US ‘blows up’ Iran mine-laying ships as Trump chases ‘bum deal’
US ‘blows up’ Iran mine-laying ships as Trump chases ‘bum deal’  
Podcast: Iran: The Latest
Published On: Tue May 26 2026
Description: The US says it has bombed Iranian mine-laying ships in the Strait of Hormuz and a missile launch site in southern Iran. Tehran says it has downed American drones. Is the war about to restart?Former Royal Navy officer Tom Sharpe explains what we know about the latest tit-for-tat military activity today and why the timing is unusual. He also gives an inside look at the threat posed by Iran’s newly deployed “ship-smashing” Ghadir mini-submarines, known as the “dolphins of the Persian Gulf”.Plus, Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan discuss why the signs suggest peace talks are set to continue for now. While Chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair analyses what Donald Trump could get out of a deal - and why he’s making more and more concessions to the Iranian regime each passing week, including over its nuclear programme. HighlightsClashes in Hormuz as US ‘blows up’ Iranian mine-laying ships Why Donald Trump is chasing a ‘quick and incomplete deal’CONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineySophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanDavid Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdtTom Sharpe, ex-Royal Navy officer @TomSharpe134CONTENT REFERENCED:US strikes on Iran threaten fragile ceasefirehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/26/us-strikes-on-iran-threaten-fragile-ceasefire-war/David Blair: Trump’s latest gambit on Iran is a smokescreenhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/26/trump-latest-gambit-iran-smokescreen/Tom Sharpe: Iran’s ship-smasher mini subs are loose in Hormuz. I’ve been up against them beforehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/18/iran-irin-irgcn-mini-submarines-torpedoes-strait-hormuz/Producer: Peter ShevlinExecutive 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.