# Gulf gets laser-guided missiles to fight drones & Iran executions soar Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/iran-the-latest-6656846/gulf-gets-laser-guided-missiles-to-fight-drones-iran-executions-soar Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/iran-the-latest-6656846/gulf-gets-laser-guided-missiles-to-fight-drones-iran-executions-soar.md Podcast: [Iran: The Latest](https://stenobird.com/podcast/iran-the-latest-6656846) Published: 2026-05-18T15:43:39+00:00 Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/battle-lines-israel-gaza/episodes/gulf-gets-laser-guided-missiles-to-fight-drones-iran-executi Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6583019ebbd71a00175001c8/e/6a0b32f44239db8b877e6e0f/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/iran-the-latest-6656846/episodes/gulf-gets-laser-guided-missiles-to-fight-drones-iran-executions-soar Duration seconds: 2583 ## Resource Executions have soared inside Iran, with new Amnesty data today showing more than 2,000 people were given the death penalty in 2025.   Roland Oliphant speaks to Iranian journalist in exile Maryam Mazrooei about the “bloodthirsty” regime’s latest tactic to scare citizens into silence amid the war with the US and Israel. She also explains why the mood inside the country is increasingly dark amid a growing economic disaster, with mass layoffs and no internet. Plus, the UK has fitted new laser-guided missiles to its Typhoon jets on patrol in the Gulf. Venetia Rainey talks to acting defence editor Tom Cotterill about how they have been designed to talk on Iranian Shahed drones and why they were developed so fast.  Tom also talks about his recent trip to the Falklands, where locals dismissed rumours that the US may drop its backing for British sovereignty over the Islands as punishment for not joining Donald Trump’s war against Iran.  Highlights  Gulf gets new laser-guided missiles to help smash Iranian drones ‘Bloodthirsty’ Iran regime executions hit all-time high as economy freefalls CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant Tom Cotterill, acting defence editor @TomCotterillX Maryam Mazrooie, journalist @MaryammazrooeiS CONTENT REFERENCED: Trump: There won’t be anything left of Iran if it refuses peace deal https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/17/trump-wont-be-anything-left-of-iran-if-refuses-peace-deal/ Typhoon jets equipped with cheaper missiles to fend off Iranian attacks https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/17/typhoon-jets-new-missiles-iran-attacks/ Tom Cotterill: Trump is using us as a pawn, says Falklands chief https://ww… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/iran-the-latest-6656846/episodes/gulf-gets-laser-guided-missiles-to-fight-drones-iran-executions-soar/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/iran-the-latest-6656846/gulf-gets-laser-guided-missiles-to-fight-drones-iran-executions-soar.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.