‘Love tap’ or ‘reckless adventure’? US and Iran trade fire and blame
· 43 min
Episode ‘Love tap’ or ‘reckless adventure’? US and Iran trade fire and blame
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.
Links in the notes 3
Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.