Al Jazeera Podcasts.

Today, an Iran standoff is heating up.

Iran has warned the United States against any attacks, saying Tehran would strike back against Israel

and regional U.S. military targets.

With Tehran saying it's ready for war, and the U.S. president telling Iranian protesters

help is on the way, could this spread far beyond Iran?

I'm Alika Bilalal and this is the take.

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about this episode and what other angles you want to see as news in Iran and beyond continues to unfold.

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My name is Nagar, Mortaza V. I am editor and host of the Iran podcast and a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy.

Nagar, welcome to The Take. You know, I've had the privilege of interviewing you about Iran for the past 10 years, at least.

And one of the first conversations I can remember us having on Al Jazeera

was about sanctions being lifted in 2016 in the wake of the Iran deal

and the relief that that was going to bring people.

But here we are in 26, in the third week of mass protests that erupted over the economy

and have been met with an internet blackout and a deadly government crackdown.

So how would you describe what's happening in Iran right now?

Great to see, Amalika, again. Thanks for having me. I would say the past four and so decades between Iran and the U.S. has mostly been animosity and a path toward conflict and potentially a big war that has just been brewing and brewing.

That era, when we talk about the nuclear negotiations and the lifting of sanctions, was sort of a bump in the road.

This is when a U.S. President, Barack Obama, came into office with very serious intention,

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