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The U.S. is involved in another war in the Middle East -- this time in Iran

A man carries an Iranian flag to place on the rubble of a police facility struck during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Vahid Salemi
/
AP
A man carries an Iranian flag to place on the rubble of a police facility struck during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

The U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran is less than a week old and has enveloped multiple countries in the Middle East.

And while the U.S. said it has decimated Iran’s air force and navy, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth cautioned the war was still in its “early” days.

Why the U.S. attacked Iran has been open-ended question. After originally touting an imminent threat of attack from Iran and regime change, the White House Tuesday said its reasons for the campaign were: destroying Iran's missile capabilities; annihilating Iran's navy; preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons; and ensuring the regime can't continue to arm, fund or direct "terrorist armies" outside its borders.

While acknowledging Iran was a bad actor on the national stage, Democrats have called the U.S.’s attack illegal, saying only Congress can declare war. They’ve also said they’ve seen no justification for the military action. Sen. Mark Waren of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN, “This is still a war of choice that has been acknowledged by others was dictated by Israel's goals and timelines.”

On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the on-going conflict in the Middle East, what a post-war Iran could look like, the U.S.’s standing in the region and the impact of the war on Iranians here in the U.S.

Join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to  news@indianapublicmedia.org.  

You can also record your questions and send them in through email. 

Guests
Hussein Banai, Associate Professor of International Studies, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University
Babak Seradjeh, Professor, Department of Physics, Indiana University
Ladan Shojaei, Ph.D. Student in Mathematics Education, Indiana University

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Patrick Beane spent three decades as a journalist at The Herald-Times in Bloomington before joining the staff at WFIU/WTIU News. He began his career at the newspaper after graduating from Indiana University in 1987 and was the sports editor from 2010-2020. His duties at the paper included writing, copy editing, page design and managing the sports department.