For nearly 50 years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has earned the dubious distinction of being the globe’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, directly and indirectly inflicting casualties on American citizens and military personnel. In fact, more Americans have fallen victim to Iran than any other terrorist regime worldwide.
President Donald J. Trump has taken a decisive step that his predecessors have shied away from for decades — aiming to neutralize this threat once and for all. By dismantling Iran’s missile capabilities, crippling their naval forces, and ensuring their nuclear ambitions are thwarted, the Trump Administration’s audacious actions are purportedly safeguarding American lives and furthering national interests.
A Glimpse into the Iranian Regime’s Violent History Against Americans:
- November 1979: Iranian students, with regime backing, stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 66 Americans hostage in a harrowing 444-day standoff.
- April 1983: The Islamic Jihad, an Iran-supported terrorist faction, executed a suicide car bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, resulting in the death of 17 Americans.
- October 1983: Iran-backed Hezbollah orchestrated a truck bombing in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. military personnel, including 220 Marines.
- March 1984: Iran’s Islamic Jihad operatives kidnapped CIA station chief William Buckley in Beirut, ultimately leading to his death the following year.
- September 1984: Hezbollah terrorists killed 23 individuals, including two U.S. service members, in a car bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut.
- December 1984: Hezbollah hijacked Kuwait Airways Flight 221, diverting it to Tehran where they tortured and killed two American officials.
- June 1985: In a shocking act, Hezbollah hijacked TWA Flight 847, torturing a U.S. Navy diver before executing him and discarding his body at the Beirut airport.
- July 1989: Hezbollah terrorists murdered U.S. Marine Col. William Higgins after abducting him the previous year while he was part of a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
- April 1995: Islamic Jihad terrorists killed eight people, including one American, in a car bomb attack in the Gaza Strip.
- August 1995: An Iran-sponsored Hamas suicide bomber detonated a bus in Jerusalem, killing an American and three other passengers, injuring over 100.
- February 1996: Another Hamas suicide bomber blew up a bus in Jerusalem, killing three Americans and injuring three others.
- March 1996: A suicide bomber affiliated with Iran’s Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed 20 lives, including two Americans, in a bombing at a shopping center in Tel Aviv.
- May 1996: Iran-backed terrorists killed an American-Israeli dual citizen and injured another in the West Bank.
- June 1996: Hezbollah Al-Hijaz terrorists killed 19 U.S. Airmen and injured almost 500 others in a truck bombing at a U.S. Air Force housing complex in Saudi Arabia.
- September 1997: Hamas suicide bombers detonated themselves at a shopping mall in Jerusalem, killing an American-Israeli dual citizen and injuring seven other Americans.
- August 1998: Al-Qaeda operatives, aided by Iranian-backed Hezbollah, simultaneously bombed U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, resulting in 224 deaths, including a dozen Americans.
- August 2001: An Iran-affiliated Hamas terrorist blew up a pizzeria in Jerusalem, killing three Americans.
- January 2002: An Iran-backed al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade terrorist killed an American-Israeli dual citizen in the West Bank.
- July 2002: A Hamas terrorist killed five Americans in a bombing at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
- June 2003: An Iran-affiliated Hamas suicide bomber killed 17 people, including an American citizen, on a bus in Jerusalem.
- October 2003: Terrorists from the Iran-backed Popular Resistance Committees murdered three U.S. diplomatic personnel in a bombing in Gaza.
- 2003-2011: Militias backed by Iran claimed the lives of at least 603 U.S. troops in Iraq, accounting for roughly one in every six American combat fatalities during the conflict.
- August 2003: A Hamas terrorist blew up a bus in Jerusalem, killing five Americans and injuring another.
- August 2006: Hezbollah terrorists murdered American citizen and IDF soldier Michael Levin during the Second Lebanon War, marking the only American casualty in that conflict.
- January 2007: Members of Iran’s Quds Force killed five U.S. soldiers in Karbala, Iraq, after disguising themselves as U.S. soldiers.
- March 2007: Former FBI Agent Robert Levinson disappeared in Iran, likely perishing in an Iranian prison.
- July 2014: Hamas terrorists killed two American citizens serving in the IDF.
- October 2015: Hamas terrorists murdered an American citizen and his wife in a drive-by shooting in the West Bank.
- December 2019: Kataib Hezbollah terrorists killed an American civilian contractor and injured several U.S. service members in a rocket attack at K1 Air Base in Kirkuk, Iraq.
- January 2020: An Iranian missile strike on Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq resulted in 109 U.S. troops suffering traumatic brain injuries.
- September 2020: U.S. intelligence uncovered a potential Iranian plot to assassinate the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa.
- February 2021: An Iran-backed militia targeted coalition forces in Erbil, Iraq, injuring a U.S. service member and four civilian contractors.
- July 2021: Iranian-backed militias wounded two U.S. service members in a series of attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.
- September 2022: An Iranian rocket attack claimed the life of an American citizen in Iraqi Kurdistan.
- November 2022: An IRGC captain was charged with orchestrating the murder of an American citizen in Baghdad.
- March 2023: An Iranian drone attack resulted in the death of an American contractor and injuries to five U.S. service members at a coalition base in Syria.
- October 2023: Iran-supported Hamas terrorists killed 46 Americans and kidnapped at least 12 during the October 7th massacre.
- December 2023: Militias backed by Iran attacked Erbil Air Base in Iraq, injuring three U.S. service members.
- January 2024: Kataib Hezbollah terrorists killed three U.S. service members and injured over 40 in a drone attack on Tower 22 military base in Jordan.
- October 2003 to November 2024: Iran and its proxies conducted more than 180 attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East, resulting in over 180 service members being wounded and three killed.
- November 2024: An Iranian national and IRGC asset was charged for plotting to assassinate President Trump.
- June 2025: Iran-backed militias attacked several U.S. bases in Syria and two U.S. bases in Iraq.
