Students will

• Review the political situation in Iran since the recent June 2005 elections and Iran's more recent restarting of its nuclear program through in-class readings.
• Understand the international concern over Iran's nuclear program including the skepticism held by Western countries over Iran's denials of developing nuclear weapons.
• Examine policy perspectives of various stakeholders in Iran nuclear question and in groups create a policy position based on one stake holder (United States, Iran, Europe, Russia, China, or Israel)
• Debate and evaluate the different policy options being discussed by members of the international community on the most effective way to address Iran's nuclear program.

This lesson summarizes international concern over Iran's nuclear program and the mounting suspicions that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Students examine concerns about Iran's past and most recent actions and a gain a perspective on Iran's reasons for developing a nuclear program. Then as students work in small groups role playing one of the countries involved in the dispute, they examine several possible options for addressing Iran's actions and develop a policy for consideration by the U.N. Security Council.

Explain to students that the nations of Europe and the United States have been negotiating with the Iranian government regarding its nuclear program for several years. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors have been in Iran since 2002 monitoring the situation. While Iran is developing a nuclear program, it's been difficult to determine if this includes nuclear weapons. Iran states its nuclear program is for peaceful means and to provide electricity for its economy. The West and particularly the United States fear Iran's nuclear facilities are "dual use" and can also produce nuclear weapons materials. Iran is a participant in the Nonproliferation Treaty which seeks to control the spread and use of nuclear technology for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. If Iran is developing nuclear weapons, it would be in violation of this treaty. Due to the political and economic sensitivity of the region, the world community has been reluctant to take any strong action against Iran to force it to comply with its treaty obligations.

Click here for Lesson Procedures

1. Suggest to your students that they visit the Online NewsHour's Web site "Governing Iran" at
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/Iran/index.html
to begin their research on any of these extension activities.

2. Have students conduct research on the history of relations between Iran and the United States. Students should consider Iran's geographic location and its strategic importance to the United States. Students can build a descriptive timeline that covers the following events - the 1950's CIA-supported coup, U.S. relations with the Shah of Iran, the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage takeover, and Iran's efforts in the current war on terrorism - or they can write more in-depth reports on any one of these events.

3. Iran is said to have a very young population with over 50 percent under the age of 25. Review several news articles from various sources that describe this segment of Iran's population and construct an information poster on what they are like - tastes in music, clothes they wear, their use of the Internet, the types of schools they go to and what they learn, and what they want their future to be.

4. Iran's election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad surprised many leaders in the West. Create a short biography of this new leader and identify some of the key policies he wants to implement during his term in office and their possible benefits for and/or consequences to Iran. Examine the political conditions in Iran that brought this man to office.