Are we heading for World War Three?
Will the US-Israel war with Iran spiral out of control and how can it be stopped?
An episode of the The Global Story podcast, hosted by BBC World Service, titled "Are we heading for World War Three?" was published on March 25, 2026 and runs 27 minutes.
March 25, 2026 ·27m · The Global Story
Summary
It has been almost a month since Israel and the US launched their war against Iran, and already there have been strikes in more than a dozen countries, with reports of over 2,000 people killed across the region. As the war drags on and more countries get involved, there are concerns this conflict could escalate into something truly global. We speak to emeritus professor of International History at the University of Oxford, Margaret MacMillan, and explore how world wars start, how they end and what can be done to avoid them. Producers: Chris Benderev and Lucy Pawle Executive producer: James Shield Sound engineer: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins (Photo: US Military aircraft perform 4th of July flyover past New York City and New Jersey, 4 July 2020. Credit: Mike Segar/Reuters)
Episode Description
It has been almost a month since Israel and the US launched their war against Iran, and already there have been strikes in more than a dozen countries, with reports of over 2,000 people killed across the region. As the war drags on and more countries get involved, there are concerns this conflict could escalate into something truly global.
We speak to emeritus professor of International History at the University of Oxford, Margaret MacMillan, and explore how world wars start, how they end and what can be done to avoid them.
Producers: Chris Benderev and Lucy Pawle
Executive producer: James Shield
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
(Photo: US Military aircraft perform 4th of July flyover past New York City and New Jersey, 4 July 2020. Credit: Mike Segar/Reuters)
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