{"podcast":{"title":"Iran: The Latest","slug":"iran-the-latest-6656846","podcast_index_feed_id":6656846,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6583019ebbd71a00175001c8","website_url":"https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran--the-latest/","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6583019ebbd71a00175001c8/1772473555635-cba7af84-d6d4-4f86-919d-4324a711e2a4.jpeg","author":"Louisa Wells","episode_count":354,"summary":"Iran: The Latest is The Telegraph’s defence, security and foreign affairs news podcast providing deep-dive analysis on the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran. Veteran foreign correspondents Roland Oliphant and Venetia Rainey bring you the latest updates from The Telegraph’s award-winning journalists, plus exclusive interviews with world-class experts in military strategy, international relations, and Middle East policy. From attacks on the Gulf to Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Houthis in Yemen to the threat of nuclear escalation, stay informed with the best of The Telegraph’s Middle East coverage in one place. As the geopolitical landscape shifts, subscribe for essential updates on the security shifts defining our global future. Every Wednesday on Battle Lines: Global Health Security they’re joined by Arthur Scott-Geddes to look at the intersection between health and security, from bioweapons to warzone diseases to frontline medicine. You can watch these episodes here . Battle Lines, a defence podcast with a wider scope and created by David Knowles, previously lived on this feed. Don’t forget to follow and leave a review to stay updated on the latest in global conflict…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T06:20:06.077420+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/iran-the-latest-6656846"},"episode":{"title":"‘Bitter, weak and corrupted’: How Ali Khamenei ruined Iran","slug":"bitter-weak-and-corrupted-how-ali-khamenei-ruined-iran","published_at":"2026-07-12T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/iran-the-latest-6656846/bitter-weak-and-corrupted-how-ali-khamenei-ruined-iran","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/iran-the-latest-6656846","url":"https://shows.acast.com/battle-lines-israel-gaza/episodes/ali-ansari-ep","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6583019ebbd71a00175001c8/e/6a511481a410914b585792c4/media.mp3","summary":"Four months after he was assassinated by Israeli and US airstrikes on the first day of the Iran war, former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei has been buried in an elaborate funeral. But who was he behind all the mythology and pomp? How did he shape modern Iran into the impoverished, rogue nation it is today? And what does his life tell us about what his son Mojtaba Khamenei will be like as Iran’s new leader? Venetia Rainey speaks to Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian History and director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews, about Khamenei’s legacy and backstory. Ali lays out how this fake ayatollah was corrupted by absolute power, how he allied with the IRGC to steal the state's wealth, and why his \"princeling\" son Mojtaba is even weaker.  Highlights ‘Bitter, weak and corrupted’: how Ali Khamenei ruined Iran Ali Ansari on his backstory and what his son Mojtaba will be like CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Ali Ansari, professor University of St Andrews @aa51_ansari WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk Producer: Peter Shevlin 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 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.","meta_description":"Four months after he was assassinated by Israeli and US airstrikes on the first day of the Iran war, former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei has been b…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1716,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/iran-the-latest-6656846/episodes/bitter-weak-and-corrupted-how-ali-khamenei-ruined-iran/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/iran-the-latest-6656846/bitter-weak-and-corrupted-how-ali-khamenei-ruined-iran.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}