In Iran's ‘forever war’ against the US, regime has targeted and killed Americans worldwide

While the U.S. weighs its future engagement successful the struggle betwixt Iran and Israel, galore leaders are looking with caller eyes astatine Iran’s activities targeting Americans worldwide implicit 4 decades. 

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., posted connected Tuesday, "The everlastingly warfare is the warfare that Iran has waged against the U.S., Israel, and the civilized satellite since 1979." 

The examples of Iran’s engagement successful attacks connected Americans see nonstop and proxy attacks connected U.S. forces, enactment for panic groups, and assassination efforts.

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Lebanese unpaid rescue workers transportation the assemblage of an American Marine successful Beirut connected Oct. 24, 1983, from the rubble of the American Marines Barracks that was attacked by a violent motortruck weaponry connected Oct. 23, 1983. A violent termination car weaponry was driven into the gathering and detonated, sidesplitting 241 servicemen and wounding much than 60 others. (Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images)

1979 US Embassy hostage crisis

In the aboriginal days of the Islamic gyration successful 1979, extremist Islamic students seized the U.S. embassy successful Tehran. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s archetypal ultimate spiritual leader, took clasp of the situation, spurning planetary appeals to merchandise the hostages. The past U.S. hostages were released 444 days later.

1983 Beirut bombings

In 2023, Sayyed Issa Tabatabai, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s typical successful Lebanon, admitted during an interrogation with the state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that the Islamic Republic was progressive successful 2 1983 bombings that killed Americans successful Lebanon. 

The bombing of the U.S. Embassy successful Beirut resulted successful the deaths of 63 victims, including 17 Americans. When 2 termination motortruck bombs exploded astatine the barracks of multinational forces successful Lebanon, 220 Marines, 18 U.S. Navy sailors and 3 U.S. Army soldiers were killed, and 58 French troops were murdered.

In the IRNA interview, Tabatabai said "I rapidly went to Lebanon and provided what was needed successful bid to [carry out] martyrdom operations successful the spot wherever the Americans and Israelis were." He besides stated that helium received a fatwa from Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ordering him to transportation retired the attacks, though the IRNA removed the assertion "shortly aft publication," according to a study and translation of the interrogation from the Middle East Media Research Institute.

This June 30, 1996 record photograph shows the destroyed Khobar Towers and the crater wherever a motortruck weaponry exploded astatine a U.S. subject analyzable successful Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Saleh Rifai)

1996 Khobar Towers bombing

On June 25, 1996, 19 U.S. Air Force members were killed erstwhile a motortruck weaponry exploded extracurricular the Khobar Towers. Al Jazeera reported that successful 2006, a U.S. tribunal recovered the Iranian authorities liable for the attack, committed by Saudi members of Hezbollah. The tribunal ordered Iran to wage $254 cardinal to victims of the attack. 

Terrorism enactment successful Iraq and Afghanistan 

According to a 2019 Pentagon study cited by the Military Times, Iran bears work for the deaths of 603 U.S. work members successful Iraq betwixt 2003 and 2011. This fig accounted for 17% of U.S. deaths successful the state during the period. 

Some U.S. victims person been capable to beryllium Iran’s connections to our enemies successful court.

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In this May 27, 2016 record photo, Taliban fighters respond to a code by their elder person successful the Shindand territory of Herat province, Afghanistan. (The Associated Press)

In 2022, surviving household members and victims won a lawsuit against the Islamic Republic of Iran, utilizing the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to clasp the authorities accountable for its enactment of panic actors who killed oregon injured 30 U.S. unit successful Afghanistan.

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Bill Roggio, elder chap astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and exertion of the Long War Journal, testified successful enactment of the victims. He told Fox News Digital that "Iran's enactment for the Taliban and al Qaeda and the interaction it had connected the deaths and injuries to American soldiers and civilians is incalculable. Iran provided money, weapons, training, intelligence, and harmless haven to Taliban subgroups crossed Afghanistan, including successful the bosom of the state successful Kabul." In Roggio’s estimation, "Iran's enactment for the Taliban was lone rivaled by that of Pakistan. I would reason that Iran's extended enactment facilitated astir each Taliban onslaught connected U.S. personnel."

U.S. soldiers successful Iraq during 2004. (Spc. Gretel Sharpee)

In 2022, the U.S. District Court successful Washington, D.C., recovered that Iran likewise owed damages to the families and victims of 40 U.S. work members who were injured oregon killed successful Iraq owed to Iran’s enactment of coercion successful the country.

Proxy involvement, attempts astatine retribution 

In attempted retribution for the execution of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran targeted 2 U.S. bases lodging U.S. troops successful Iraq with surface-to-surface missiles successful 2020. 

In January 2024, 3 Americans were killed, and 25 others were wounded successful a drone onslaught connected an outpost successful Jordan adjacent the borderline with Syria. Two Iranians, 1 of whom had dual U.S. citizenship, were charged successful transportation with the attack.

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At the clip of the attack, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex) said that Iranian proxies had "launched implicit 150 attacks connected U.S. troops" pursuing Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.

Roggio reported that connected June 14, Iranian-backed militias "launched 3 drones" astatine Ain al Assad, a U.S. basal successful occidental Iraq. The drones were changeable down earlier reaching their target. 

Roggio said that the drone onslaught "appears to beryllium an unsanctioned onslaught by an unnamed Iranian militia. Unlike past attacks, nary radical has claimed credit, and determination person been nary follow-on strikes." He believes Iran "wants to support the U.S. retired of the fight, arsenic the U.S. subject has the capableness to deed the underground atomic installation astatine Fordow." 

An Iranian subject motortruck carries surface-to-air missiles past a representation of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a parade connected the juncture of the country's yearly service time connected April 18, 2018, successful Tehran, Iran. (ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Between October 2023 and August 2024, Iranian-backed Islamic Resistance successful Iraq militias launched 180 attacks against U.S. forces successful Syria, Iraq and Jordan. Throughout their "decades of experience," Roggio says Iraqi militias "are estimated to person killed much than 600 U.S. work members."

Kidnappings 

Robert Levinson, a retired FBI cause and backstage investigator, disappeared from an Iranian land successful 2007. Levinson was held hostage and was declared dormant successful 2020, erstwhile helium was said to person died successful Iranian custody. His household blamed the Iranian authorities for his seizure and imprisonment.

Just past year, Iran executed Jamshid Sharmahd. Sharmahd survived an assassination effort successful California successful which an Iranian cause was convicted of the planned murder. He was past kidnapped by the Iranian authorities successful Dubai successful 2020 arsenic portion of a concern trip.

An FBI poster showing erstwhile FBI cause Robert Levinson, who was kidnapped and said to person died successful Iranian custody. (AP)

The past of captive exchanges betwixt Iran and the U.S. dates backmost to 1979. The astir caller captive speech of 5 Americans imprisoned successful Iran for 5 Iranians detained successful the U.S. occurred successful September 2023. As portion of the deal, the U.S. released $6 cardinal successful frozen assets successful South Korea. 

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Assassinations

In November, the Department of Justice announced charges against an Iranian national and 2 New Yorkers for their relation successful a murder-for-hire crippled targeting aggregate American citizens, including President Donald Trump. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News’ Bret Baier connected Monday that Trump remains an Islamic Republic target. "They privation to termination him. He’s force fig one."

Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.