Washington, March 3: For nearly five decades, various U.S. administrations have accused Iran of directly engaging in or supporting attacks targeting American citizens and military personnel in the Middle East and beyond.
In a statement released on Monday, the White House labeled Iran as “the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism,” asserting that “Iran has killed more Americans than any other terrorist regime.”
The White House emphasized that President Donald Trump is “doing what previous presidents have refrained from doing for the past five decades: eliminating the threat once and for all.”
The statement further noted that “by destroying Iran’s missiles, dismantling their navy, and ensuring they never acquire nuclear weapons, the Trump administration is taking significant steps to protect American lives and advance U.S. interests.”
Providing a partial record of attacks linked to Iran and its proxies, the White House recalled the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by Iranian students, resulting in 66 Americans being held hostage for 444 days.
In April 1983, a suicide car bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut killed 17 Americans. A few months later, in October 1983, a truck bomb explosion at a Marine compound in Beirut claimed the lives of 241 U.S. service members.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, several bombings, hijackings, and kidnappings were attributed to Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. Notably, a truck bomb attack on a U.S. Air Force housing complex in Saudi Arabia in 1996 killed 19 American airmen and injured nearly 500 others, while bombings at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 resulted in the deaths of 224 people, including a dozen Americans.
The statement also referenced attacks during the Iraq War. Between 2003 and 2011, Iran-backed militias killed at least 603 U.S. soldiers, which accounts for nearly one in every six American soldiers killed in the Iraq conflict.
In January 2007, gunmen linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps killed five American soldiers in Karbala, Iraq. According to U.S. officials, former FBI agent Robert Levinson disappeared in Iran in March 2007 and is believed to have died in custody.
Recently, the White House listed rocket and drone attacks in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. In January 2024, terrorists from Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah killed three American soldiers and injured over 40 in a drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan.
The statement indicated that between October 2003 and November 2024, Iran and its proxies conducted over 180 attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East, resulting in injuries to more than 180 service members and three fatalities.
The White House also recalled the events of October 2023, when attacks in Israel led to “Iran-backed Hamas terrorists killing 46 Americans and kidnapping at least 12 others.”
It concluded by mentioning a plot to assassinate President Trump involving an Iranian citizen and an IRGC asset, alleged in November 2024.
Since 1984, the U.S. has designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism due to its support for armed groups throughout the region.
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My name is Himanshu Tiwari. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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