Iran War Has Wide Impact on One Iowa College's International Student Body Fighting in the Middle East disrupted student life at Grinnell College, an institution known for its diverse international student population, by forcing the cancellation of a March overseas study trip to Bahrain. The trip, part of a special topics course on African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean, was abruptly canceled due to escalating tensions following the U.S.-led airstrikes on Iran’s capital, Tehran, on February 28, 2026. The attacks, which killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several senior military officials, triggered a wave of retaliatory strikes across the Persian Gulf, including a missile strike on the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. By March 2, the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain had closed, prompting Grinnell College to cancel the planned trip. The conflict’s ripple effects extended beyond the canceled trip. Daanyal Ahmed, a Qatari student set to graduate, described the situation as unprecedented. His father, a member of the Qatari Air Force, has been receiving daily alerts from the government about the escalating crisis. Ahmed, who has never experienced such warnings before, said his father has stopped attending his regular job due to safety concerns. Meanwhile, Ahmed’s Qatari SIM card continues to receive emergency broadcasts from the Ministry of Interior, instructing residents to stay indoors and avoid sharing information. These alerts mark the first time his parents have encountered such directives. Faculty members also faced disruptions. Shuchi Kapila, a professor and chair of English at Grinnell, had planned to join the Bahrain trip as an additional chaperone to teach a unit on Abdulrazak Gurnah’s novel By the Sea.#iran #qatar #bahrain #ayatollah_ali_khamenei #grinnell_college
