The United States launched airstrikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. President Donald Trump suggested the war aims to end Iran's theocratic regime, saying it presents "an opportunity for Iranians to take back their country."
According to major foreign media outlets on the 1st, Iran was America's closest Middle Eastern ally until the 1970s. The Pahlavi dynasty, established through a coup by military officer Reza Khan in the 1920s, pursued Western-style modernization. This aligned with U.S. interests in Middle Eastern oil. Washington actively supported the Pahlavi regime as a strategic foothold.
Political upheaval in Iran during the 1950s elevated U.S.-Pahlavi relations to alliance level. Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh weakened royal authority and nationalized the oil industry in anti-foreign moves. Washington grew concerned Iran might tilt toward the Soviet Union.
The Eisenhower administration joined Britain in 1953 to support a coup strengthening the Pahlavi dynasty. Empowered by U.S. backing, the dynasty launched military-security cooperation with Washington in 1959, adopting a strong pro-American stance. Iran served as a "pro-U.S. bastion" in the Cold War Middle East.
Relations reversed when the 1979 Islamic Revolution ousted the Pahlavi dynasty. Iran established a theocratic system under Ayatollah Khomeini. The 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by Iranian students transformed the relationship into open hostility.
When Shah Mohammad Reza entered the United States for cancer treatment, Iran's revolutionary leadership demanded his extradition. Washington refused. Angered Iranian students seized the Tehran embassy in November 1979, holding 52 American diplomats and staff hostage. The Carter administration launched "Operation Eagle Claw" in April 1980 using Delta Force, but the mission failed with eight soldiers killed. The hostages were released after President Ronald Reagan's 1981 inauguration, but both nations severed diplomatic ties.
As Iran expanded regional influence from the 1980s, Washington identified it as a core threat. During the eight-year Iran-Iraq War starting in 1980, the U.S. supported Iraq directly and indirectly, fearing anti-American Islamism's spread. Meanwhile, Iran cultivated proxy forces called the "Axis of Resistance" across the Middle East and secretly began nuclear development.
In August 1996, Washington classified Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism and imposed economic sanctions. In 2002, President George W. Bush designated Iran part of the "Axis of Evil" alongside Iraq and North Korea.
The Obama administration, inaugurated in 2009, briefly pursued détente. Seeking improved Iran relations, President Obama discussed nuclear issues with moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2013, dramatically reaching agreement in July 2015. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) stipulated Western sanctions relief in exchange for Iran halting nuclear weapons work.
Improvement ended when the Trump administration took office in 2017. The administration withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and restored sanctions. Relations deteriorated sharply. In 2020, during Trump's first term, the U.S. assassinated Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force.
Last June, the U.S. demonstrated force again with "Operation Midnight Hammer," deploying B-2 stealth bombers to destroy three major Iranian nuclear facilities.
Less than a month after resuming nuclear negotiations, Trump ordered massive airstrikes eliminating Khamenei and Iran's leadership. On the 28th (local time), Trump posted on Truth Social: "[Khamenei's death] is a once-in-a-lifetime great opportunity for the Iranian people to take back their country." He added: "I hope the IRGC and police will peacefully join Iranian patriots, working together to restore the country to the greatness it deserves." This effectively confirmed regime change as the airstrike's objective.