks with Tehran.

Sophia Yan chats to UAE-based Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, associate fellow for Chatham House’s MENA programme, about why despite Iran’s aggression, countries there just want things to go back to how they were before the war.

Highlights:

• Trump says Iran war could end with peace deal this weekend
• Why the Gulf wishes the Iran war never happened

CONTRIBUTORS:

Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan

Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, Associate Fellow MENA Programme Chatham House @AnisehBassiri

Producer: Max Bower

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

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► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

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Is this the start of a new phase in the US-Iran war?

Following another night of US strikes on Iran and Tehran responding by hitting its Gulf neighbours, Donald Trump has today vowed to ramp things up even further tonight. Roland Oliphant discusses the latest news with chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair, and asks whether Trump can bomb his way out of the deadlock.

Plus, for the first time ever, the World Cup 2026 will see a nation host a team it's currently at war with. As the competition kicks off, sports news reporter Tom Morgan joins Roland Oliphant from Mexico to discuss the strength of each side's teams, the politics behind the visa and ticketing rows, and how Iran and USA could even face one another on the pitch.

Highlights

• Trump hits Iran with dozens of Tomahawks and vows to keep going
• The World Cup Iran war row: Everything you need to know

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt

Tom Morgan, sports news correspondent @Tom_Morgs

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Iran arrive at World Cup with swipe at US over attack on school

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/06/08/iran-team-arrive-mexico-world-cup-swipe-us-attack-school/

As cartels slink into shadows for the World Cup, horror remains

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/06/10/world-cup-mexico-search-victims-cartels-disappeared/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

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► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

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Trump has vowed Iran will “pay the price” after it launched multiple strikes on US bases throughout the Middle East.

The latest escalation came up after the US bombed Iran in response to a Shahed drone downing an American Apache helicopter in the Gulf of Oman. The crew were rescued by an unmanned boat - a US first. Venetia Rainey speaks to former US Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks about what this week’s events tell us about the growing role of autonomous systems in the military.

Plus, what is the Pentagon’s plan to combat the drone threat posed by enemies from Iran to China - and is it moving fast enough? Hicks and Aaron Sherman from the Atlantic Council talk about the Replicator project they launched in 2023 in the Department of Defence and why it’s more vital than ever.

Highlights

• Trump vows Iran will ‘pay the price’ for firing at US bases
• From Iran to China: inside the Pentagon's drone revolution

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Kathleen Hicks, former US Deputy Secretary of Defence

Aaron Sherman, non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council

CONTENT REFERENCED:

How a cutting-edge AI drone boat saved defenceless US Apache pilots

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/09/apache-pilots-rescued-ai-drone-boat

Move Fast and Scale: A Brief Insiders' History of the Replicator Initiative

https://www.belfercenter.org/research-analysis/move-fast-and-scale-brief-insiders-history-replicator-initiative

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

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► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/

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The exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran have highlighted the tensions between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu after more than 100 days of war.

The US president wants the war to stop - now. The Israeli leader wants to keep going. Why? What else does he want to achieve? And why is Trump stopping him?

Venetia Rainey chats to Danny Citrinowicz, senior researcher at Israeli think tank the Institute for National Security Studies, about why most Israelis think that the war has been a ‘colossal failure’ and how he fears Iran’s regime has been the real winner in all of this.

Highlights:

• Why Israelis think the war has been a ‘colossal failure’
• Why Israel wants the Iran war to continue - and why Trump says no

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Danny Citrinowicz, senior researcher INSS @citrinowicz

CONTENT REFERENCED:

WATCH: 100 days of US-Iran war: the winners and losers so far

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3VEIOK3-SU

Israelis grow tired of Bibi and bomb shelters

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/08/israelis-grow-tired-of-bibi-and-bombshelters/

Netanyahu: Our war with ‘weak’ Iran isn’t finished

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/07/iran-launches-missile-attack-on-israel/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

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/

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Iran and Israel have bombed each other for the first time since they agreed a ceasefire with the US in early April. Why? And can Donald Trump stop all-out war from re-erupting? Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant bring you all the latest updates from the past 24 hours, plus chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair and foreign correspondent Akhtar Makoii discuss how we got here, the domestic factors at play in each country and what might happen next.

Plus, an American and Iranian on what we learned from 100 days of war. What are the big successes, what could have gone better, and what will the long-term implications be? Venetia and Roland speak to Ben Hodges, former US general and commander of the US Army in Europe, and Holly Dagres, Washington Institute analyst and author of The Iranist substack. They discuss the most significant moments from the war, the biggest winners and losers, and what surprised them.

WATCH THE FULL 100 DAYS OF WAR ROUNDTABLE NOW: https://youtu.be/-3VEIOK3-SU

Highlights

• Iran and Israel bomb each other - what just happened?
• 100 days of war: an American and an Iranian debate

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Ben Hodges, former commanding general US Army Europe @general_ben

Holly Dagres, Washington Institute analyst and The Iranist author @hdagres

Producer: Peter Shevlin and Phil Atkins

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/

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How did heavily sanctioned Iran create a drone so cheap, deadly and effective that everyone from Russia to the US has copied it?

From the Gulf being inundated with attacks by Iranian Shaheds to Ukraine finding innovative new ways to counter the Russian version, Tehran has mass-produced a strategic weapon that has challenged traditional Western air-defence thinking.

To look at how Iran did it, what makes the Shahed so brutal and how to counter it, guest host from the Ukraine: the Latest team Sophie O’Sullivan speaks to Mykola Bielieskov, research fellow at the Kyiv-based National Institute for Strategic Studies, and Peter Lee, co-Director of the Centre for Defence, Risk and Resilience at Britain’s University of Portsmouth.

Plus, Sophie covers the latest major updates from the region, including Hezbollah’s rejection of the Israel-Lebanon deal as “Satan’s dream” and news of a secret deployment of elite Israeli military units to Azerbaijan.

Highlights

• Iran’s cheap but deadly drones have reshaped warfare. Can the US catch up?
• Why everyone from Russia to the US are copying the Shahed

CONTRIBUTORS:

Sophie O’Sullivan, guest host and producer Ukraine: the Latest

Mykola Bielieskov, research fellow at National Institute for Strategic Studies @MBielieskov

Peter Lee, professor at the University of Portsmouth

Producer: Phil Atkins

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/

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The US military is secretly helping ships circumvent Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz along a new route hugging the Omani coast.

Bryan Clark, a former US Navy officer and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, looks at whether this is a solution to the Hormuz crisis that has plagued Donald Trump and the rest of the world since the war began.

Plus, Hezbollah accuses Lebanon of “surrendering” after agreeing a deal with Israel. Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan discuss the latest news, including the significance of the US House passing a war powers resolution to curb further American military activity and the death of British MI6 boss Sir Alex Younger.

Highlights

• The secret US operation evading Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade
• Israel and Lebanon to use “pilot zones” to push out Hezbollah

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Sir Alex Younger, long-serving head of MI6 who shaped the service for a ‘fourth generation of espionage’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2026/06/03/sir-alex-younger-mi6-secret-intelligence-service-edward-sno/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-03/us-looks-to-unblock-hormuz-with-quiet-version-of-project-freedom

The Economist: A former spy chief’s take on intelligence and the Iran war

https://www.economist.com/insider/inside-defence/a-former-spy-chiefs-take-on-intelligence-and-the-iran-war

Producer: Peter Shevlin

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/

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Is Donald Trump waiting until after the World Cup to restart the war with Iran despite the largest attack on the Gulf since the ceasefire began?

Violence erupted overnight in the Middle East after the US attacked a ship heading to Iran and Tehran fired missiles and drones at Kuwait and Bahrain. Roland Oliphant looks at the latest news of clashes in the Persian Gulf and speaks to Maziar Bahari, founder of Iran Wire, about why the war is unlikely to erupt until after the World Cup.

One of Iran’s most experienced journalists until he was forced into exile, Bahari’s English and Persian website has become an invaluable source of reliable information for anyone interested following the war. He explains why the Iranian regime is weaker than most think and shares his experiences of being interrogated by IRGC officials who rely on pornography to understand the Western world.

Plus, global health security editor Paul Nuki explains why Israelis can’t ignore Donald Trump’s explosive reported warning to leader Benjamin Netanyahu that the world is starting to hate his country due its military activity.

Highlights

• Iran strikes Kuwait airport after US bombs Qeshm Island
• Why IRGC officers believe the West is just like in porn films

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, chief foreign analyst, @rolandoliphant

Maziar Bahari, founder of Iran Wire, @maziarbahari

Paul Nuki, global health security editor, @PaulNuki

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Paul Nuki: Trump outburst reflects Israel’s sinking popularity in American eyes

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/02/trump-netanyahu-outburst-reflects-israel-unpopularity/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

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/

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