A landmark Pentagon report has exposed the devastating cost of the Iran war for the US military: 59 aircraft damaged or destroyed, bases struck across the Middle East, and critical missile stockpiles depleted for up to 5 years.
On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to former Defense and State Department insider Kori Schake, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She unpicks how the report lays bare the underpreparedness of Donald Trump’s administration for Iran’s precision missile attacks on key US assets. They also discuss how the toll of the war has created a critical window of vulnerability that China could exploit in the Pacific if it wanted to seize Taiwan.
Plus, Anthropic’s new threat report reveals how Iran and the Houthis are using Claude AI to finetune weapons and target the US Navy, Trump goes behind Saudi Arabia’s back to make a secret deal with the Yemeni militants over the Red Sea, and will Pete Hegseth be impeached?
PIC CREDIT: CBS
Highlights
- Pentagon exposes mass US aircraft losses and base damage from Iran war
- Trump makes secret deal with the Houthis over the Red Sea
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Kori Schake, director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute @KoriSchake
WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Houthis claim to have shot down Saudi fighter jet
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/16/houthis-claim-downing-of-saudi-fighter-jet/
Akhtar Makoii: Four ways the Houthis became a major military power
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/17/four-ways-houthis-major-military-power-yemen-iran-weapons/
US committed war crimes in Iran school strike, say UN experts
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/17/us-committed-war-crimes-iran-school-strike-experts/
CBS: New photos show widespread damage at U.S. positions caused by Iranian missile, drone attacks
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-photos-damage-u-s-kuwait-saudi-arabia-iran-drone-missile-attacks/
LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT ON OPERATION EPIC FURY
https://media.defense.gov/2026/Sep/09/2003993626/-1/-1/1/OEF_Q3_JUN2026_FINAL_508%20SECURE.PDF
Anthropic: Detecting and countering misuse of AI - September 2026
https://www-cdn.anthropic.com/e50be2e51e7695dc4b1366a37a245a597377d3b5/Anthropic-Detecting-and-countering-091026.pdf
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: Peter Shevlin
Video Producer: Max Bower
Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey
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