Iran warns Trump: ‘We’ll take war global if you bomb us again’

Iran has threatened to spread the war beyond the Middle East if Donald Trump starts bombing the country again. Is it an empty threat or should we be worried?

Jonathan Hackett, a former US Marine Corps interrogator and special operations intelligence officer, joins the podcast again to discuss the state of Iran’s military capabilities, their Mosaic Doctrine and what next for the war with Venetia Rainey, Sophia Yan and Roland Oliphant.

They also discuss reports today that the US wanted to install former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Ali Khamenei’s place, news of secret Israeli bases in the Iraqi desert, and the shady Iran-linked group known as HAYI behind a series of attacks on Jews in London.

Plus, as Vladimir Putin visits Xi Jinping in China, Sophia looks at how the energy crisis caused by the war has boosted Moscow by forcing the UK and US to drop sanctions on Russian oil, and Venetia looks at JD Vance’s latest comments on peace deal talks.

Highlights

• Iran warns Trump: ‘We’ll take war global if you bomb us again’
• A US Marine on Iran’s terror war against the West

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

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

Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan

Jonathan Hackett, former US Marine Corps @jonathanhackett

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Akhtar Makoii: Iran’s plan to strike back in second round of war

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/19/iran-plan-strike-back-second-round-war/

Badenoch: PM’s sanctions U-turn will fund killing of Ukrainian soldiers

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/20/starmer-eases-sanctions-on-russian-oil/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells

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