As two more ships are attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and the ceasefire in Lebanon nears its end, all eyes are on the high-stakes US-China summit in Beijing.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping say they agree that Iran must not have nuclear weapons and that the Strait must be reopened - but what does that mean in practice?

Ahmed Aboudouh, Associate Fellow for Middle East and North Africa at Chatham House, joins Roland Oliphant and Sophia Yan and explains how Beijing’s complex relationship with Tehran and the Gulf monarchies will inform its approach to the war.

Highlights

• What Beijing really wants from the Iran crisis
• The balancing act between Tehran and the Gulf states

CONTRIBUTORS:

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

Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent, @sophia_yan

Ahmed Aboudouh, Chatham House @AAboudouh

CONTENT REFERENCED:

China ‘secretly planning to ship arms to Iran’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/05/13/china-weapons-deal-iran/

China will benefit from the Iran war, regardless of any deal between Trump and Tehran

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/05/china-will-benefit-iran-war-regardless-any-deal-between-trump-and-tehran

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/

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

Weeks of American and Israeli airstrikes inflicted grievous losses on Iran’s military. Or so we thought.

Now, US intelligence assessments suggest that Iran retains 70 percent of the missiles and launch vehicles it had before the war - including most of the sites threatening the Strait of Hormuz.

Holly Dagres joins Roland Oliphant and Sophia Yan to unpack the implications. She also explains why Iran’s hardliners are unlikely to listen to China’s leader Xi Jinping, have stepped up execution of opponents and alleged spies at home, and are nose-diving the economy with a crippling internet black out. This is the latest from Donald Trump’s war against Iran – which will overshadow his summit later this week with Xi.

Highlights

• Iran retains 70 percent of its missile arsenal
• Why Tehran's hardliners will resist pressure from China

CONTRIBUTORS:

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

Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent, @sophia_yan

Holly Dagres, Washington Institute, @hdagres

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/

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

The US-Iran ceasefire is on ‘life support,’ says Donald Trump. Iran may enrich Uranium to weapons grade if the war resumes, says its government.

All this sets the stage for Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing this week, where he will ask Xi Jinping for help bringing the war to a satisfactory end.

Might the two most powerful men on the planet might find a way to re-open the Strait of Hormuz and end the war? But does China have the leverage to force Iran to act, and would Xi Jinping be willing to use it to help out Donald Trump?

Highlights

• Can China stop the Iran conflict from spiralling further?
• What will a successful US-China Summit look like for Trump?

CONTRIBUTORS:

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

Allegra Mendelson, Asia Correspondent

Dr Alessandro Arduino, RUSI Associate Fellow, International Security

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Antonia Langford, Putin expands world’s largest drone factory

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/11/putin-expands-worlds-largest-drone-factory/

Benedict Smith, Trump: ceasefire with Iran is on life support

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/11/iran-us-war-latest-tehran-executes-alleged-cia-mossad-spy/

Robert White, UAE ‘carried out secret attacks on Iran’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/12/uae-secret-attacks-on-iran/

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/

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

As Donald Trump rejects Iran’s rejection of his peace terms, diplomatic efforts to end the war are back where they started. David Blair explains how this leaves Donald Trump with little choice to restart the war - but with little appetite to do so.

And with time running out before the US president heads to China for a high-stake summit with Xi Jinping. Memphis Barker explains how Xi Jinping could help Donald Trump to end the war, why he is unlikely to be terribly helpful, and why some fear the US might sell out Taiwan in exchange for Chinese help.

Highlights

• Netanyahu preparing to reengage militarily
• Can Xi Jinping help Donald Trump find an off-ramp from the Iran war?

CONTRIBUTORS:

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

David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator, @davidblairdt

Memphis Barker, senior foreign correspondent, @memphisbarker

CONTENT REFERENCED:

‘Double-dealing’ Pakistan plots windfall from Iran peacemaker role

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/03/pakistan-takes-centre-stage-in-iran-negotiations/

Trump now has three options. They are all bad

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/06/trump-three-options-all-bad/

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/

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

The US and Iran have traded fire - and blame - in the Strait of Hormuz, is the war about to restart?

The ceasefire is looking shakier than ever after America bombed Iranian coastal cities overnight. It said it was a response to Tehran attacking three US destroyers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Today, Iran has attacked the UAE with drones and missiles. President Donald Trump says the US strikes were just a “love tap”, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi calls it a “reckless military adventure”.

Venetia Rainey is joined by Washington bureau chief Arthur MacMillan to discuss the view from the US following a week of U-turns and uncertainty. He explains why he does not have high expectations of a peace deal being struck before Trump goes to China, what the American public make of the war, and why the US may well pull more troops out of Europe.

Plus, Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin takes listeners inside a Hezbollah tunnel in a dispatch from southern Lebanon, where he reports on Israel’s plan to create a northern buffer zone in the style of Gaza.

Highlights

• ‘Love tap’ or ‘reckless adventure’? US and Iran trade fire and blame
• Plus: a dispatch from inside a Hezbollah tunnel in Lebanon

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

Arthur MacMillan, Washington bureau chief @arthurmacmillan

Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkin

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Connor Stringer: How Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ fell apart in one day

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/05/06/us-iran-trump-military-diplomacy-project-freedom/

Henry Bodkin: Inside the tunnels that show Hezbollah doesn’t want peace with Israel

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/07/inside-tunnels-show-hezbollah-doesnt-want-peace-with-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/

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

Is America’s Operation Epic Fury really over?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US’s military campaign against the Iranian regime has finished, and there are growing reports of a US-Iran peace deal in the offing. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant break down the top three news stories you need to know today, from why Donald Trump has ended Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz to the importance of talks between Iran and China.

Plus, did a spat over the Iran war prompt Trump to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany last week? Berlin correspondent James Rothwell explains the significance of America’s significant troop presence in the country and why America’s pull-out is fuelling speculation that Nato is well and truly over.

Highlights

• The end of Operation Epic Fury amid growing talks of a peace deal
• Why Trump has pulled troops from Germany following Iran war spat

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey

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

James Rothwell, Berlin correspondent @JamesERothwell

CONTENT REFERENCED:

David Blair: Trump now has three options. They are all bad

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/06/trump-three-options-all-bad/

Akhtar Makoii: Trump and Mojtaba Khamenei have more in common than they realise

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/06/trump-and-mojtaba-khamenei-have-more-in-common-they-realise/

Donald Tusk: Nato is disintegrating

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/02/donald-tusk-nato-is-disintegrating/

Why the US cannot fight another war after Iran without China’s help

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/30/us-cannot-fight-another-war-after-iran-without-china-help/

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/

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

Is the US-Iran war about to restart amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz?

Donald Trump has launched Project Freedom - a US Navy mission to break the Iranian blockade imposed since the beginning of the war. However, while the White House has framed the escort of neutral vessels as a “humanitarian gesture”, Tehran sees it as an escalation. Iran has fired missiles and drones at ships and an oil port in the UAE, and today says it is “just getting started”.

Roland Oliphant and chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair discuss the latest updates and why both sides are now likely locked in a downward spiral, putting us “one step” away from renewed all-out fighting.

Plus, former US Navy submariner Bryan Clark, director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute, explains why America must put more force into the Strait of Hormuz if it wants to win against a patient enemy like Iran. He also talks through Iran’s remaining naval capabilities, from midget subs to fast boats.

Highlights

• Why Trump’s Project Freedom will fail without more force
• An ex-US Navy submariner on what it will take to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

CONTRIBUTORS:

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

David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt

Bryan Clark, senior fellow Hudson Institute @clarkdefense

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Trump has finally realised he must seize the Strait of Hormuz

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/04/trump-finally-realised-seize-the-strait-of-hormuz/

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/

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