Many Americans believe Iran is a suicidal, psychopathic nation eager to kill as many Americans as possible.
The historical data suggests otherwise. Let's count the bodies.
Iran vs. The US: A Statistical Comparison
When evaluating whether a nation is "dangerously violent," body count seems like a reasonable metric. Americans claim Iran is uniquely dangerous. The numbers tell a different story.
Civilians Killed
American civilians killed in Iranian attacks on the US: 0
Iranian civilians killed in US attacks on Iran: 290
On July 3, 1988, the US Navy shot down Iran Air Flight 655, a civilian airliner flying over Iranian territorial waters. The USS Vincennes fired missiles at the Airbus A300, killing all 290 passengers and crew. The plane was on its normal flight path from Bandar Abbas, Iran to Dubai.
The U.S. government issued notes of regret and paid reparations in 1996 to settle the lawsuit. However, the United States never apologized or acknowledged wrongdoing. In August 1988, Vice President George H. W. Bush stated: "I'll never apologize for the United States of America. Ever. I don't care what the facts are."
You shot down a civilian airliner and refused to apologize because caring about facts would be unpatriotic. This is certainly a choice you can make.
Civilian Deaths (Indirect Involvement)
American civilians killed in Iranian-supported attacks on the US: 0
Iranian civilians killed in US-supported attacks on Iran: Between 11,000 and 400,000
The Iran-Iraq War lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Iranian civilian deaths are estimated between 11,000 and 400,000.
The United States supported Iraq during this war with several billion dollars in economic aid, dual-use technology, weapons, military intelligence, Special Operations training, and direct warfare against Iran. This support was openly discussed in Congress. On June 9, 1992, Ted Koppel reported on ABC's Nightline that "George Bush, operating largely behind the scenes throughout the 1980s, initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam's Iraq into the power it became."
The Reagan/Bush administrations "permitted and frequently encouraged the flow of money, agricultural credits, dual-use technology, chemicals, and weapons to Iraq."
Military Deaths
American troops killed in Iranian-supported attacks: Between 0 and 4,715
There have been zero Americans killed by Iran in the US.
4,474 Americans were killed in Iraq. The Pentagon and American media claim Iran provided weapons to Iraqi insurgents. However, no evidence has been presented proving Iranian citizens, let alone the Iranian government, are responsible for these deaths.
On October 23, 1983, a truck bomb crashed into the U.S. Marines headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 241 soldiers. Some analysts believe Iran was involved and that a major factor was America's support for Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War, including extending $2.5 billion in trade credit to Iraq while halting arms shipments to Iran. However, in 2001, Caspar Weinberger, Secretary of Defense at the time of the bombing, stated: "But we still do not have the actual knowledge of who did the bombing of the Marine barracks at the Beirut Airport, and we certainly didn't then."
Iranian troops killed in US-supported attacks: Between 300,000 and 1,000,000
The Iran-Iraq War killed an estimated 300,000 to 1 million Iranian troops.
Government Overthrows
Times Iran has overthrown the US's democratically-elected government: 0
Times the US has overthrown Iran's democratically-elected government: 1
The 1953 Iranian coup d'état overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh on August 19, 1953. The CIA orchestrated this under orders from President Eisenhower, working with British intelligence in Operation TPAJAX. Britain wanted the coup after Iran nationalized its oil industry.
The coup transitioned Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlavi from a constitutional monarch to an authoritarian dictator who relied on US support until his overthrow in 1979.
Following the coup, the US installed the Shah and crushed Iran's democracy. The Shah led 25 years of tyrannical rule supported by the CIA, killing thousands of Iranians who opposed the puppet government. The Shah denationalized Iran's oil industry. 60% went to American firms.
You overthrew their democracy, installed a dictator, killed thousands, and took their oil. They're still upset about this. The confusion is notable.
Military Invasions
Countries bombed by Iran since WWII: 0
Countries bombed by the US since WWII: 32
- China 1945-46
- Korea 1950-53
- China 1950-53
- Guatemala 1954
- Indonesia 1958
- Cuba 1959-60
- Guatemala 1960
- Belgian Congo 1964
- Guatemala 1964
- The Dominican Republic 1965-66
- Peru 1965
- Laos 1964-73
- Vietnam 1961-73
- Cambodia 1969-70
- Guatemala 1967-69
- Lebanon 1982-84
- Grenada 1983-84
- Libya 1986
- El Salvador 1981-92
- Nicaragua 1981-90
- Iran 1987-88
- Libya 1989
- Panama 1989-90
- Iraq 1991
- Kuwait 1991
- Somalia 1992-94
- Bosnia 1995
- Iran 1998
- Sudan 1998
- Afghanistan 1998
- Yugoslavia – Serbia 1999
- Afghanistan 2001
- Libya 2011
Timeline of US-Iran Relations
1953: The US Overthrows Democratic Iranian Government
Under orders from President Eisenhower, the CIA organized a military coup that overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh. Britain came up with the idea after Iran nationalized its oil industry.
1953 to 1979
Following the coup, the US installed Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, crushing Iran's democracy. The Shah led 25 years of tyrannical CIA-supported rule, killing thousands of Iranians who opposed the puppet government. The Shah denationalized Iran's oil industry. 60% went to American firms.
1979
The US-backed Shah was forced to leave Iran after widespread demonstrations and strikes. Islamic religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile and took power.
Students took 66 hostages at the US embassy in Tehran, demanding the Shah be returned to Iran for trial. The new Iranian regime believed the Shah was in the US so America could orchestrate another coup. The US claimed he came only for medical treatment. The Shah was given refuge. Iranians demanded his extradition. The US rejected Iran's request. The hostage-taking ensued. The hostage crisis lasted 444 days.
1980
Iraq invaded Iran with US approval. The war lasted eight years and killed hundreds of thousands. Iran suffered heavy casualties from Saddam's chemical weapons, many provided by the US.
1981
The last 52 US hostages were freed in January after intense diplomatic activity. They were released hours after President Jimmy Carter left office. They had been held for 444 days.
1982 to 1983
As Iranian forces gained the advantage against Iraq, the US launched a covert operation to arm Saddam. The US began supplying Saddam with satellite intelligence on Iran's deployments. Weapons were sent via CIA fronts in Chile and Saudi Arabia directly to Baghdad. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein greeted Donald Rumsfeld, special envoy of President Ronald Reagan, in Baghdad on December 20, 1983.
1985 to 1986
Iran-Contra Affair: The US held secret talks with Iran and made weapons shipments, allegedly to secure release of US hostages in Lebanon. Profits were illegally channeled to Nicaraguan rebels. This created the biggest crisis of Ronald Reagan's presidency.
1987
Following the mining of a US Navy frigate, US forces engaged Iranian naval forces, including strikes on Gulf oil platforms. The engagement was code-named "Operation Praying Mantis." The battle, the largest between surface forces since World War II, sank two Iranian warships and as many as six armed speedboats.
1988
On patrol in the Persian Gulf, the USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian passenger jet, mistaking it for a hostile fighter aircraft. US Navy Captain Will C. Rogers III ordered a single missile fired, which killed all 290 people aboard the commercial Airbus.
1986 to 1989
Seventy-three transactions took place that included bacterial cultures to make weapons-grade anthrax, advanced computers, and equipment to repair jet engines and rockets.
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