"The US is currently at war with Iran, alongside Israel as our ally. Even though the US is in a war, most people don’t know what caused it, or other vital information associated with it." -Violet Hirsch & Charlie-Knox McCasland, 6th grade
The US is currently at war with Iran, alongside Israel as our ally. Even though the US is in a war, most people don’t know what caused it, or other vital information associated with it.
How Did The War Start?
The US and Iran have a long history of conflict.. In an article by CNN, it explains that from 1979-1981, Iran took dozens of Americans hostage, “demand[ing] the Shah, who had been admitted into the US for cancer treatment, be extradited to Iran to stand trial for ‘crimes against the Iranian people.’” CNN also states that, “After 444 days, Iran released the hostages in exchange for state assets being unfrozen—minutes after President Ronald Reagan was sworn into office. During the crisis, the US cuts all diplomatic ties with Iran. Formal diplomatic relations have never been restored.”
Throughout the years, tensions have been rising between the US and Iran. Aljazeera reports that a “US naval ship breached Iranian waters and fired at the civilian Iran Air flight (IR655) headed to Dubai on July 8. All 290 people on board were killed.” They comment that the US “claimed it was a mistake, did not formally apologise or claim responsibility [for the attack].”
The current war started because Iran was developing nuclear weapons. Since the US and Iran cut ties in 1981, and have been on the verge of war ever since, the US was scared that Iran would use their nuclear weapons on them. Global Witness states that “The conflict comes after months of US military build-up in the region and repeated failed negotiations between the US and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear programme.” In a nutshell, the US tried to convince Iran to hand over its weapons and supplies, and they didn’t. Trump used the US’s nuclear force against them because he claims that they “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions”. You can read Trump’s full speech here.
How The War’s Going
After congress decided to go to war with Iran, a new explosion has risen up in the middle east. Literally. According to the New York Times, “Faced with the overwhelming firepower of the United States and Israel, diplomats and analysts say, Iran is working to enlarge the battlefield from its own territory to the broader region.”
Already, Iran has begun to attack Saudi Arabian, Qatari, Iraqi, and American troops and bases. This is also in addition to them having just ended a war with Israel in June. The Times reports that, “On Monday, Mr. Trump vowed to continue the war for at least another month and did not rule out the use of American ground troops. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, ‘The hardest hits are yet to come,’ and the Pentagon said it would send more soldiers and fighter jets to the war.”
According to the Guardian, Iran’s strategy is working as intended; Britain, Germany, and France all started out as against the war, but their opinions quickly changed once the strait of Hormuz (The area where 20% of all oil in the world passes through) was starting to draw heat.
Of course, Iran’s strategy is not without its drawbacks. One of the biggest of which is a large, US-sparked Kurdish uprising in Iran. According to CNN, “The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN… Also on Tuesday, President Donald Trump spoke with the president of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), Mustafa Hijri, according to a senior Iranian Kurdish official. KDPI was one of the groups targeted by the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]. “
Why Iraq is Our Ally – Kind Of
Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow and director of the Iraq Initiative says that “Different parts of the Iraqi political and security landscape are aligned with competing external powers: Some factions maintain close ties with Iran, while others are more closely connected to the US”. Al Jazeera also helps explain that Iran and Iraq have had their own issues and disputes with each other. Since Iraq has a diplomatic relationship with the US, they’ve been receiving attacks from Iran as well.
Casualties
From February 28th, when the war started, to March 16th, there have been more than 2,000 people killed in total. In an article titled US-Israel attacks on Iran: Death toll and injuries live tracker, they say that “The victims’ age ranged from eight months to 88 years old” and “200 women are among those killed”. These factors may change as the war goes on.
There have also been more than 20,000 people injured.
How Did The War Start?
The US and Iran have a long history of conflict.. In an article by CNN, it explains that from 1979-1981, Iran took dozens of Americans hostage, “demand[ing] the Shah, who had been admitted into the US for cancer treatment, be extradited to Iran to stand trial for ‘crimes against the Iranian people.’” CNN also states that, “After 444 days, Iran released the hostages in exchange for state assets being unfrozen—minutes after President Ronald Reagan was sworn into office. During the crisis, the US cuts all diplomatic ties with Iran. Formal diplomatic relations have never been restored.”
Throughout the years, tensions have been rising between the US and Iran. Aljazeera reports that a “US naval ship breached Iranian waters and fired at the civilian Iran Air flight (IR655) headed to Dubai on July 8. All 290 people on board were killed.” They comment that the US “claimed it was a mistake, did not formally apologise or claim responsibility [for the attack].”
The current war started because Iran was developing nuclear weapons. Since the US and Iran cut ties in 1981, and have been on the verge of war ever since, the US was scared that Iran would use their nuclear weapons on them. Global Witness states that “The conflict comes after months of US military build-up in the region and repeated failed negotiations between the US and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear programme.” In a nutshell, the US tried to convince Iran to hand over its weapons and supplies, and they didn’t. Trump used the US’s nuclear force against them because he claims that they “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions”. You can read Trump’s full speech here.
How The War’s Going
After congress decided to go to war with Iran, a new explosion has risen up in the middle east. Literally. According to the New York Times, “Faced with the overwhelming firepower of the United States and Israel, diplomats and analysts say, Iran is working to enlarge the battlefield from its own territory to the broader region.”
Already, Iran has begun to attack Saudi Arabian, Qatari, Iraqi, and American troops and bases. This is also in addition to them having just ended a war with Israel in June. The Times reports that, “On Monday, Mr. Trump vowed to continue the war for at least another month and did not rule out the use of American ground troops. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, ‘The hardest hits are yet to come,’ and the Pentagon said it would send more soldiers and fighter jets to the war.”
According to the Guardian, Iran’s strategy is working as intended; Britain, Germany, and France all started out as against the war, but their opinions quickly changed once the strait of Hormuz (The area where 20% of all oil in the world passes through) was starting to draw heat.
Of course, Iran’s strategy is not without its drawbacks. One of the biggest of which is a large, US-sparked Kurdish uprising in Iran. According to CNN, “The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN… Also on Tuesday, President Donald Trump spoke with the president of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), Mustafa Hijri, according to a senior Iranian Kurdish official. KDPI was one of the groups targeted by the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]. “
Why Iraq is Our Ally – Kind Of
Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow and director of the Iraq Initiative says that “Different parts of the Iraqi political and security landscape are aligned with competing external powers: Some factions maintain close ties with Iran, while others are more closely connected to the US”. Al Jazeera also helps explain that Iran and Iraq have had their own issues and disputes with each other. Since Iraq has a diplomatic relationship with the US, they’ve been receiving attacks from Iran as well.
Casualties
From February 28th, when the war started, to March 16th, there have been more than 2,000 people killed in total. In an article titled US-Israel attacks on Iran: Death toll and injuries live tracker, they say that “The victims’ age ranged from eight months to 88 years old” and “200 women are among those killed”. These factors may change as the war goes on.
There have also been more than 20,000 people injured.
There have also been a number of Iranian political figures killed either by accidents, bombings, or by targeted attacks. These are, but not limited to:
- Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran
- Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Iranian Defence Council
- Mohammad Pakpour, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
- Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces
- Aziz Nasirzadeh and Majid Ebn-e-Reza, both Ministers of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics
Economics
The middle east is one of the biggest repositories of oil on Earth. Iran alone produces 4.0 to 4.6 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil and liquids in 2023–2024. In addition, Iran controls the aforementioned strait of Hormuz. Already, this war is taking a toll on the world economy. As of March/23/26, US gas prices are 1.133 dollars per liter ($4.2888724013 per gallon), whereas in 2025, prices were at just under $3 per gallon.
How People Feel
A few people have commented on the war, its casualties, and what side they support.
Adela Orozco, a 6th grader in Literary Arts, said that “I think both sides are wrong [to go to war] because all of this horrible death is happening and none of it's right.” Sofia Gonzalez, a 6th grader, agrees, saying “I do not support [either side] because I believe that no one has a good argument.”
“I don't think killing someone is ever the only solution to a problem, so no, I definitely don't think we did the right thing!” said Alice Stewart, a 7th grader in Literary Arts. Violet Regilio, another 7th grader, agrees, saying that “I'm really not on any side of the war because I believe war is a very terrible thing that just kills many people and doesn't solve any problem.”
An article by Pew Research Center explains that “About six-in-ten Americans (61%) disapprove of Trump’s handling of the conflict, while 37% approve.” They also say that “Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump’s handling of the conflict (90%) and say the US made the wrong decision in striking Iran (88%)... In contrast, about seven-in-ten Republicans and Republican leaners approve of how Trump is handling the conflict (69%) and think the US made the right decision (71%).”
How Long Might the War Last?
President Trump, as well as many other US and Israeli officials, has made the statement that the war would be over in “four to five weeks.” CNBC says that “top officials, from Vice President JD Vance to Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth, have stressed that this will not be a prolonged, low-burn conflict of the type seen in Afghanistan or Iraq.”
They also state that “The US and Israel initially stated their primary aim was to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program once and for all, but those war aims appear to have shifted this week, with the stated objectives ranging from destroying Iran’s ballistic missile program to wanting to protect the American public from an imminent, but unspecified, Iranian threat.”
Torbjorn Soltvedt, principal Middle East analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, says that “We’ve heard President Trump talk about a four to five week operation, but Iran is a huge country with a huge population, very extensive security apparatus, so trying to untangle that and move towards some kind of interim solution is going to be extremely difficult.”
What might happen over the course of this war? How will it be resolved? When?
Until then, we’ll have to wait and see.
