War in Iran
U.S. initiated war strikes the Middle East once again; but, this time, the main motives aren’t so clear. On Feb. 28, after weeks of tension, both the U.S. and Israel launched a series of attacks on Iran’s capital, Tehran, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, chaos has erupted throughout the Middle East with constant retaliation from both sides, leaving many questioning why this war started.
In June 2025, the U.S. launched Operation Midnight Hammer, attacking three Iranian missile sites in an attempt to disrupt their nuclear missile programs. The Trump administration outlined its reasoning for this attack as a defense against an imminent threat to American allies, troops overseas, and possibly the United States itself due to potential nuclear weapon developments. After failed attempts to negotiate with Iran to halt their nuclear advancements, they have attempted to rebuild their program, leading to one of the many rationales Trump has given for the recent attack on the regime. However, Trump's statement that Iran’s nuclear program is a threat “is contradicted by a 2025 federal government assessment that said Iran is years away from the ability to produce long-range missiles,” according to PBS.
PC: Unsplash
As 2026 approached, widespread, deadly protests against the Iranian government were triggered by a decline in the value of the national currency. Throughout the Islamic state, Iranians were also demanding change to the current political system, which disregards human rights and dignity. Authorities in Iran responded to these protests with mass violence and killings, with an estimated 30,000 or more dead by their own security forces. Seeing this outrage of violence, Trump said that he would issue a 25% tariff on all countries that do business with Iran: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!,” as stated in his Truth Social post on Jan. 6. Shortly after, the U.S. began sending weapons to the region on Jan. 22, including, “the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers”, which, “were thought to be in response to the regime’s brutal crackdown,” as stated in the Guardian. However, these tariffs never became official, and these weapons weren’t used to help Iranians. Instead, a threat was issued to the regime, warning that Iran must make a deal with the U.S. regarding nuclear weapons, showing the true nature of his decision to send arms to the Middle East.
While the main reason for this war seems to be an attempt to stop Iran from ever having nuclear weapons, many are not finding this war justifiable. In fact, as the war intensifies with failed peace talks and no agreements in sight, Americans are becoming angry at what is being deemed as an unnecessary war. While gas prices and death tolls are rising, the approval rating of the handling of this war by the Trump administration is decreasing with 61% of Americans disproving of the conflict. This war has already killed many people, and this number will keep climbing until Iran, the U.S. and Israel are able to come to an agreement.
