The current U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran’s terrorist regime followed decades of Iranian attacks on Americans and an escalating risk to U.S. civilians, soldiers and strategic interests.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran and its proxies have carried out a sustained campaign of violence against Americans—hostage-taking, terrorism and attacks on U.S. forces—spanning multiple administrations and preceding the current Israeli government. Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and has been designated by the U.S. State Department since 1984. Claims that the joint American-Israeli strikes were “unprovoked” ignore four decades of Iranian attacks on the United States and its allies.
Iran’s campaign began with taking 66 Americans hostage when it seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979. Radicalized students supported by Iran’s new Islamic regime held American civilians and military for 444 days. During her time in captivity, diplomat Kate Koob was held alone in a room for four months. Her biggest fear was “not knowing what was happening to my colleagues.”
Starting in the 1980s, Iran and its proxies escalated to mass-casualty terrorism and state-sanctioned violence:
Recent Direct Threats to the U.S.
• Assassination attempt against an Iranian-American writer living in New York City
• Planned assassination of President Donald Trump
• Numerous cyberattacks on critical infrastructure
Recent Regional Attacks on the U.S.
• Killed three American soldiers, wounded more than 40 in attack on U.S. base in Jordan
• Killed an American civilian working in Iraq
• Former FBI agent presumed killed in an Iranian prison
During the Iraq War, Iranian-backed militias killed hundreds of U.S. troops using advanced weapons supplied and trained by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran’s financial commitment to its proxy organizations, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, severely damages its economy as well as deprives the human rights and livelihoods of most of its own citizens.
This continuous pattern of attacks against Americans contradicts claims that the current conflict is a “Zionist” or “Jewish” war.
Diplomacy exhausted
Trump’s administration was negotiating for a peaceful resolution, but Iran’s extremist leaders vowed to continue pursuing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. An American official recently described how the Iranian negotiators “said to us directly, with no shame, they controlled enriched uranium that could make 11 nuclear bombs.”
The United States and other nations had negotiated with Iran for more than a decade. In his recent State of the Union address, the president reiterated that America would use force against Iran if diplomacy failed.
Military strikes have killed dozens of top Iranian regime officials since the start of the war on Feb. 28, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth summarized decades of policy bluntly: “If you kill or threaten Americans anywhere in the world, as Iran has, then we will hunt you down, and we will kill you.”
Iran accelerates regional war
The Islamic regime attacked its own neighbors and even Cyprus, a member of the European Union, as it struck out after the American and Israeli air assaults. Iran has launched dozens of missiles and drones toward Israeli civilian neighborhoods. One missile struck a residential neighborhood west of Jerusalem, killing nine Israelis and destroying a synagogue, in addition to the public bomb shelter beneath it.
Iran expanded the conflict by targeting any Arab nation it views as an ally or supporter of America. Iran unleashed missile and drone attacks against the Bahrain International Airport, a Saudi oil refinery, and hotels in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The other three members of the Gulf Cooperation Council—Kuwait, Oman and Qatar—were also hit. GCC nations affirmed their “legal right to respond.”
Australia and Canada immediately backed America’s military campaign, while the United Kingdom, France and Germany were more cautious in their responses. The European nations “agreed to work together with the U.S. and regional allies to defend our interests.”
Under attack by Iran’s close ally, Russia, for four years, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced hope for “giving the Iranian people a chance to get rid of the terrorist regime.”
Voices rarely amplified in media coverage
Many Iranians risked arrest and possible death to celebrate in the streets and express hope for political change, while some publicly mourned. Many Iranians celebrated around the world. Several Iranians living in Turkey acknowledged that while “war is not good,” they are hopeful that the “brutal theocracy” will end and that “freedom and democracy” will prevail.
Upon hearing of Khamenei’s death, his nephew living in France said, “Like most Iranians, I am happy. I think it’s a step forward, a hope.” Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, supported by many to be Iran’s next leader, declared that “the Iranian people have suffered too much to settle for anything less than the regime’s total collapse.”
The Iranian regime recently massacred its own citizens after they protested against the government. As many as 36,500 Iranians were reportedly murdered in only a few weeks. The government enforces severe restrictions on women, ethnic minorities and the queer community.
Many Jews around the world celebrated shoulder to shoulder with their Iranian neighbors, just as Iranians have supported Israel in its time of need. Rafael Singer attended a rally in London: “We noticed Iranians at rallies against antisemitism. So when they had their own, my family joined in.” Supporters waved Iran’s historic “Lion and Sun” flags and Israeli flags.
Major American Jewish organizations voiced support for the joint U.S.-Israel strikes. The Anti-Defamation League was “praying for the safety of American service members in harm’s way, Israeli civilians and soldiers, our partners and friends in the Gulf and all others in the region who have already been targeted.”
Heightened threats to Jewish communities
Many Jews around the world are anxious about the possibility of attacks against their communities. Wars too often spark violence against Jews. A member of a Palestine Solidarity Chapter in the United Kingdom declared that it is “time to target local synagogues and Jewish businesses,” asking, “Does anyone have a good recipe for roasted synagogue?”
The ADL and other Jewish organizations are recommending vigilance because of Iranian threats to target the Jewish community, America and Israel.
Points to consider:
1. Iran has waged war against the United States for decades.
The 1979 Islamic Revolution launched 47 years of hostility against the West, Israel and many of its Arab neighbors. The U.S. State Department designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1984. Iran has supported and supplied terror groups around the world, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Through hostage-taking, terrorism, proxy warfare and direct attacks on U.S. forces, the Iranian regime has treated conflict with America as a constant condition, not a temporary crisis tied to any single event or ally.
2. This conflict is rooted in Iranian attacks on Americans, not Israel.
Iran’s actions toward the United States were deliberate decisions to target American diplomats, soldiers and civilians that made a powerful American response increasingly unavoidable. The current confrontation did not emerge from Israeli policy debates, but from repeated Iranian aggression toward U.S. personnel and strategic interests. Framing the conflict as Israel-driven shifts blame away from a regime that has consistently targeted Americans for decades.
3. Iran’s actions created an unlikely coalition across the Middle East.
Iran’s escalation consolidated a broad regional response. Countries that have been at odds with America, Israel and even each other—from Saudi Arabia to Qatar—are now fighting back against a common enemy: Iran. The Islamic regime’s aggression forced pragmatic regional cooperation around shared security and stability.
4. Most Iranians reject their regime’s rule and demand freedom.
Iran’s rogue leadership does not speak for its own people. Public reactions inside Iran and across the Iranian diaspora reveal deep opposition to the regime’s repression, corruption and isolation. Celebrations following strikes against regime targets reflect long-standing resentment toward a government that rules by force, not consent. These voices sharply contrast with Western activist groups who were silent when Iran recently slaughtered thousands of its citizens. Political activists in the United States and Europe ignore the demands of Iranians calling for the same freedoms that allow them to openly protest their own governments.
5. Individuals should not be conflated with governments.
Conflicts abroad often become excuses for harassment at home. Jews should not be targeted in the United States or anywhere else because of Israel’s government, and Muslims and Iranians should not be targeted because of the Iranian regime. People should never face discrimination, harassment or violence because of their origin, religion or identity.
6. Purim highlights the persistence of genocidal threats.
Jews celebrated Purim around the world in early March. The holiday recounts an ancient Persian regime’s attempt to annihilate the Jewish people. Ironically, the biblical story centers on a powerful empire, an unchecked ruler and a campaign of extermination carried out under the guise of law and order. Leaders of Iran (today’s Persia) have continued calls for Israel’s destruction while funding and arming terror groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah. Hamas is also dedicated to murdering all Jews. Iran’s genocidal rhetoric, state sponsorship of terrorism and regional destabilization remain important strategic dangers. Purim resonates because the threat remains real today.
