Let he who hath not sinned cast the first stone.
Do you really think we've been lily white all these years? We shot down an Iranian civilian plane with 250 people on board for Christ sake. And, yeah, the Shah of Iran was our guy. He was essentially an autocrat and highly politically repressive. A bit corrupt as well. Iranians overthrew our guy and that made us angry.
SEE: Imperialism.
I'm not saying Iran has leaders that shouldn't be neutered, but let's not pretend that moral high ground is all ours.
We've been in a mostly cold war with Iran for a long time. All's fair in love and war, as they say.
Here is a
fact-based, historically grounded list of major instances where the United States has directly caused death, destruction, or military harm to Iran (or inside Iranian territory) since the
1979 Iranian Revolution. I’ll keep it specific and avoid exaggeration—because the reality is serious enough without distortion.
Major U.S. actions causing death/destruction in Iran (since 1979)
1. Support during the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988)
- The U.S. did not fight Iran directly at first, but:
- Provided intelligence and indirect support to Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
- Helped tilt the balance in a war that killed over 1 million people total, with Iran suffering very heavy losses. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
While the U.S. did not directly kill those people, its involvement is widely debated as contributing to the scale of destruction.
2. Operation Nimble Archer (1987)
- U.S. Navy destroyed two Iranian oil platforms
- These were economic and military targets
- No confirmed deaths, but major infrastructure destruction (Wikipedia)
3. Operation Praying Mantis (1988)
- Largest direct U.S.–Iran naval battle in history
- U.S. forces:
- Sank or crippled multiple Iranian ships
- Destroyed offshore platforms
- ~56 Iranian personnel killed (Wikipedia)
4. Iran Air Flight 655 shootdown (1988)
- U.S. warship shot down a civilian airliner
- 290 civilians killed (including children) (Wikipedia)
This is one of the
deadliest single incidents directly caused by the U.S. against Iranians.
5. Sanctions (1979–present)
- Long-term U.S. sanctions have:
- Severely impacted Iran’s economy
- Restricted access to medicine, trade, and infrastructure
- These are not direct killings, but are widely argued to contribute to:
- Increased mortality
- Economic hardship
Exact death tolls are
unknown and debated, and should not be stated as precise figures.
6. Covert and cyber operations (2000s–present)
Examples include:
- Cyberattacks like the Stuxnet virus targeting nuclear facilities
- Assassination campaigns (often attributed to U.S. + allies)
Effects:
- Infrastructure damage
- Some Iranian scientists killed (though responsibility is often shared or disputed)
7. Direct strikes in Iran (2020s–present escalation)
2025–2026 U.S. strikes
- U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear-related sites in 2025 (HISTORY)
Ongoing 2026 conflict (recent reporting)
- Over 1,300 Iranian deaths reported in current war conditions (The Guardian)
- Includes both military and civilian casualties
Example incident:
- U.S. strike on a school (2026):
- ~165 civilians killed, many children (AP News)
Summary (verified, grounded)
Direct U.S.-caused deaths (clearly documented)
- Iran Air Flight 655: 290 civilians
- Operation Praying Mantis: ~56 military personnel
- 2026 war (so far): 1000+ deaths (mixed causes, including U.S. strikes)
Destruction
- Oil platforms destroyed (1987)
- Naval fleet damage (1988)
- Nuclear and military infrastructure (2020s)
- Economic system heavily impacted via sanctions
Important context (to keep this accurate)
- The U.S.–Iran conflict is mutual and ongoing, not one-sided:
- Iran has also supported groups responsible for killing Americans and others
- Many deaths attributed to “U.S. vs Iran” come from:
- Proxy wars (Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, etc.)
- Not all are direct U.S. actions inside Iran itself
