Written by Zahara Chowdhury
Zahara leads on equality, diversity and inclusive education in higher education. She has over a decade of experience in middle and senior positions in secondary education. Zahara is author of Creating Belonging in the Classroom: a Practical Guide to Having Brave and Difficult Conversations. She is founder of the School Should Be blog and podcast, a platform that amplifies diverse and current topics that impact secondary school classrooms, students and teachers.
Secondary students today are growing up in a world where global politics shape their lives more than ever before. The ongoing tensions between America and Iran can feel far removed from British classrooms, yet understanding them helps young people make sense of international relations, energy security, and differing systems of governance.
While the conflict between America and Iran is fundamentally connected to wider Gulf States, their politics and history, it is also distinct. The Iran–U.S. relationship centres on power, ideology, and regional influence, shaped by Iran’s changing political regime since the 1979 revolution and America’s strategic interests in energy, trade, and security.
And yes, teachers are already under immense pressure. Here is another topic that society expects teachers and schools to ‘take care of’. It’s a tough and exhausting gig. But also one that our students want and need us to explore with them.
Topics like this require both time and sensitivity to unpack. This blog and lesson outline are designed to offer a way in, curiosity first, expertise second.
Lesson outline: Exploring the Iran–U.S. Relationship
Lesson Objective
To help students understand how different forms of governance, lived experiences, and global relationships shape international conflict and cooperation.
Before the Lesson – Independent Exploration
Some of these curiosity questions can be set as homework, pre-reading and post-research, giving students time to explore, think and come prepared with ideas. Teachers can take the same approach — set aside a couple of hours for a “deep dive” using trusted sources such as:
- Empire: World History Podcast
- The Conversation (there are various articles that can be searched on this website)
- The Steven Bartlett Podcast (March 2026 episode on Iran and America)
- Al Jazeera – news perspectives
- BBC – news perspectives
Be aware that students will likely use social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube for information. It’s worth pre-empting this and giving advice on how to stay safe and critical online:
- Be mindful and present when watching; if anything graphic or distressing appears, mute or report the content immediately.
- Remember the task is academic — the goal is to understand, not consume upsetting material.
- If students find good, informative videos, encourage them to fact-check using class knowledge about research skills, misinformation and disinformation.
Important!
If you’ve got to this point in this article and realise your students may not yet have a strong grasp of misinformation and disinformation, this is a perfect moment to connect with colleagues through a systems-thinking approach. Work across subject areas — such as PSHE, tutor time, History, Politics, and English — to design a mini integrated curriculum plan. This helps all students develop the confidence to evaluate complex global issues critically and respectfully.
In line with systems thinking, you can also communicate proactively with parents or carers, explaining how the school intends to approach this subject in a politically impartial, research-informed, and curriculum-aligned way. Reassure families that lessons are guided by teacher professionalism and inclusive pedagogy and practice, and that the goal is always to make school a safe space for information, understanding, empathy, and compassion.
Now…back to the plan:
Starter Discussion – “Understanding Perspectives”
Drawing on pre-reading or factual handouts you’ve distributed, design group, pair or a class wide discussion with the following questions:
- How is Iran governed? How is America governed?
- What might life look like for a teenager growing up in Tehran compared to London or New York?
- How does my lived experience in a Western democracy shape how I understand Iran or America?
- How can I “decentre” my perspective to appreciate experiences beyond my own?
Main Exploration – “Why the Tensions?”
You could set the following as group based research questions, ask students to prepare mini presentations or use an impactful teaching and learning approach that suits the students sitting in front of you:
- Why does America care about Iran? Why does Iran care about America?
- What is Israel’s role in this picture? Why is there animosity between Israel and Iran?
- What are their main trade or economic interests (oil, security partnerships, military influence)?
- What are the key political and sociological issues at play — religion, nationalism, sanctions, regional security?
- How does this conflict affect my life now or in the future (energy costs, migration, security, global cooperation)?
More Activity Ideas:
- Use a map from Prisoners of Geography to explore how geography shapes power and alliances.
- Role-play a UN negotiation between the U.S., Iran, Israel, and neutral nations (if your school has a debate club or a Model the United Nations team and club, draw on this expertise).
Reflection or homework task: write a reflective paragraph on how your perspective changed during the lesson. Give students a phrase bank with compassionate, thoughtful and evaluative language and literacy (knock on the door of your English and History, Philosophy, RE teacher friends…they’ve probably got a document full of these, ready to go).
Teen-Friendly Facts: Understanding the Context
Put the below into a reference crib sheet for students to have to hand during the lesson. Ask them to construct questions based on these facts. If you don’t know the answers, that’s fine! It’s another research project sorted.
- In 1979, Iran’s monarchy was overthrown, and the Islamic Republic was established under religious leadership.
- The U.S. and Iran were once allies, but relations fractured after the revolution and the embassy hostage crisis.
- America worries about Iran’s nuclear programme and regional influence; Iran sees the U.S. as a threat to its sovereignty.
- Iran and Israel have longstanding animosity rooted in ideological and regional rivalries.
- Energy and oil play a central role in both countries’ interests in the region.
- Economic sanctions have shaped everyday life in Iran, affecting trade, inflation, and access to technology.
- Conflicts in neighbouring countries often draw in both Iranian and American involvement.
- Global politics already impact young people — from energy costs to international study opportunities.
The book, Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, is absolutely brilliant and when I read it over 5 years ago, it majorly informed my approach to critical thinking and teaching historical context in my subject area – Marshall now has a series and a Prisoners of Geography version for primary school children – I highly recommend it.
And lastly, my book, Creating Belonging in the Classroom by Zahara Chowdhury to support you to navigate difficult conversations and subject matter in the classroom.
By approaching difficult world events with openness, curiosity, clear boundaries and compassion, teachers empower students to manage complexity, not avoid it. Schools can and should be safe spaces for curiosity, evidence-based discussion, and the building of informed, empathetic young citizens. And, we are all more than equipped and able to do it – we just need to trust ourselves – and schools need to trust their staff too.