Show Notes
US military veterans are turning on Donald Trump and the Republican party as the Iran war drives fuel prices past $6 a gallon ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections.
In today’s bonus episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined by US reporters Poppy Wood and Ben Smith, who have been speaking to ex-military voters and candidates at the Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia and key midterm races.
They examine why Republican ex-servicemen are increasingly choosing to sit out the vote and how an ex-Green Berets independent candidate is part of a broader veteran movement to challenge both mainstream parties.
Plus, leaked audio shows Ken Paxton, a close Trump ally running for a Republican Senate seat in Texas, criticising the war’s economic fallout for Americans, and the latest predictions for who will win what in Congress.
Highlights US veterans revolt against Trump and Republicans ahead of midterms Iran war causes $6 diesel spike for Americans
CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Poppy Wood, US correspondent @poppyeh Benedict Smith, Washington correspondent @bsmithjourno
WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk
CONTENT REFERENCED: Veterans turn on Trump over Iran war https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/28/veterans-trump-iran-war-midterms-dispatch/ Green Beret leads ‘double haters’ in mission to blow up midterms https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/10/05/rhodes-scholar-green-beret-end-two-party-politics-montana/ The Left-wing streamer becoming a toxic liability for Democrats https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/25/hasan-piker-controversy-abdul-ed-sayed-us-midterms/
Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026 Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026 Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026 Nominated Podcast of the Year - London Press Club Awards 2026 The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh Studio Operator: Andy Watson Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey
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More from Iran: The Latest
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed his military to plan a multi-day bombing campaign targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and power grids, as talks with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signal preparation for joint military action against Iran.
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The Iran war has stretched the US Congress to breaking point and exposed Pete Hegseth’s leadership of the Pentagon as fundamentally lacking, according to an ex-tank commander who is neither a Republican nor a Democrat.