Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Iranian regime has been engaged in a systematic and violent campaign against the United States. This effort has involved the killing of U.S. troops, the targeting of diplomats and civilians, and the plotting of attacks on American soil. Tehran has employed terror proxies such as Hezbollah and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, coupled with ballistic missiles and financial support for terrorism, to sustain a global strategy of hostility that has persisted for four decades. The primary aim of this campaign has been to expel U.S. influence from the Middle East and reshape the region in Tehran’s favor.
This threat continues to be relevant today. On June 23, Iran launched missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a critical forward operating base for U.S. Central Command. This strike was a reaction to an American attack on key Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. Although Qatari air defense systems intercepted the missiles and no injuries were reported, the message from Tehran was clear and alarming.
Following this direct attack on U.S. forces, President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, but Iran quickly violated this truce by launching missiles at Israel, leading to Israeli retaliation. In the aftermath of this conflict, Iran declared its intention to reconstruct its nuclear program in response to U.S. and Israeli actions.
To better understand the Iranian regime’s enduring hostility towards the U.S., one must examine the historical context of its anti-American campaign that began in 1979 and evolved through the decades.
The origins of this war can be traced back to the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days, marking a significant and traumatic event that set the tone for future U.S.-Iran relations. The 1980s saw the rise of Hezbollah, a militant group funded, trained, and directed by Iran, which orchestrated a series of devastating terrorist attacks. Notable incidents include the April 1983 suicide car bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut that killed 63 people, and the October 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, which resulted in the deaths of 241 U.S. service personnel—making it the deadliest attack on U.S. Marines since World War II.
The 1990s continued this trend, with Iranian-backed groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad contributing to a wave of terrorism in Israel that affected many Americans. Instances of this violence include the 1996 Hamas bus bombing in Jerusalem, which killed three Americans, and the 2001 Sbarro pizzeria bombing that also resulted in American fatalities.
A pivotal event occurred on June 25, 1996, when the Khobar Towers bombing was executed by Hezbollah al-Hejaz, a Saudi-based militant group closely linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This attack involved a large truck bomb that detonated near a housing complex for U.S. Air Force personnel in Dhahran, killing 19 American airmen and injuring nearly 500 others. A forensic investigation conducted by the FBI determined that Iran was directly responsible for this bombing.
The relationship between the Iranian regime and Al Qaeda also merits attention, particularly regarding the 9/11 attacks. The 9/11 Commission found no evidence that the Iranian regime was aware of the attacks beforehand; however, they did uncover strong evidence that Iran facilitated the transit of Al Qaeda members in and out of Afghanistan both before and after the attacks. It was evident that connections existed between the Iranian regime, Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda, with the latter receiving advice and training from the former.
As the new millennium unfolded, the Iranian regime ramped up its hostility through a proxy war against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan during the 2000s and 2010s. Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Iran orchestrated various insurgent activities aimed at U.S. and Coalition forces using militias that had been armed and trained by Iran, such as Kataib Hezbollah and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq. These groups utilized advanced weaponry, including explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) designed to penetrate armor and devastate U.S. troops.
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, Iran provided selective Taliban factions with weapons, funding, and a safe haven despite their ideological differences. Intelligence reports and battlefield recoveries have revealed Iranian-made arms, including rifles and bombs, that have reached insurgent groups, contributing to deadly attacks on coalition soldiers, particularly in western Afghanistan near the Iranian border.
The escalation of hostilities continued into the 2020s. Following a U.S. drone strike that killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, Iran responded by launching over a dozen ballistic missiles at Ain al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq. The attack resulted in over 100 U.S. service members suffering traumatic brain injuries.
In the subsequent years, Iranian-backed groups such as Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq have executed over 180 rocket, missile, and drone assaults targeting U.S. military personnel stationed throughout Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. Notable incidents include a March 23, 2023, drone strike that killed one American contractor and injured five U.S. troops near Hasakah, Syria, and a January 28, 2024, drone strike by Kataib Hezbollah on Tower 22, a U.S. logistics post in northeastern Jordan, which killed three American soldiers and injured over 40 others.
Moreover, on October 7, 2023, Hamas, an Iranian-backed terror group, launched a horrific attack against Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, including more than 40 Americans. Several U.S. citizens were also taken hostage, with some later confirmed murdered by Hamas. These incidents reflect the ongoing asymmetric warfare that the Iranian regime pursues against U.S. personnel across the Middle East, utilizing proxies in regions like Iraq and Syria, as well as the Palestinian territories.
The Iranian regime’s campaign has even extended into the United States, targeting Americans on domestic soil. In 2022, author Salman Rushdie was attacked in New York after decades of incitement from Iran’s 1989 fatwa against him. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged an IRGC operative that same year for plotting to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton and former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In 2024, another plot was unveiled targeting President Donald Trump, who was then running for re-election, while in 2025, two Iranian agents were convicted for conspiring to kidnap and kill Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad in New York.
The threat from Iran extends to U.S. military bases located in the Middle East, where approximately 40,000 U.S. troops are deployed. Biden administration officials, along with military leaders, emphasize the critical importance of these bases not only for combating terrorism but also for supporting allies and securing global energy routes. Key sites include around 2,500 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria at bases like Al-Asad, Erbil, and Ain al-Tanf, dedicated to containing the remnants of ISIS.
Major hubs such as Al Udeid in Qatar serve as essential command, airpower, and logistics centers. The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, plays a crucial role in protecting vital waterways, particularly the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, both of which have seen an increase in threats from Iranian naval forces and Houthi attacks on commercial shipping. Tehran perceives this U.S. presence as a direct challenge to its regional ambitions and has leveraged proxy groups to target American forces.
Today, even the most fortified U.S. bases are within the reach of Iran’s advanced missile and drone arsenal. This was exemplified in the June 23, 2023 attack on the U.S. base in Qatar. Similarly, Iranian and Houthi forces have transformed the Red Sea and Gulf waterways into battlegrounds, posing risks to commercial shipping and U.S. naval vessels. Despite a fragile ceasefire reached with the Houthis in May following U.S. airstrikes, the broader threat posed by Iran remains evident.
In conclusion, Iran is not merely making empty threats; it is systematically targeting American forces in a long-term effort to expel the U.S. from the region and redefine the power dynamics within the Middle East to align with its strategic interests.
image source from：ajc
