Two weeks in: A US Marine on Iran’s plan to win

From Iran’s perspective, this war is going according to plan. Even though America and Israel have dominated the battlefield, the regime has not collapsed, the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked, and the entire region is under pressure. Yet major questions remain over how many missiles they have left and how long they can stop major protests from erupting once again on the streets. 

Roland Oliphant is joined by The Telegraph’s chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair and foreign correspondent Akhtar Makoii to discuss the conflict so far and answer listeners’ questions. 

Plus, Jonathan Hackett, a former Marine Corps interrogator, counterintelligence agent, and special operations intelligence officer, returns to give his assessment of the past two weeks, discuss the Israeli covert ops taking place on the ground, and look at where things might go from here. 

CONTRIBUTORS:

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

David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt

Akhtar Makoii, foreign correspondent @akhtar_makoii

Jonathan Hackett

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Mojtaba Khamenei has called for Iranian unity – but he may not be alive

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/13/mojtaba-khamenei-uniting-iran-against-trump-may-not-alive/

David Blair: Iran’s leaders have every reason to believe they’re succeeding

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/12/irans-leaders-every-reason-believe-succeeding/

Producer: Sophie O'Sullivan

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

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