The Islamic Republic of Iran is situated in Southwest Asia, bordering the Middle East, and is known for its strict adherence to Shia Islam. The country boasts vast deserts, impressive mosques, and a rich culinary tradition.
The United States government has consistently designated Iran as a state-sponsor of terrorism since 1984. The clerical regime’s material support for U.S.-classified terrorist organizations—Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis—has played a role in the designation of Iran’s regime as the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism.
The regime in Tehran also sought to assassinate former President Trump. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has effectively put bounties on the heads of Trump, his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and ex-National Security Advisor John Bolton for their roles in the U.S. drone strike that eliminated the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
According to the U.S. government, Soleimani was responsible for the murders of over 600 American military personnel in the Middle East.
In recent years, Iran has continued to expand its nuclear weapons program despite being party to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. During his first term President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement and imposed heavy sanctions on Iran to curb its nuclear proliferation. Tehran has continued efforts to illegally acquire technology for its atomic, biological, and chemical weapons of mass destruction programs.
