| | Old men in a Halabja market reflect on the previous Iran-Iraq conflict |  | Sophia Yan Senior Foreign Correspondent, in Halabja, Iraq | The soaring, snow-dappled peaks of the Zagros mountain range dividing Iraq and Iran offer little comfort or defence to the people of Halabja as war strikes yet again.
Residents in this corner of northern Iraq, right next to Iran, have lived through decades of conflict – even being gassed by the late dictator Saddam Hussein in what remains the world’s worst chemical weapons attack, which killed at least 5,000 people. Now, many fear they’ll be forced to relive the horrors as US and Israeli warplanes buzz in the skies to drop bombs over the Zagros ridgeline, and Iranian missiles spear overhead toward targets far and near, often within Iraq itself.
What’s even more worrying is the possibility that a ground invasion will be launched from here – an operation that would drag Halabja into the heart of war.
Sophia’s dispatch from the frontier between Iraq and Iran is available to subscribers only.
Continue reading ➤ | | Fuel tanker erupts in flames after attack in Gulf |  | Ben Farmer Foreign Correspondent, in Dubai | Six ships have been struck in the Gulf in 24 hours, setting tankers ablaze and killing at least one crewman.
Whatever Donald Trump may have said earlier in the week, in the Straits of Hormuz, the war does not appear to be “pretty much” over. Instead Tehran is escalating its campaign to choke the hairpin oil artery to increase its leverage. | The Thai cargo ship Mayuree Naree was hit in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday | The International Energy Agency has agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves to ease shortages. The release of emergency stocks is more than twice that conducted in the aftermath of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Despite this, the announcement did not stop oil prices going back over $100 per barrel. Sir Keir Starmer said the Government would “step in” if companies profiteered to exploit rising heating oil prices. The FBI meanwhile warned Iran could launch a drone attack on California.
The Islamic Republic has spent decades preparing to close the Strait using swarms of fast attack speedboats, sea mines and missile batteries. Trump said the waterway was now his priority. He said: “Now we’re going to look very strongly at the straits. The straits are in great shape.” | Trump speaking to reporters after landing at Joint Base Andrews | Chris Murphy, a Democrat senator for Connecticut, had earlier painted a different picture. After a two-hour classified briefing on America’s military campaign, he said the administration’s plans were “incoherent and incomplete”.
He said: “On the Strait of Hormuz, they had no plan.”
Follow the latest updates here ➤
Go deeper with our full coverage of the Iran war:
• US takes on Iran’s British-inspired minelayers in fight for Hormuz ➤
• Iran ‘planning drone attack on California’, warns FBI ➤ | | “If ever there was a time to talk about energy security then surely it is now,” writes Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The Ineos boss calls the crisis in Iran a “wake-up call” that should prompt Labour to end its North Sea drilling ban and scrap windfall taxes. He is now calling on Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, to approve two new gas developments and allow further exploration.
Continue reading ➤
P.S. Our To Business newsletter has a new look. For an expert guide to the people and events shaping economies, markets and industries, sign up here. | |  | | After Cyprus was targeted by an Iranian drone, Emmanuel Macron has proclaimed himself the island’s European saviour | | When an Iranian drone attacked Cyprus, it was a French warship, not a British one, that swooped in to help. Despite the UK boasting a £60bn defence budget, outspending France by a cool £7bn, Emmanuel Macron is being hailed as Europe’s protector. It turns out our cross-Channel rivals are getting much more bang for their buck, leaving Britain’s floundering forces a laughing stock. Continue reading ➤ | | | Allister Heath If Trump declares a premature victory, he will embolden our enemies and leave the Iranian regime unbowed For subscribers only ➤ Tom Harris The Mandelson files lay bare the depths of Starmer’s poor judgment Continue reading ➤ Allison Pearson The BBC is not living up to the ‘British’ part of its name Continue reading ➤ | | To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. | | Percentage of graduates in employment or further study five years after graduating, 2022-23 | Source: Department of Education | | Graduates are returning to university in a desperate attempt to stand out in the toughest jobs market for a decade. However, as their debts mount, and with a number of master’s degrees not leading to higher salaries, many are realising they have made a costly mistake. Ruby Cline investigates whether graduates have been sold a lie. Continue reading ➤ | | | | | Internet personality and high-stakes boxer Ed Matthews meets Louis Theroux in the new Netflix documentary | | ★★★★★
Louis Theroux’s Netflix debut is a look inside the troubling “manosphere”, which has left Benji Wilson, our TV critic, profoundly unsettled. The documentary sees Theroux meeting “a succession of cigar-smoking gym bros revving their Lamborghinis and overclocking their lives”. When challenged on their flagrant misogyny, homophobia and shadowy-cabal-running-the-world hokum, one replies: “I don’t give a f--- what people think, and I’m really rich.” Continue reading ➤ | | | | | Miranda Levy is forced to question whether to keep her Fiat 500 in London | | Between my latest speeding fine, a parking ticket and a no-through road violation, I’ve amassed a hefty bill for keeping my car in London over the last few months. So hefty, in fact, I’m considering giving it up altogether, writes Miranda Levy. I’m not alone. Motorists across the country are being heavily penalised for minor driving infractions to bolster the purse of the councils. In the words of one motoring expert, “the whole thing is a scam”. Continue reading ➤ | | | A Bottega Veneta-like jacket, denim culottes and jelly ballerinas are just a handful of the fashion highlights we can expect from M&S in the coming months. At a new collection preview on Tuesday, its designers revealed how carefully they’ve been navigating that balance between value and quality. For the most part they’ve pulled it off, with some hanger appeal to boot. Here is Telegraph Fashion’s verdict. Continue reading ➤ Here is another helpful article for you this morning: | | Cheltenham features lots of men and lots of alcohol |  | Guy Kelly Features Writer | When nearly 60,000 punters streamed through the gates of Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday morning, it marked the start of the “greatest show on turf” – in which the finest horses and the most talented jump jockeys vie to seal their legacies and enrich their owners in one of sport’s most storied settings.
However, modern Cheltenham is far more than just a horse racing festival: it’s also probably the booziest event in the British calendar, bringing utter chaos (and even a pop-up strip club) to the genteel Regency town for one long, long week every year.
| Pop-up strip club Eroticats is granted a licence to open for one week each year in the centre of town | In an assignment that was equal parts funny, exhausting and horrific, I joined the 8am beer train out of London Paddington and spent the day with the thirstiest revellers in the land.
It began with red wine for breakfast, went downhill from there, and ended 14 hours later with that chilling question: “Right, where’s still open?”
Continue reading ➤ | Pressing concerns 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...
“Ironing is going out of fashion,” declared a recent Telegraph article. “But can creases be cool?” If the answer is yes, I will just say for the record that I was way ahead of the curve. Feel free to consult me on other questions of style. Matching socks? Risibly gauche.
Not all readers have welcomed the crumpled new world, however. “In the 1970s”, wrote Angela Walters, “a former model stayed with us. One day she came to me in a frightful flap, asking where the iron was. Her white linen pencil skirt had a crease in the back, and she couldn’t possibly appear at our drinks party with that. Ironed clothes were an absolute must for her – as they are for me. My husband is 83 and has never ironed anything in his life. Aged 74, I have never filled in an annual tax return. We have been together for 56 years. When asked what my formula for a long marriage is, I say: I pick up the socks and he picks up the bills.”
Julian Bates added: “When I was little, if I was good my mother would let me iron the handkerchiefs. On Tuesday, aged 89, I ironed the latest batch. I take the greatest pleasure in a freshly laundered, perfectly ironed handkerchief.”
Others were less convinced of the appeal. Sheila Taylor recalled: “A new bride in 1958, I was working full-time while also studying for professional exams. Once, as I had an essay due the next day, my husband offered to iron his shirts. Afterwards he said there were better things to do in life than ironing, and that he’d never again buy shirts that needed to be ironed. And he didn’t.” Are you tough on crinkles – or do you leave your clothes fashionably unironed? 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 FOOLHARDY. 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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