The current news about a “47 Year War” with Iran may actually be a bit incomplete without considering the last three-quarters of a century. Iran and the United States were considered close allies until the 1979 Iranian Revolution which led to the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Previous to that, a significant event in US-Iran relations was the 1953 United States CIA orchestrated coup in Iran which led to two and a-half decades of friendship. What follows is a brief list of historical events leading to the current situation being called the “47 Year War!”

On November 4, 1979, just one full year before the United States 1980 Election Day, a group of Iranian college students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 52 American citizens hostage – a group that included active-duty military. These hostages were held for 444 days and were released on President Ronald Reagan’s Inauguration Day in 1981. Many point to this as a major reason for President Jimmy Carter losing his 1980 re-election bid.

On April 18, 1983 there was a suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut that killed 63 people that included 17 Americans. Islamic Jihad, a group linked to the Iranian backed Hezbollah, claimed responsibility. Later in 1983, on October 23, 241 United States Servicemen were killed with many others wounded in suicide attacks by Hezbollah on the U.S. Marine barracks. (In June of 2024 Iran was ordered to pay $239 million to victims and families of the Marine Barracks bombing.)

In the Iran-Contra affair of 1986-87, Americans were held hostage in Lebanon in the hostage-for-arms scandal.

In May, 1987 the USS Stark was attacked with 37 U.S. Sailors killed and 21 wounded which was caused by Iraq – but it was Iran war related. In April, 1988 two Americans were killed in a helicopter crash in a military operation against Iran after USS Samuel B. Richards experienced a mine strike.

In June of 1996 19 U.S. Airmen were killed and 372 Americans wounded in the Khobar Towers bombing. The American FBI/DOJ tied charges to pro-Iran Saudi Hizballah.

On October 12, 2000, the USS Cole was on a refueling stop in Yemen’s Aden Harbor when it was attacked by an al-Qaeda mission. 17 U.S. Navy Sailors were killed and thirty-seven more injured. Two massive lawsuits have recently been won against Iran for this attack: one for over $800 million and the other for over $1.9 billion.

President George W. Bush, in his 2002 State of the Union address, described Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as an “axis of evil” and accused the Iranian regime of aggressively pursuing weapons of mass destruction and repressing its people.

The Pentagon estimates that during the Iraq War (2003-2011) roughly 600+ U.S. troop deaths can be attributed to Iran-backed proxies.

On January 3, 2020, an American drone strike killed General Qassem Soleimani, the most powerful commander in Iran. While no Americans were killed in the retaliatory attack, about 110 U.S. Service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.

In the period from 2023 to the present, at least two U.S. Navy SEALS died during a mission intercepting Iranian weapons bound for Houthis. Civilian mariners have also been killed.

And, there are other news events where it is believed Iran may be involved in some small or even significant way. TWA Flight 847, Pan Am Flight 103, and the December 2019 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad come to mind. The September 2012 Benghazi attack is not a confirmed Iran-related event but considered a possible one.

Of the several sources I reviewed for this article, a couple of titles stood out. One was from the American Jewish Committee titled “Iranian Regime’s War on America: Four Decades of Targeting U.S. Forces and Citizens” (March 2026). Another was a Brookings Institution commentary titled “Unlikely Alliance: Iran’s Secretive Relationship with Al-Qaeda” (July 31, 2012). A third reference of note was from the History website and titled “7 Key Moments in US-Iran Relations “(originally published February 2026). There were others but too many to list.

So those, especially those in the media, that stated that the United States and Israel started the most recent war with Iran earlier this year need to be admonished, embarrassed, and educated with the facts. What is happening in Iran and that region of the world did not start in 2026! This same admonishment, embarrassment, and education treatment should be directed to some of our elected “leaders” in Washington, D.C. –especially those Democrats who ought to replace their petty partisan hats with patriotic red, white, and blue ones! I would be remiss if I didn’t say “Get informed and get involved!”