The Real Long War
Iran has been at war with America for 47 years
Iran’s War on the US, Israel, and the West
In 1979, President Carter believed that the Ayatollah Khomeini was an austere religious leader who wanted to make things better in Iran. So, Carter forced the Shah of Iran out of power and enabled Khomeini to take power. That is day 1 of all the events I lay out below.
Some of these attacks were Iranian forces directly, like the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) or Quds Force. Others were by Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, or Shiite militias that were trained, funded, and sponsored by the IRGC or Quds. Either way, it’s Iran that did it.
This list is not inclusive, it’s what you could consider 20 of the worst attacks on us by the Mullahs. There were literally hundreds of battles from 1979 to the present. A 47 year war with us that we have refused to fight. Until now. I was one degree of separation from much of this.
Seize the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979, hold 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.
US Embassy Bombing, Beirut, 1983 - 63 Americans killed
Beirut Marine Barracks bombing, 1983 - 241 American Marines killed and a second attack just a few minutes later killed 58 French soldiers
US Embassy Bombing, Kuwait, 1983 - 5 Americans killed
US Embassy Annex Bombing, Beirut, 1984 - 24 people killed including 2 Americans
CIA Station Chief William Buckley kidnapped, tortured, killed, Beirut, 1984-85
Kuwait Airways Flight 221 Hijacking, plane landed in Iran and praised by the Ayatollah, 1984 - 2 American passengers were killed
TWA Flight 847 hijacked, 39 Americans held hostage for 17 days, US Navy Diver killed, 1985 (this happened in very close proximity to my decision to join the US Army and was one of the things that I considered)
Paris Bombings, Department stores, a train, metro station, and other public spots attacked, December 1985 - September 1986 - 20 killed, 250 wounded …. I was stationed in Germany and we spent much of these 9 months at ThreatCon Alpha or Bravo (now called Force Protection or FP for short) rather than ThreatCon Normal
Israeli Embassy Bombing, Argentina, 1992 - 29 killed, 200 injured
AMIA Jewish Center Bombing, Argentina, 1994 - 85 killed
Khobar Towers Bombing, Saudi Arabia, 1996 - 19 American Airmen killed, hundreds injured …. I stayed in Khobar Towers in 1991 after Desert Storm before we shipped home.
Iran’s Quds Force trains and arms Shiite militias in Iraq, roadside bombs supplied by Quds are used in bombings over an 8 year period of time, 2003-2011 - at least 603 American soldiers killed
Karbala Attack, Iraq, 5 gunmen linked to Iran’s Quds Force attack a US Facility, 2007 - 5 American soldiers killed
Plot to kill Saudi Ambassador in Washington, DC by Iran’s Quds Force using a car bomb, 2011 - if it was successful it would have killed an Ambassador on US soil and dozens, or more, Americans
Burgas Bus Bombing, Bulgaria, 2012 - 6 people killed, including 5 Israeli tourists
Iranian Missile Strike on a US Base, Iraq, 2020 - over 100 US Sailors and Airmen were significantly injured
Drone attack, Jordan, 2024 - 3 US Soldiers killed, 40 more wounded
Hamas attacks Israel, Oct 7, 2023 - over 1200 people killed, including 48 Americans. Hundreds of hostages taken, including Americans.
180 documented drone, rocket and missile attacks against US bases in Iraq and Syria, Oct 2023-2025 - killing several US soldiers and wounding over 180 more.