The Trump Administration Seeks to Explain Iran Strategy
The Trump administration is trying to clarify its strategy in the war with Iran. Officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, faced questions about the goals and risks of the conflict.
NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
Nick Schifrin and Liz Landers joined Geoff Bennett to discuss the Trump administration's plans for Iran and attempts to shape public opinion through the media.
View the transcript of the story.
Warm-Up Questions
- What did President Trump say about the future of Iran's leadership?
- Where did U.S. and Israel strike to disrupt a meeting to select the next Supreme Leader of Iran?
- Who does it seem Iran has chosen to replace previous Supreme Leader Khamenei?
- Why did the U.S. attack Iran, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio?
- How have some of Trump's supporters reacted to the attack on Iran?
Essential Questions
- After watching this segment, what do you think is the primary reason the Trump administration decided to launch an attack on Iran? Do you think their were multiple reasons? If so, what are they?
- What do you think might be some of the unexpected short or long-term impacts of the decision to attack Iran?
- Media literacy: Why do you think part of this segment focuses on the reactions of conservative media figures and their reactions to the attack on Iran? Why might that be an important part of the story?
What Students Can Do
- This story mentions that the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may have been replaced by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. As a class, read the article "Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?" and then discuss—
- What do you think will be the impact on the conflict with Mojtaba Khamenei now in power?
- What do you think the impact on long-term relations with Iran and other countries from the U.S. and Israel targeting Iranian leadership?
- Check out this resource from the Council on Foreign Relations for more background in Iran and its decades of conflict with the United States.
Lesson Plans on Global Politics
Find more resources on global politics and how they relate to your students with our free collection of preK-12 lesson plans and teaching resources.
Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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