LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran. These strikes resulted in the killing of Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, according to CNN. This was a huge development in the U.S.’s intervention in the Middle East. In June of last year, the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear and military sites. This preemptive strike came from U.S. intelligence’s fear of Iran gaining nuclear capabilities after Trump stepped out of the Iran nuclear deal, which promised Iran would not build nuclear weapons in exchange for sanction relief.
After these strikes and the killing of the supreme leader, Iran started to retaliate against the U.S. and Israel. Iran started to target bases and important strategic sites. Iran has not only struck U.S. assets but also its allies in the region, such as Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, according to CNBC.
“When the dust settles, this will still have been an illegal war,” said Dylan Werneburg, a Los Alamitos High School senior.
This conflict has caused chaos across the region, with the Strait of Hormuz closing. This strait was one of the most important trade routes in the world, where 20% of the world’s oil supply would go through. This economic strain on the world’s most important resource has brought questions about the impending increase in the cost of oil.
“(Oil) prices are going to skyrocket, things are gonna get worse, we are not gonna get any oil from this endeavor, I’m telling you right now,” said Tyler Scott, LAHS senior
On March 8, Iran’s 88-member assembly named a new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Ali Khamenei. This choice of succession indicates to the world that Iran isn’t backing down, especially to the U.S.
“Every reason given by the Trump Administration is either with poor foresight or blatantly wrong,” said Werneburg.
LAHS students have voiced multiple concerns over the evolving conflict, with many worried about the justification and reasoning behind the strikes. Students also worry about the cost of the war. Many students own cars and are concerned about rising prices for resources such as oil. Overall, students are very conscious of the developing war.
Cyrus • Apr 16, 2026 at 2:15 pm
I find this article to be very useful. It is important for people to know what is happening in the world, even if it doesn’t directly affect them. Furthermore, the writing style does a good job at getting to the point and avoids being too wordy.