Why Iran’s system may endure the US–Israel strikes
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 747 Ratings
🗓️ 2 March 2026
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
With Iran’s supreme leader killed and retaliation unfolding, the US and Israel appear to be testing the durability of the Islamic Republic. But Iran’s political system was designed to survive leadership loss and outside pressure. What does Washington misunderstand about Tehran’s structure, and how far is Iran prepared to go?
In this episode:
- Ali Hashem, Al Jazeera Correspondent
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolomé, Sarí el-Khalili, David Enders, and Tamara Khandaker, with Spencer Cline, Catherine Nouhan, Tuleen Barakat, Maya Hamadah, Noor Wazwaz, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Alexandra Locke.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Today, Iran's supreme leader is gone, but the Islamic Republic continues. |
| 0:17.0 | In Iran, the top national security official says there will be no negotiations with the United States. |
| 0:23.6 | After days of intense bombing by the U.S., Israel and Iran, we explain why Iran's system is built to hold. |
| 0:31.6 | I'm Malika Bilal and this is The Take. |
| 0:53.2 | Hey everyone. Wherever you're watching or listening to this, today is the day to subscribe to the Take on your podcast app. |
| 0:57.8 | We ask because we want more people to get their daily news podcasts from Al Jazeera, |
| 0:59.7 | and there is no better time. |
| 1:01.8 | While you're there, leave us a review. |
| 1:04.0 | It helps other people discover the show. |
| 1:06.0 | Now, here's the episode. |
| 1:12.8 | I'm Ali Hashim, and I'm a correspondent for Al Jazeera. |
| 1:13.9 | I'm a colonist. |
| 1:20.4 | I write articles on the region, dynamics, how things are and how things are changing and why they are changing. |
| 1:24.3 | Well, Ali, welcome back to the take. |
| 1:29.4 | I'm talking to you today because you are knee-deep, as we all are, into this joint U.S. Israeli offensive on Iran, and that is a place that you know well. You've been a |
| 1:34.7 | journalist in the region for years, a former bureau chief in Tehran. You have deep contacts |
| 1:39.6 | with officials and diplomats there, and you yourself are from Lebanon. So many bona fides there. |
| 1:46.9 | What have these past few days been like from your vantage point? Well, the past few days were |
| 1:52.6 | something that were anticipated. Actually, this war is something that I knew is going to happen. |
| 2:00.8 | It's not only me that knew. Everyone knew it's going to happen. It's not only me that knew. |
| 2:02.0 | Everyone knew it's going to happen. |
... |
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