Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen the Trump Administration levy more sanctions and other warnings towards Iran, reaching the inevitable stage where news chyrons and pundit panels have started drumming up the possibility of another overseas war. Phil and Cooper explain the recent back-and-forth between the US and Iran, and speak with the experts from Al-Monitor to learn more about what’s happening behind the curtains.

• Pro-Iran militia leader lashes out against Pompeo visit to Baghdad (Ali Mamouri)
• Trump names Iran’s IRGC terror organization, downplaying risks to US troops, Iraq stability (Laura Rozen)
• Iran condemns, reciprocates designation of IRGC as terrorist organization
• Intel: Navy downplays Iran hawks' messaging on latest deployment (Jack Detsch)
• Iran: UAE sabotage incident should be no excuse for US ‘adventurism’
• 'Neither talks nor war,' Khamenei says of US-Iran tensions
• Iranian FM calls military action against Iran 'political suicide'
• If Rouhani’s Europe outreach fails, nuclear deal could collapse (Rohollah Faghihi)
  

Extra Listening:

• Episode #62, Pompeo and Circumstances (7/26/2018): Secretary of State Pompeo gives an anti-Iran speech that served as the unofficial launch for the Trump Administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against the country.
  
• Episode #51, Deal or No Deal (5/3/2018): Trump gets ready to pull out of the Iran Nuclear Deal after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu gives him some enthralling (and old) intelligence on Iran.
• Episode #52, JCP-No-Way (5/10/2018): Trump withdraws from the Iran Nuclear Deal.
• Episode #64, The Sound of Sanctions (8/10/2018): Phil and Cooper discuss the first round of Trump’s new sanctions on Iran.
• Episode #76, The Sound of Sanctions, Part II (11/7/2018): Phil and Cooper speak with Barbara Slavin about the second round of new sanctions, and how they’ve already affected Iran’s economy.
• Episode #87, Over the Hill (2/15/2019): A history of Iran’s political revolution in 1979 that has led to endless diplomatic tensions with the United States.
  

Music: Mehrpouya - “Dokhtare Shab” (Spotify | Apple Music)