“The inability or unwillingness of the Trump administration to connect the dots on what is going on, from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, is a reflection of the lack of really good deep strategic thinking.”
On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined once again by former Commanding General of US Army Europe, Gen Ben Hodges, to discuss the US-Iran war as it nears the 200-day mark.
The Iran-backed Houthis have seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline including the strategic Perim Island, giving them control of the vital Bab al-Mandeb Strait. And despite pleas from Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to intervene as oil prices surge toward $110/barrel, Donald Trump has refused to launch strikes, offering up intelligence assistance instead. Gen Hodges analyses the strategic drift that has marked the war, the Pentagon and US policy in the Middle East.
Plus, why mass lie-detector tests and personnel purges signal China-style paranoia inside the Pentagon, what news of damage to US fighter jets in Jordan says about US military preparedness, and the hard lessons from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars 25 years on from the 9/11 attacks.
#Yemen #RedSeaCrisis #BabelMandeb #MiddleEastWar #GeneralBenHodges #Pentagon #USMilitary #USNews #Geopolitics #OilPrices #IranConflict #BRICS2026
00:00 - Introduction & General Ben Hodges Returns
01:04 - Houthis Take Yemen's Red Sea Coastline & Bab el-Mandeb Strait
03:08 - How Dangerous is this Moment in the War?
05:00 - US Military Intelligence Sharing & Overstretched Forces
08:14 - Assessing the US War Effort & Risk of Dragging into 2029
12:40 - Economic Impacts: Red Sea Oil Shipping & Rising Energy Prices
16:13 - Geopolitical Shifts: BRICS Summit & Iran-Russia-China Alliances
19:51 - Strategic Drift & Pentagon Purges: Polygraph Tests and Resignations
23:44 - The Threat to Military Culture & Oath to the Constitution
25:48 - Reflections 25 Years After 9/11 & Lessons from the Iraq War
33:56 - Soft Power vs. Hard Power: Balancing Aid and Defence Strategy
38:23 - Conclusion & Wrap-Up
Highlights
Trump refuses Saudi plea for strikes as Houthis seize Red Sea
US Gen Ben Hodges on the US-Iran war, Pentagon chaos and 9/11
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Gen Ben Hodges, former Commanding General US Army Europe @general_ben
WATCH US ON YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Trump refuses MBS pleas to stop Houthis’ rapid advance
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/11/trump-refuses-mbs-pleas-to-stop-houthis-rapid-advance/
Rubio and Vance ‘think Iran war could last beyond the end of Trump’s term’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/10/white-house-iran-war-trump-term/
Pentagon forces staff to take lie detector tests over Iran war leaks
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/05/pentagon-lie-detection-polygraph-tests-military-iran-leaks/
RUSI UK Security in a Post Aid World:
https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/projects/uk-security-post-aid-world
Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Audio Producer: Max Bower
Video Producer: Peter Shevlin
Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh
Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey
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