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

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► 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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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.