Iran 2026: The Third Gulf War
How 47 years of hostility between the United States and Iran became a direct war in February 2026, why Iran's proxy network collapsed before the war began, and how Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted world oil supplies.
1953 to 2026 · 3 parts · 14 lessons · about 2.5 hours
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Questions this course answers
- Why does US-Iran hostility trace back to the 1953 coup?
- How did Iran's Axis of Resistance collapse before the 2026 war?
- Why did the February 2026 Oman talks fail to prevent the US-Iran war?
- Why did Iran fire about five times as many weapons at the Gulf as at Israel?
- How did Iran close the Strait of Hormuz in March 2026?
- Why didn't Russia and China defend Iran during the 2026 war?
Three parts, 14 lessons
Part 1 · 1953 to 2026
How We Got Here
Why 47 years of US-Iran hostility became a war in 2026: the 1953 coup, the nuclear crisis, the collapse of Iran's proxy network, and the failed Oman talks.
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1
8 min
From the 1953 Coup to 47 Years of Cold War
US-Iran hostility began with the CIA's 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mosaddegh. In 1979, students seized the same US embassy the coup had been run from.
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2
10 min
Iran's Nuclear Program: 20 Years of Crisis
Iran's nuclear program began as an American gift to the Shah in 1957. A leaked US intelligence report said the June 2025 strikes set it back a few months.
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3
9 min
The Axis of Resistance and Its Quiet Collapse
For 40 years, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis were meant to make attacking Iran too expensive. From October 2023 to February 2026, the network was gutted.
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4
8 min
The Failed Oman Talks
Iran offered its biggest concessions ever in Oman and Geneva. The US strike was approved by February 25, before the final round of talks began.
Part 2 · 2026
The Opening 40 Days (Feb 28 - April 8, 2026)
The war's most violent phase: the strikes that killed Khamenei, over 5,000 Iranian missiles and drones, a closed Strait of Hormuz, and a ceasefire that settled nothing.
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5
10 min
Operation Epic Fury: February 28
At 06:35 UTC on February 28, the United States and Israel struck about 900 targets across Iran in 12 hours. Khamenei was dead within ten minutes.
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6
9 min
Israel's War: Roaring Lion and the Home Front
Israel absorbed 650 ballistic missiles in 40 days. Iron Dome stopped almost none of them, because that is not what Iron Dome is for.
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7
10 min
An Empty Throne: Succession Under Fire
Khamenei's will asked Iran not to appoint his son. The Assembly of Experts met online under bombardment. The IRGC installed Mojtaba Khamenei anyway.
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8
9 min
Iran Hits Back: The Gulf Becomes the Target
Iran fired over 4,000 missiles and drones at the Gulf states, about 2,200 at the UAE alone, to punish them for hosting US and Israeli operations.
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9
11 min
The Strait of Hormuz Closed: March 4
On March 4, Iran closed the strait carrying 20 percent of the world's oil. Brent passed $126 a barrel. No navy on Earth could simply reopen it.
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10
12 min
Pakistan's Ceasefire: The Islamabad Talks
In Islamabad, US Vice President Vance met Iran's parliament speaker, Ghalibaf: the highest-level face-to-face meeting since 1979. Talks failed after 21 hours.
Part 3 · 2026
The Wider War
What the war changed for Gulf security, why Iran's proxies failed, why Russia and China sent no troops, and how air defenses ran short of interceptors.
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11
12 min
The GCC Exposed
The GCC was founded in 1981 to contain Iran. In 2026 it tripled its joint force, and Saudi Arabia signed a defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan.
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12
12 min
The Proxies' War: What the Axis Did and Didn't Do
Hezbollah rejoined the war and was crushed in 14 days, and Lebanon banned its military wing. The Houthis mostly stayed out of the fighting.
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13
12 min
Russia, China, and the Axis That Wasn't
Russia made about $760 million a day from the oil spike and China offered to mediate. Neither sent troops. Both sent air-defense missiles only in the summer.
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14
11 min
The Missile and Air-Defense War
Iran fired over 5,000 missiles and drones in 40 days. Air defenses intercepted 80 to 96 percent but burned through decade-long interceptor stocks doing it.
Lessons you can finish in one sitting.
Each lesson tells one part of the story and explains why it happened, with maps, images and quotes from the sources. A few questions at the end check that it stuck, and the key facts go into the course's flashcards.
- 8 to 12 minutes a lesson
- Three questions after each lesson
- 112 flashcards for this course
