SUMMARY

To discuss the state of the war with Iran and the diplomatic efforts to end it, John Yang spoke with Ray Takeyh and Alan Eyre. Takeyh was a senior State Department adviser on Iran during the Obama administration and is now at the Council on Foreign Relations. Eyre was part of the Obama administration's negotiating team for the Iran nuclear deal and is now at the Middle East Institute.

View the transcript of the story.

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?

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who are the guests invited as experts for this segment, and what are their backgrounds?
2. Why is a diplomatic agreement probably not close, according to the guests?
3. How are the U.S. and Iran sending messages to each other?
4. What pressure is there on the U.S. to make a deal, according to the experts?
5. Where is Iran applying pressure to try to deter (prevent or discourage) the U.S. from its continued bombing?

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• After watching this segment, how do you think the war will be resolved?
• Expert Alan Eyre suggests that the Trump administration should declare victory because Iran's long-range weapon systems have been destroyed. Eyre says of the Trump administration that, "If I were President Trump, I would take that as a win and walk away." Do you think that is a likely outcome? What might happen next if the Trump administration declares victory and leaves Iran?

Dig deeper: To better understand the current conflict, read PBS News Hour Classroom's Backgrounder: History of Iran — Late 19th century to present, contributed by World History Association educators.

Media literacy: Why do you think the producers of this segment chose the two experts they did for this piece? Who else do you think they could have interviewed?

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

• Watch the segment below on the terms that the U.S. and Iran are putting forward to end the conflict. Then discuss —
  • Which of these conditions do you think are likely to be met? Which will be ongoing sources of conflict?
  • Do you think a ceasefire is likely soon based on these negotiations? Why or why not?

• Check out this CFR Education resource from the Council on Foreign Relations for more background in Iran and its decades of conflict with the United States.

Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter with Daily News Lessons and community events.

To provide feedback on News Hour Classroom's resources, including this lesson, click here.