Iran: The Latest Archiv

Iran has unveiled a plan to impose stealth fees on the Strait of Hormuz, using an insurance loophole to keep exacting tolls out of the key waterway post-war.  

Telegraph senior foreign correspondent Adrian Blomfield joins Roland Oliphant to break down how the conflict has permanently disrupted the global balance of power, from disrupting the US pivot to Asia to breaking US-Israeli ties. 

Plus, they take a moment to consider how the past four months will reverberate in the years to come and ask: what would Herodotus, the first historian of a Persian war, make of it all? 

Highlights

Iran’s secret plan to keep control of the Strait of Hormuz

How Trump’s greatest foreign policy failure reshaped the world

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

CONTRIBUTORS:

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

Adrian Blomfield, senior foreign correspondent @adrianblomfield 

CONTENT REFERENCED:

How Trump’s greatest foreign policy failure has reshaped the world

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/22/trumps-greatest-foreign-policy-failure-reshaped-world/ 

Has the US-Israel relationship changed forever?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/20/has-the-us-israel-relationship-changed-forever/ 

Producers: Max Bower and Elliot Lampitt

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

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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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As Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi lock down a 60-day roadmap to end the war, Tehran has walked away with immediate waivers on its oil and petrochemical exports. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant go behind the scenes at the high-stakes negotiations in Switzerland, including nuclear negotiations and the rumors of an Iranian walkout.

Meanwhile, the fallout from Washington’s fury with his closest European allies over their Iran war “betrayal” has ramped up after Donald Trump publicly rebuked Italy’s Giorgia Meloni over her refusal to help him. They also analyse the resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and how his indecision over allowing the US to use UK bases to strike Iran was indicative of his premiership’s failings.

Plus, how the Iranian football team’s gritty 0-0 World Cup draw against Belgium turned into a propaganda stunt for the regime to invoke the ghosts of the schoolchildren killed in Minab at the start of the war.

Highlights

US and Iran set up Hormuz crisis hotline as oil sanctions lifted

How Trump lost his final European allies, from Meloni to Starmer

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

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Iranian leader criticises his negotiators in secret letters

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/22/iran-us-war-mojtaba-khamenei-mahmoud-nabavian-middle-east/

Inside the Hezbollah tunnels where peace will be made or broken

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/21/inside-hezbollah-tunnels-where-peace-will-be-made/

Trump tears into Meloni over G7 picture row

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/20/donald-trump-berates-giorgia-meloni-g7-picture-row/

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/

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Is Donald Trump’s US-Iran peace deal already falling apart?

Less than a day after the historic MoU was signed to end the war, fighting has been ongoing in Lebanon, with Hezbollah killing four Israeli soldiers and Benjamin Netanyahu unleashing a punishing wave of air strikes across southern Lebanon. A new ceasefire has today been agreed - but can it hold?

Sophia Yan and Venetia Rainey discuss the latest news and the significance of US Vice President JD Vance’s stark warning to Israel to “wake up and smell reality”. 

Plus, New York Times journalist Yeganeh Torbati, co-author of Stolen Revolution, joins to discuss why Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is distancing himself from Trump's deal, and how the IRGC is using this diplomatic breathing room to prepare for a potential resumption of the war down the line. 

Highlights

US forces Israel into Hezbollah ceasefire after stark warning

Is Donald Trump’s US-Iran peace deal already falling apart?

CONTRIBUTORS:

Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent, @sophia_yan 

Yeganeh Torbati, NYT journalist and co-author Stolen Revolution @yjtorbati 

Producer: Max Bower

Executive Producers: Louisa Wells & Venetia Rainey

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

CONTENT REFERENCED: 

Vance tells Israel: You can’t kill your way out of problems

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/18/jd-vance-israel-friends/

Stolen Revolution: Betrayal & Hope in Modern Iran

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/457807/stolen-revolution-by-torbati-bozorgmehr-sharafedin-and-yeganeh/9780241744017

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Donald Trump has signed a peace deal with Iran, but his critics are saying it’s a humiliation.

Roland Oliphant and David Blair go through the US-Iran deal line by line and give each side a score, from $300bn in payments to Iran to the reopening Strait of Hormuz to a ban on nuclear weapons. Among those critical of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is former vice president Mike Pence, who has called Trump an appeaser and accused him of handing a “lifeline” to the Iranian regime - is he right?

Highlights

4-2 to Tehran - the US-Iran peace deal gutted

How the MoU proves the US lost the war

CONTRIBUTORS:

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

David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt

CONTENT REFERENCED:

How Trump’s ‘Operation Epic Disaster’ turned the world against America

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/18/iran-war-trump-us-credibility/

David Blair: Trump’s extraordinary deal is a survival plan for Iran

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/17/iran-deal-survival-plan-for-islamic-republic/

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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As details of the US-Iran 14-point peace deal leaks, Trump and other world leaders at the G7 summit today are singing its praises - but is it any good?

Venetia Rainey breaks down the proposed timeline in the Memorandum of Understanding that will see the war officially end, the Strait of Hormuz open up, sanctions on Iran lifted and something unspecified happen to Tehran’s enriched uranium. 

One country is particularly unhappy: Israel. So how will Benjamin Netanyahu respond? Global health security editor Paul Nuki joins from Tel Aviv to deliver a blunt realpolitik assessment on why Trump is trying to make Israel the lightning rod for the fallout from his unpopular war. 

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-Host and Executive Producer @venetiarainey

Paul Nuki, Global Health Security Editor @PaulNuki

CONTENT REFERENCED:

The 14-point Iran deal in full – and how it favours Tehran

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/17/the-14-point-iran-deal-in-full-how-it-favours-tehran/

War of broken promises leaves Israel weakened and despondent

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/16/broken-promises-israel-weakened-iran-trump/

IDF soldier ‘just wanted to kill’ my son

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/14/idf-soldier-just-wanted-to-kill-my-son/

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/

HIGHLIGHTS

Why Trump is throwing Israel under the bus over Iran war

‘Iran had its foot on the world’s throat. This deal is a way out’

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It’s become the crux of the US-Iran peace deal: is the Strait of Hormuz open or closed, free or with tolls? 

Roland Oliphant speaks to Richard Meade, editor in chief of Lloyd’s List, explains the lingering uncertainties left from Donald Trump’s Middle East war keeping shipping executives up at night and placing ordinary sailors in danger. 

Plus: as JD Vance insists the deal is “good for the American people”, Roland looks at the latest news, including the UK and France saying they are ready to help protect freedom of navigation in Hormuz and the politicisation of shipping from Iran to Russia. 

Highlights

Why Trump's peace deal hinges on the Strait of Hormuz

Mini exodus' of ships as Vance insists peace deal is ‘good for US’

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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Donald Trump has declared the Iran war over, telling oil tankers to "start their engines" as Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz and the US lifts its naval blockade. So why are so many people unhappy with the ‘peace deal’?

Roland Oliphant and Venetia Rainey dive into the latest news of what we know today about the Memorandum of Understanding - and what we don’t. They discuss the problems raised by the outline of the deal so far - from an agreement on nuclear weapons to the war in Lebanon - and why Israeli military leaders are calling it a "strategic failure”.

Highlights: 

Trump’s peace deal: is the US paying Iran to reopen Hormuz?

Plus: why both Israelis and Iranians are furious

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:

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

The winners and losers of the Iran war

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/14/winners-losers-iran-war-usa-trump-middle-east/

After 106 days of war, how Donald Trump and Iran finally agreed a deal

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/15/how-trump-iran-agreed-war-nuclear-strait-hormuz-deal/

Thirteen thousand air strikes - for what?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/15/us-launched-13000-air-strikes-on-iran-for-what/

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/-3VEIOK3-SU

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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After more than 100 days of the US-Iran war launched by Donald Trump, who is winning and who is losing?

An American and an Iranian debate the big successes, what could have gone better, and what the long-term implications will be. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant are joined by 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, from Ali Khamenei's death to an attack on a US base in Kuwait, why China is benefitting, and what surprised them most.

Highlights

100 days of war: the winners and losers so far

An American general and an Iranian analyst 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

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/-3VEIOK3-SU

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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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

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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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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

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 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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