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Welcome to the briefing room with me, David Aronovich.

There's been an ominous build-up of tension between the United States and Iran in recent days.

Its most obvious manifestation, the deployment of a US aircraft carrier and its strike group to the Gulf.

So this week, I'm looking to be briefed on how close the United States and Iran may be to going to war.

And if you enjoy this podcast, you might enjoy other editions of the briefing room,

which are all available on BBC Sounds.

Last week, for example, we looked at whether measles vaccinations should be made compulsory.

Music for example, we looked at whether measles vaccinations should be made compulsory.

On Monday, the Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said he was worried about a conflict breaking out between the US and Iran by accident. On Tuesday, the US military raised its threat level in the Middle East in response to

intelligence about Iranian-backed forces in the region.

On Wednesday, non-essential American staff at the embassy in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq

were told to evacuate.

And this all came after the US hastened the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Persian Gulf.

So today I want to know what's going on.

Are the United States and Iran in danger of going to war?

Step inside the briefing room to find out.

Thank you. to war. Step inside the briefing room to find out. The origin of this latest ratcheting up of tensions was the American decision in May 2018

to pull out of the Iran deal, the JCPOA. I'll say that again, the J-C-P-O-A, the agreement signed by six countries and Iran,

while President Obama was in office. It was designed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Ali Vez, who is the director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group,

came into the briefing room to tell me about it.

...