Feature Project
For my Capstone class at CSU I created a “Feature Project” to serve as a showcase of the skills I gained while earning my degree. At the time of creation the war in Iran was dominating the global conversation. For this reason, I chose to write a feature article going in-depth on the subject matter. This project demonstrates my skills as a writer and web designer.
Operation Epic Fury: The First 10 Days (2026). U.S. Department of War. https://media.defense.gov/2026/Mar/10/2003896934/-1/-1/0/260310-D-D0439-1001.JPG.
Average Retail Price Chart (2026, April 17). Gasbuddy, https://www.gasbuddy.com/charts.
Likely the most discussed aspect of the conflict is its ability to dramatically influence gas prices day-to-day. Within days of the closure the price of crude oil reached its highest price in over two years.
Trump’s normally unmovable base has been divided on the overall situation. Typically supportive right-wing media pundits like Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones, who played a significant role in Trump's election wins, now represent a vocal opposition to the war.
Pope Leo has criticized the conflict, drawing the ire of Trump (Winfield ,2026). The rift between the two has widened after Trump threatened to destroy Iran and posted an AI-generated image of himself depicted as Jesus Christ on Truth Social. The reaction to the image was so intense, even from Republicans, that he ultimately took the post down.
The war has proven to be unpopular at home as the timeline remains unclear and the full reality of gas prices sets in for American consumers (Bose, 2026). With the current cost of living crisis, the impact on gas may prove to be deciding factor for voters in the coming mid term elections.
On April 7 Trump threatened on Truth Social that “A whole civilization will die tonight,” while pressuring Iran to agree on ceasefire terms (Trump, 2026). This was widely viewed as a drastic escalation of the rhetoric and brought about condemnations from all angles (Erickson, 2026).
What Happens Next?
The Saga of the Strait of Hormuz
On February 28th 2026 the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran (Al Jazeera, 2026). Named “Operation Epic Fury” these strikes killed the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in an attempted regime change. Iran drone-bombed U.S. military bases in the surrounding gulf nations and closed the Strait of Hormuz in an act of retaliation.
The Strait of Hormuz is a 21-mile stretch of water that oil tankers leaving the Persian Gulf must pass through to reach their destinations (Holm, 2026). Around one fifth of the world’s oil passes through this small choke point. In effect, Iran has been able to squeeze the global economy in response to attacks.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been escalating since 2025 when U.S. forces bombed the Iranian nuclear program.
In 2026 protests began spreading across Iran over the state of the economy (Rising, 2026). Iran killed thousands of protestors, elevating the issue to international attention.
Asia is one of the largest importers of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. (Soni, 2026). While China isn’t involved in the conflict, they will be directly impacted by how all of this plays out.
The economic ripples from this conflict will reach the entire world in one way or another. While intended to be a quick regime change, the situation has mutated into a complicated geopolitical game of chess.
Cause and Effect
On April 3 a U.S. fighter jet was shot down, stranding one of the pilots in Iran. This launched a race to see who could find him first. If he had been found by Iranian military it would have given them significant leverage in the negotiating process.
The pilot was rescued by the U.S. military on April 5, ultimately preventing an escalation of this type (Staff, 2026).
On April 7th the United States announced a two week ceasefire with Iran. The nature of the ceasefire was somewhat unclear as Israel continued bombing Lebanon. The Strait of Hormuz remained closed and the official terms of the ceasefire were not entirely clear.
The United States and Iran held peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan beginning on April 11 (Ahmed, 2026). After 21 hours, they failed to agree on terms and the U.S. moved to establish their own blockade near the Iranian one. This move ensured that no ships could pass through the Strait, even if granted passage by Iran, a decision that was criticized by China as “Dangerous” (Gregory, 2026).
Global Reaction
April 17, 6:00 p.m.
Global Ship Tracking Intelligence. Marine Traffic. (2026, April 17). https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:54.6/centery:26.6/zoom:8.
By William Mueller
Published 4/17/2026
How did we get here?
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump). Truth Social. (2026, April 7). https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116363336033995961
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon shows potential for wider peace talks in the region (Chehayeb ,2026). However, the core tensions between the United States and Iran have not changed meaningfully in the time since the peace talks in Pakistan.
References
April 17, 11:00 p.m.
Global Ship Tracking Intelligence. Marine Traffic. (2026, April 17). https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:54.6/centery:26.6/zoom:8.
On April 17th Iran announced that they were opening the Strait of Hormuz (2026). This decision had no impact on the United States Blockade. Shipping freighters in the Strait have been more active since the announcement, however it is unclear at the moment what happens if they reach the U.S. blockade.
Ahmed, M., Castillo, E. E., Finley, B., & Binkley, C. (2026, April 12). US and Iran end 21-hour ceasefire talks without agreement before Vance departs Pakistan. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-trump-lebanon-april-11-2026-2be904aee3f804892336730279e054b9.
Al Jazeera. (2026, March 10). Iran confirms Supreme leader Ali Khamenei dead after US-israeli attacks. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/28/irans-supreme-leader-ali-khamenei-killed-in-us-israeli-attacks-reports.
Bose, N. (2026, April 10). Americans give record-low marks to economy, in ominous sign for Republicans | reuters. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/americans-give-record-low-marks-economy-ominous-sign-republicans-2026-04-10/.
Chehayeb, K., Sewell, A., & Becatoros, E. (2026, April 16). Trump says Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/us-iran-war-lebanon-israel-talks-pakistan-hormuz-16-april-2026-297a8d2bb94add26e503a4ef3a5d1151.
Erickson, B., Bose, N., & Holland, S. (2026, April 7). Trump’s threat to Iran shocks global leaders, unnerves some Republicans. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trumps-threat-iran-shocks-global-leaders-unnerves-some-republicans-2026-04-07/.
Gregory, J. (2026, April 14). US blockade of Iran ports “irresponsible and dangerous”, China says. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78lleelxj4o.
Holm, P., Vineys, K. S., & Jarrett, W. (2026, April 9). The world’s most important 21 miles. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/the-worlds-most-important-21-miles-0000019d2fbfd29daffdefffc72e0000.
Rising, D., & Gambrell, J. (2026, February 5). A timeline of how the protests in Iran unfolded and the crackdown that followed. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-us-israel-war-economy-d5da3b5f56449dd3871c9438c07f069f.
Soni, P., & Allen, C. (2026, March 2). 5 charts show China’s oil dilemma after US strikes on Iran - politico. Politico. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/02/iran-us-strikes-china-oil-supply-charts-00806415.
Staff, A. J. (2026, April 5). “Miraculous”: US rescues second pilot downed in Iran, Trump confirms. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/5/us-rescues-airman-whose-f-15-was-downed-in-iran-trump-confirms.
Winfield, N. (2026, April 12). Pope Leo XIV denounces the “delusion of omnipotence” he says fuels the US-israeli war in Iran. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/pope-leo-usisraeli-war-iran-7309c5df6c7312b942e0510ea65502cb.