This Israeli election is the most strategically consequential in the country’s history, with record turnout as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns voters to pick him or die.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Roland Oliphant talks to former Israeli defence intelligence analyst and INSS fellow Danny Citrinowicz about why Netanyahu is reported to have pushed Donald Trump to restart the Iran war early so he could delay the election. When the US said no to avoid pushing up oil prices any further, leaks suggest the Israeli leader tried to find another way to provoke Tehran, only to be stopped by the IDF chief of staff.

They discuss the domestic and regional stakes for the country’s first wartime vote since Oct 7, and why the chances of renewed strikes against Iran are highly likely whether Bibi wins or loses.

Plus, two British men are charged over a suspected Iranian intelligence plot targeting RAF Fairford, a vessel catches fire off the coast of Iraq, and Iran warns it will target South Korean shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Highlights

• Netanyahu ‘pushed Trump for Iran strikes’ to delay first wartime Israeli election
• ‘Elect me or die’: Netanyahu’s Israel election threat as Iran war looms large

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Danny Citrinowicz, senior fellow at Institute for National Security Studies @citrinowicz

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Two men charged over suspected RAF Fairford terror plot

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/27/two-men-charged-over-raf-fairford-terror-plot/

Victory or prison: Bibi’s last stand

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/27/netanyahu-israeli-election-eisenkot-likud-iran/

Netanyahu ‘pushed for strike on Iran before Israeli election’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/27/netanyahu-pushed-for-iran-strike-before-israel-election/

Winner Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Producers: Peter Shevlin and 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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Donald Trump has threatened to restart the war with Iran with “another little Operation Epic Fury”, even as US intelligence exposes advanced Iranian plots targeting American personnel across the Middle East.

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant look at why the US and Israel are delaying strikes until after the midterm and parliamentary elections. Sascha Bruchmann, Research Fellow at the IISS in Bahrain, breaks down why the region is changing forever and the Gulf’s military posture as leaders from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey visit Iran for an emergency summit.

Plus, former President Barack Obama weighs in on the Iran war, the Tehran-backed Houthi forces launch ballistic missiles at Riyadh’s main airport, why war resilience is about more than stockpiling.

Highlights

• Trump vows a ‘little Operation Epic Fury’ against Iran
• Tehran plots to target American personnel across the Middle East

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

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

Sascha Bruchmann, IISS Defence and Military Analysis Research Fellow

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Obama accuses Trump of ‘chaos, cruelty and corruption’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/25/obama-accuses-trump-chaos-cruelty-corruption/

US withdraws diplomats from Saudi Arabia

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/22/us-withdraws-diplomats-from-saudi-arabia/

Winner Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Producers: Peter Shevlin and 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.

The US is preparing for a protracted war with Iran as Donald Trump’s UN ambassador, Mike Waltz, warns the US Navy can maintain its maritime blockade on Iranian ports indefinitely.

With Iranian seaborne oil exports falling toward zero, Washington is tightening its economic pressure campaign to force concessions on Tehran’s nuclear program.

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, host Roland Oliphant is joined by The Telegraph’s chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair. They unpack the escalation across the Middle East as Saudi air defenses intercept a Houthi ballistic missile over Riyadh, European and Middle Eastern foreign ministers convene in Istanbul, and the environmental cost of the war as UAE temporarily closes a beach due to dangerous contamination by a spill from a tanker.

Plus, oil prices surge to a five-month high amid fears of fresh US-Israeli strikes, and Benjamin Netanyahu orders a total lockdown of the West Bank just days before Israel's general election.

Highlights

• US Navy prepares for indefinite Iran blockade as oil revenues hit zero
• Houthis target a ballistic missile at Riyadh as regional allies convene in Istanbul

CONTRIBUTORS:

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

David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt

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

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Israel closes West Bank after shoot-out days before election https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/23/israel-closes-west-bank-after-shootout-before-election/

The testimony of 24 soldiers has put the Gaza toll at the heart of Israel’s election https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/21/naza-film-israel-netanyahu-election/?recomm_id=d05acaf9-6799-4c4c-b651-e0e86e1d4d0b

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Winner Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Chris January

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.