US Navy fires Hellfires as Houthi Red Sea strikes kill first mariners | Iran: the Latest news
The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out their first deadly strikes of the war, killing six mariners in a double-tap ballistic missile attack on a cargo vessel in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, near the Strait of Hormuz, US Navy helicopters have fired Hellfire missiles to disable a ship breaking Donald Trump’s blockade. On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined by veteran British Army officer Tim Collins, famous for his ‘tread lightly’ speech prior to leading British troops into Iraq in 2003 (and dramatised by Kenneth Branagh in the 2008 BBC series 10 Days to War). Just back from a trip to Bahrain, Tim unpacks the difficult position the Gulf is now in and the parallels between the Iraq and Iran regimes. Plus, is this America’s Suez Crisis? Tim argues that US dominance is declining as a result of the fast-escalating conflict and offers a piece of advice to Trump for how to end the war. CHAPTERS 00:00 Iran War Update: Houthi Attacks & Tim Collins Interview 00:01:00 Houthi Red Sea Missile Strike Kills Mariners 00:03:30 Red Sea Shipping Crisis & Global Food Supply Risks 00:07:05 US Navy Blockade on Iran & UK Foreign Policy Role 00:13:01 Tim Collins on 2003 Iraq Invasion vs. Iran War Strategy 00:18:05 Rules of Engagement: Is America Facing a Suez Moment? 00:20:23 US & UK Military Bases in the Middle East 00:23:44 Inside Bahrain: Middle East Security Architecture 00:27:37 AI Drones, Autonomous Warfare & Undersea Cables 00:33:08 Trump Advice & Kenneth Branagh's Tim Collins Speech CREDIT: BBC CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Tim Collins, former British Army officer @tim_324 CONTENT REFERENCED: Tim Collins: Britain’s old friend and ally in the Gulf would welcome us back https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026... Britain opens first naval overseas base in 50 years in sign of ‘global reach’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018... Col. Tim Collins' full speech, Kuwait, 19 March, 2003 https://www.dajobe.org/2003/03/collins/ BBC: 10 Days to War mini series https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009... Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026 Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026 Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026 The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026 Producer: Peter Shevlin Video Producer: 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 [email protected] ► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
