In the early hours of the morning on Jan. 28, a drone launched by an Iranian-backed militia group slammed into the barracks of a U.S. military base in Jordan, killing three U.S. soldiers and wounding nearly 50 others. Tehran denied involvement, but the Shahed drone used in the strike is only made in one country: Iran. This tragedy should be a wake-up call for all Americans that Iran’s malign influence extends far beyond its borders. And with the Middle East more volatile than it has been in decades, we must support our allies in Israel who are leading the fight against Iran’s campaign of terror and violence.
I’ve experienced Iran’s ruthlessness firsthand. On my deployment to Afghanistan, an improvised explosive device severed both of my legs below the knee. That bomb was likely funded by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force — the shadowy paramilitary group Iran tasks with propping up Islamist militias with the aim of killing Americans and destroying our ally Israel. Now, years later, Iran’s myriad puppets have reemerged with a vengeance.
We saw this on Oct. 7 last year, when the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas crossed into Israel, massacred around 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and dragged about 240 hostages back to Gaza. For years, Iran has provided Hamas with weapons, funding, intelligence, and training as part of the Islamic Republic’s broader campaign to destroy the Jewish state — a campaign that culminated last fall in the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Far from condemning Hamas’ massacre of civilians, Iran praised the terrorist attacks as a “great success” against the “Zionist regime.”
As with last month’s attack on U.S. soldiers, Iran denied involvement in the Oct. 7 massacre. But actions speak louder than feeble denials. New evidence shows that hundreds of Hamas terrorists trained in Iran to prepare for the attack against Israel, and used Iranian-supplied weapons to carry out their butchery. Iran can’t hide behind its proxies; it’s as much to blame for this bloodshed as Hamas. Since the Oct. 7 attack, Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has made significant progress toward its objective of destroying Hamas and removing Iran’s influence from Gaza once and for all.
Iran’s proxies also attack American interests and allies beyond the Middle East, including by threatening the global economy. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have in recent months launched missiles at civilian cargo ships from their base in Yemen, drawing international outcry and forcing major shipping companies to redirect vessels around the coast of Africa. The Houthis’ illegal attacks — carried out using Iranian-supplied weapons — have diverted over $80 billion worth of cargo, leading to higher costs for shipping companies and higher prices for consumers. With inflation already high, American families can hardly afford to add an “Iran terror tax” to their monthly budgets.
From Gaza to Yemen, Lebanon to Iraq, Americans and our allies in Israel are under attack by Iran’s terrorist network. Iran-backed groups have carried out more than 165 attacks on American bases in recent months, putting U.S. servicemembers directly in harm’s way. Having served and sacrificed for my country in the Global War on Terror, I know that Iran and the terrorists they support only understand strength. This is a reality Israel, the target of every Iran-backed terror group, understands intimately.
Americans should recognize Iran’s support for murderous terror groups for what it is: a direct attack against the United States and our allies that demands a strong response. The Biden administration’s airstrikes against IRGC targets and Iran-backed militias are a step in the right direction. But we must do more to deter future attacks against our soldiers and partners. Americans must call on their elected officials to stand with our allies in Israel as they lead the fight against Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance.” If we fail to support our allies in their time of need, we’re likely to see even more Americans fall victim to Iranian-backed terror.
Jason Church is a retired captain in the US Army and Purple Heart recipient.