Since March, the global economy has shifted in ways that have deeply affected our daily lives. As university students, many of us have dealt with higher fuel and grocery prices. This was a direct result of Iran’s blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a measure in response to the Iran War. 

As Canada publicly supported its American and Israeli allies, Prime Minister Mark Carney described the war as “worth it.” In response, NDP leader Avi Lewis asked, “Was it worth it to millions of working-class Canadians who have been suffering more economic pain… paying more for gas and fuel and food?” Our experience of higher prices stems from a multi-decade series of events between the United States and Iran that has now escalated into all-out war. 

Iran found itself at the center of the Cold War in the 1950s, falling into neither the American nor Soviet camp. Its vast oil resources made it a valuable strategic target. In 1951, Iran’s parliament elected Mohammad Mossadegh as Prime Minister, who sought to nationalize the oil industry to end British foreign exploitation. 

After repeated attempts to reverse Mossadegh’s decision, British and American forces drew up plans to install a government more favourable to foreign business interests. In 1953, the two governments backed a military coup that ousted Mossadegh and reinstated Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran.  

With the Shah in power, British oil companies continued their operations, and Iran fell into the American camp of the Cold War. Political opponents, especially leftists, were heavily persecuted. 

Twenty-six years later, the Shah was overthrown by a coalition of Islamists, leftists, and secularists, and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took leadership. Since 1979, Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, has formed a strictly Shia Islamist government, led by the Supreme Leader, currently Mojtaba Khamenei. Continuing many of the Shah-era tactics, the Iranian government uses authoritarian force to suppress dissidents, including in January 2026, when the government killed anywhere between 3,000 and 30,000 protesters. 

On February 28th, 2026, amid regional tension, the United States and Israel launched an airstrike campaign targeting military locations, nuclear facilities, and government buildings in Iran. The attacks killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside several other government officials and civilians. The U.S. also struck an elementary school in Minab, killing 150 people, 120 of them children. 

U.S. President Donald Trump justified the operation as a “preemptive” measure to stop a nuclear threat and regional instability, while presenting a chance for “regime change” in Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed these claims.  

In retaliation, Iran launched airstrikes on Israel and Israeli regional partners such as Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Three days later, Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group backed by Iran, entered the war against Israel. Israel responded with a bombing campaign in southern Lebanon and Beirut. 

As a strategic measure, Iran began blockading the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil passes, severely disrupting the global energy economy. This is when Canadians felt the war, as fuel and grocery prices began to rise sharply.  

Pakistani officials helped bring both sides together, and on April 8th, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Soon after the ceasefire was announced, Israel launched a massive attack on Lebanon, killing 300 people in just 10 minutes, claiming Lebanon was not a part of the ceasefire. 

Peace talks continued in Islamabad, Pakistan, as fighting continued in Lebanon, with the Israeli military killing dozens of Lebanese civilians in airstrikes. On June 15th, following 108 days of combat, a new initial peace agreement was outlined, guaranteeing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and further peace talks between the nations, as well as a statement declaring a pathway towards a “final deal within 60 days,” alongside progress on a ceasefire in Lebanon.   

As of July 2026, the war remains unstable, with constant flare-ups that threaten the possibility of permanent peace. The war has also sparked hundreds of anti-Iranian regime protests, usually displaying the Lion and Sun flag, a symbol notably flown under the Shah. Over 3,000 people have been killed in Iran, 3,000 killed and over one million displaced in Lebanon, and 70 killed in Israel.  

All possible pathways forward have proved unsuccessful. Although diplomacy remains necessary, it has proved insufficient on its own. Some American representatives have suggested a forceful “shoot our way out” approach, echoing aggressive rhetoric from the U.S. government, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s “head for an eye” policy. 

As Human Rights Watch has observed, the United States and Israel have already committed several war crimes, such as the killing of children and journalists, as well as the destruction of civilian infrastructure. This pathway would only intensify this.  

If a diplomatic agreement is possible, many political scientists have suggested that the U.S. should stop imposing broad sanctions on Iran. A study published in the European Journal of Political Economy found that Western sanctions have deepened class inequality and shrunk the Iranian middle class. Millions of Iranians are falling into lower-income brackets, while a small group of elites profit from the sanctions. Many Iranians now face severe fuel shortages, stranding them in large cities that are targets of airstrikes. 

The Iranian middle class has historically been the “backbone” of change, driving reformist movements across the country. Instead of protesting against its government, as many expected, the middle class is now forced to protest for its survival against Western sanctions.  

Additionally, and most importantly, Lebanon has emerged as a central factor in negotiations. Israeli aggression in Lebanon has threatened, and even ended, peace talks due to Israel’s refusal to withdraw troops. If a peaceful pathway is possible, many peace advocates agree that ending the Israeli occupation in the South is necessary. 

As students in Canada, our voice matters. Our understanding of the history between Iran and America matters. We must use our voices to advocate for the betterment of the cost-of-living at home, as well as for those killed, injured, and displaced abroad.