Ph. On Feb. 7, 2026, Iranian newspapers featured headlines on the resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, following their suspension after Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran in June 2025. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images Debak Das, University of Denver Operation Epic Fury – the latest round of military
Ph. The Conversation, CC BY-SA Justin Bergman, The Conversation; Matt Garrow, The Conversation, and Mitchell Costello, The Conversation Since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February, Iran has retaliated by targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively shutting down the narrow channel of water. It’s
by Clark Merrefield, The Journalist’s Resource U.S. and Israeli attacks in Iran have reportedly killed more than 1,300 people since the war there began late last month. Missile and drone strikes have destroyed or closed significant energy infrastructure across the Middle East. The effective closing of the Strait of Hormuz — 20% of
Ph. Around 70% of Saudi Arabia’s drinking water comes from desalination plants. In Kuwait and Oman the figure is 90%. Stanislav71/Shutterstock Sanam Mahoozi, City St George’s, University of London The Gulf region has been defined by oil for decades. Tankers, pipelines and refineries have long been seen as the region’s most critical –
Ph. anankkml/Getty Zachary Aman, The University of Western Australia As the US–Israel war on Iran escalates, so too does the global oil crisis. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas flows, and the targeting of oil production facilities in the Middle
Ph. Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil export routes. Aomkanae sawatdinak/Shutterstock Sergi Basco, Universitat de Barcelona After the US and Israel began their military strikes on Iran on February 28, oil and gas markets were plunged into chaos and energy prices shot up. As
Ph. Many teachers are missing the opportunity to use events like the Iran war as teachable moments. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images Boaz Dvir, Penn State It’s a scene that’s played out in K-12 schools around the country in recent years. Unprompted, a student expresses her thoughts or feelings about a difficult issue,
John Calabrese, American University China has perfected the role of concerned onlooker as the Middle East conflict spreads across the region. With no direct role in the conflict and some 4,200 miles (6,800 kilometers) away from the action, Beijing has a little more breathing room to work out the calculus on how the
Ph. The Ras al-Khair water desalination plant in eastern Saudi Arabia is just one of many along the Persian Gulf coast. Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images Michael Christopher Low, University of Utah Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and neighboring countries in the Persian Gulf region use the fossil fuels under their desert
Ph. Whether the US and its allies run out of air defences before Iran runs out of airborne projectiles remains to be seen. guruXOX / Shutterstock Andrew Gawthorpe, Leiden University If Israel and the US hoped their attack on Iran would force the country to capitulate quickly, they were wrong. Despite the death