| Enjoy full access to our free-thinking journalism for less than 50p per week | | Donald Trump has reportedly told his advisers that he wants a swift end to the conflict with Iran.
The US president is seeking to conclude the fighting before May 14 when he is due to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing for talks that were postponed because of the war, The Wall Street Journal reported.
It comes after the Iranian regime mocked the US president’s proposed peace deal yesterday, prompting the White House to warn that Trump would “unleash hell” if Iran did not accept his terms. | Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corp write a note on a missile – its ‘present’ for ‘foolish Trump’ | In response to Trump’s proposed deal, Iranian negotiators have made a counter-offer, demanding that the US closes all of its bases in the Gulf and pays reparations for the attacks.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Russia has begun arming Iran with drones, marking the first known transfer of lethal munitions from Moscow to Tehran since the war commenced. Below, Adrian Blomfield, our Senior Foreign Correspondent, discusses the growing link between the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
.png) | Adrian Blomfield Senior Foreign Correspondent | Residents in Gulf cities once synonymous with stability and prosperity are now getting a taste of what it has been like to live in Ukraine for the past four years.
However, the growing convergence between the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine amounts to more than a shared fear of the skies. | Soldiers test fibre optic drones before using them on the front line in Ukraine | For Russia and China, Iran and Ukraine may be different theatres, but they form part of the same struggle – one pitting an authoritarian alignment against a weakening Western-led order.
A Russian victory in Ukraine, coupled with the chastening of Donald Trump in Iran, would sweep away the last vestiges of Western dominance and confirm the dawn of a new “multipolar” era.
On the battlefield, the overlap is already visible. Shahed drone fragments bearing Cyrillic markings have been found in Dubai while officials believe Russian satellite intelligence has helped Iran strike US bases in six Arab states. Drone swarm tactics honed in Ukraine, and observed by Iranian officers stationed in Crimea, are now being deployed across the Middle East. | Security forces and first responders gather next to a damaged building at a site struck by a projectile near Tel Aviv | The spillover is not just tactical. The war is straining Western missile stockpiles and reshaping the economic battlefield in ways that could ultimately favour Moscow and Beijing.
Yet, to mounting frustration in Europe, the US president continues to treat Iran and Russia as separate challenges, the former as a rogue regime to be punished, the latter as a partner-in-waiting to be indulged.
European officials maintain that by refusing to connect the two, Trump risks strengthening Russia even as he weakens Iran – with profound consequences for European security and the future of the West.
This piece of analysis is available to subscribers only.
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Go deeper with our full coverage of the Iran war:
Follow the latest updates on the conflict ➤
Iran rejects peace plan and mocks Trump ➤
Russia arming Iran with drones to bolster war effort ➤
Royal Navy allowed to board Russian shadow fleet vessels for first time ➤ | | Allister Heath It is far too soon to conclude how this war will end, regardless of what Iranian propagandists and other appeasers would have us believe Continue reading ➤ Michael Deacon Why is the National Trust so obsessed with race? Continue reading ➤ Oliver Brown Premier League’s cupboard of superstars looks alarmingly bare Continue reading ➤ | | To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. | | In March 1944, following Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Hungary, a young Jewish woman fled with her husband and children to the United States. The Herzog family escaped with their lives, but not with their prized art collection of 40 pieces of 19th-century splendour worth millions. Nazi soldiers stole the collection and after the war the pieces were eventually displayed in museums across Hungary. Eighty years later, her grandson David DeCespel is fighting to have the collection returned and he has a reason to believe he may succeed. Continue reading ➤ | |  | | Vicky Ward, 56, wrote the famous profile The Talented Mr Epstein, which ran in Vanity Fair in March 2003 | | In 2002, British journalist Vicky Ward was commissioned to profile Jeffrey Epstein. Investigating the mysterious financier, she soon uncovered early allegations of sexual abuse from artist Maria Farmer and her teenage sister, Annie. As Ward dug deeper, Epstein’s chilling intimidation campaign began: he threatened to put a curse on her unborn twins and have her husband fired. When the magazine piece finally went to press, the sisters’ testimonies had vanished... Continue reading ➤ | | | | | Matt Brittin, 57, has worked at Trinity Mirror, Sainsbury’s and Google | | Matt Brittin, the former Google chief, was announced as the next director-general of the BBC yesterday. Clearly the corporation hopes that Brittin, who has never run a broadcasting company, will bring an outsider’s perspective on how to steady the ship. Melissa Twigg runs through the five things he needs to do to fix the Beeb. Continue reading ➤ | | | Yehudis Fletcher, 38, had been suppressing feelings about her sexuality since puberty | | Yehudis Fletcher was a strictly Orthodox wife and mother living in Stamford Hill when she first kissed a woman on the dancefloor of a lesbian club in Soho. For the next 10 years she lived her traditional life by day, and secretly frequented gay clubs by night. Here’s how her two worlds eventually collided… Continue reading ➤ | | | 1. Piloted sabotage drone approaches sunken vessel in the Thames Estuary’s no-fly zone
2. Drone detonates, toppling mast into ship’s cargo that could trigger explosives | | In Ukraine and the Middle East, drones have revolutionised warfare. Now they represent a threat to a sunken Second World War ship packed with explosives in the River Thames. Last year, a no-fly zone was imposed over the SS Richard Montgomery amid fears that it had become vulnerable to possible sabotage by unmanned aircraft. The damage from a strike would be devastating. For subscribers only ➤ | | | | | Tim Coles with his mother, Freddi, who died shortly before her 94th birthday after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 20 years earlier | | According to my mother’s death certificate, she died last year aged nearly 94 of a respiratory tract infection and dementia, writes Tim Coles. Though I did wonder if dementia really had anything to do with it. One thing’s for sure: Mum had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 20 years before, yet she never knew. I never told her; her doctors and nurses, hearing specialists, eye consultants and, latterly, care home staff, not to mention friends and family, all played ball too. Despite not having met anyone else who has taken this approach, I’m sure that for my mother, Freddi, it was the right one. Continue reading ➤ | | | The Telegraph’s Fashion team reveal the cuts, washes and details that separate great denim from the rest | The search for the perfect pair of jeans can feel endless, with the right cut, fit and wash often proving surprisingly elusive. The Telegraph’s Fashion team has scoured the high street for the most flattering, premium-looking jeans this season – including plenty of alternatives to tempt you, even if you rarely stray from your go-to pair. Continue reading ➤ Below is one more article for you this morning: - From the best way to resolve an argument to rebuilding physical intimacy, a couples therapist shares 12 daily habits to divorce-proof your marriage.
| | Every week, Sarah Knapton, our Science Editor, and Joe Pinkstone, our Science Correspondent, demystify your supernatural experiences. From ghoulish encounters to bizarre coincidences, there’s always a scientific explanation and nothing is as strange as it seems.
“Walking home one evening a few years ago I spied what looked like a perfect line of lights far away in the sky.
“It almost looked like planes were flying in the sky in tandem. I joked to my husband that they might be UFOs and didn’t think much of it until I saw someone recently on social media saying they believed in UFOs because they’d seen something exactly the same in the skies over Arizona as a child.
“Now, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a line of UFOs preparing to invade earth, but I’d love to know what it actually was. I don’t think they were drones as they were really really high up in the sky – as high up as an aeroplane – and appeared to be moving very slowly in a perfect line.
“Can you help? Many thanks!”
– Bianca
Sarah and Joe answer...
The timing of these two sightings is interesting, because it suggests that there are actually two separate things going on here.
Bianca’s line of lights moving across the night sky in tandem is almost certainly a Starlink satellite train, launched by SpaceX.
The first Starlink train was spotted by amateur astronomers on May 24, 2019 following SpaceX’s first internet constellation launch, which means that what Bianca saw cannot be what the social media user saw, unless they are extremely young.
So what else might cause a line of lights in the sky over Arizona?
The most famous incident of a similar phenomenon occurred in 1997, and is known as the Phoenix Lights case.
Read the full answer here ➤
Plus, send in your questions for Sarah and Joe here ➤ | National distrust Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
The National Trust hasn’t had an easy ride on the Letters page of late. I doubt anyone wanted it to come to this. It’s one of those institutions – the Church of England and the BBC also spring to mind – that has played an important part in many readers’ lives for decades, so the criticism comes from a place of care.
However, Alan Phizacklea, did not mince his words after reading Charles Moore’s article on the Trust’s latest ad campaign: “I have been concerned for some time that it is moving away from its core function and was prevaricating over whether to remain a member. Now see just how far it has strayed. I shall not be renewing my membership in June.”
Francis Charig added: “After several decades of membership, my wife and I feel increasingly distanced from the National Trust. Hilary McGrady, the director-general, asserts that the organisation is ‘here for everyone’.
“In practice, it often appears to be here only for those who subscribe to a revisionist interpretation of Britain’s past and view the country through a lens of suspicion or disdain. Longstanding members who value the conservation of our historic buildings, landscapes and traditions – without ideological overlay – are left wondering when the Trust ceased to be a custodian of heritage.”
Another concern is the treatment of volunteers and, again, readers speak from experience. “Four weeks ago,” wrote John Davenport, “my wife retired from her role as a tour guide at the Birmingham Back to Backs houses in the city centre.
“In addition, she was one of the founder members of a group of volunteers who made arrangements for people living with dementia and their carers to visit the site, for which they received a national award. Nobody from the management has taken the time to telephone or email my wife to thank her for her contribution over the years.”
Meanwhile, Judith Miers said: “years ago, the National Trust wished to make a promotional video. The late-lamented Clandon Park House was chosen. My mother and her friend were room stewards. They were cast as visitors, and a more glamorous woman was to ‘show’ them the treasures they already knew so much about.” Is the National Trust losing its way? Send your responses here, and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of From the Editor PM, for which you can sign up here.
Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name. | | Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was CONNECTED. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. | |
Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
P.S. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here. | |
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