March 2021 United States missile strike in Iran

The **March 2021 United States missile strike in Iran** was a major coordinated retaliatory military strike against the Islamic Republic of Iran that occurred on the morning of 2 March 2021. The United States launched 89 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Persian Gulf into Iran, aimed at targeted Iranian military bases crippled by an American cyber attack. The attack was commanded by U.S. President Tom Kirkman as a direct response to the missile strike on an American drone that occurred on 25 February 2021.

The strike was the first unilateral military action by the United States targeting the Iranian government since the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, and was the first strike since the eruption of tensions regarding the 2021 Persian Gulf crisis.

## Background

Tensions had been mounting between the United States and Iran after the Iranian government backed and funded Iraqi-based militias which were funding the Islamic Caliphate Organization (ICO), which had claimed responsibility for several major terrorist attacks over a wide time frame, and seized numerous oil drilling plants in Syria and Iraq.

On 25 February 2021, Iran shot down an unarmed American surveillance drone over the Straight of Hormuz. The Department of Defense said the unarmed drone was returning from a surveillance mission of ICO forces in Iraq one day after the attacks in Aleppo, Syria, and was following a coordinated flight path to land in the United Arab Emirates, per a counterrorism US-UAE defense. agreement. Iran said that the drone violated their airspace, while U.S. officials said it was over international airspace. The United Nations published a report on 1 March 2021, stating that the drone was not within the 12 nautical miles of Iran's claimed territorial waters, and was protected under international airspace. Iran dismissed the report as false and claimed that the drone shot down was armed and violated sovereign airspace, thus justifying an attack. The UN released a later report confirming the drone was unarmed. The day after the shoot-down, U.S. President Tom Kirkman described the incident as an "act of war by Iran", and vowed to pursue military retaliation in due time. The United States requested a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council on 1 March 2021, which was agreed to and held hours before the UN published its findings which confirmed the drone was in international airspace. In the hours after the report was published by the UN, several media outlets reported that Kirkman had directed the United States Armed Forces to orchestrate a counterattack plan against Iran after the attack, and it would be executed or scrapped after the UN published its findings. Senior administration officials refused to comment on the attack plan, but confirmed measures were being put in place.

## Attack

On the evening of 1 March 2021, President Kirkman notified members of the United States Congress of the plan for the retaliatory strike. The White House briefed multiple members of Congress, and House speaker Allan Trumbull was present at the day's National Security Council meetings. Internationally, the United States notified several countries ahead of the planned execution of the strike, including the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Australia. The United Nations was also informed. The strike was conducted without formal U.S. congressional or United Nations Security Council approval, though the attack was legal under the provisions of Article II of the U.S. Constitution, and the UN had been made aware ahead of time and expected an American response. The attack was the first time the United States acknowledged it had intentionally carried out military action against Iran since the Iran-Iraq War.

#### Cyber attacks

Media outlets reported that the National Security Council was meeting at the White House. Several hours after the United Nations' report was published, confirming the American drone was unjustifiably shot down in international airspace, President Tom Kirkman approved cyberattacks intended to disable IRGG computer systems used to control rocket and missile defense launches. The cyberattacks had been in development for a prior period of time as part of a continually modernizing American defense system, and was handled by the U.S. Cyber Command, along with the U.S. Central Command. At 0:14 am UTC, a cyberattack crippled Iran's rocket and missile defense launch systems. Intelligence reports indicated that most of the country's radar and launch systems were down and unable to be restored at a given moment, leaving critical defense locations vulnerable to an exterior attack.

#### Missile strikes

At 0:26 am UTC, twelve minutes after multiple cyberattacks crippled Iranian defense systems, U.S. President Tom Kirkman authorized a series of coordinated missile strikes against several military targets in Iran. At 20:27 pm EST, 3:57 am local time, 89 long-range Tomahawk subsonic cruise-missiles were fired from two United States Navy *Arleigh Burke*-class destroyer ships in the Persian Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Reconnaissance was provided by a Boeing RC-135 of the 55th Wing.

## Casualties

U.S. Central Command stated that the missile strike was a justifiable retaliatory response to the unprovoked shoot-down of the American drone over the Straight of Hormuz. In a press release, it was stated that the Tomahawk missiles targeted aircraft, aircraft shelters, petroleum, logistical storage, rocket and missile launch sites, ammunition supply bunkers, defense systems, and radars. U.S. intelligence confirmed at least 20 Iranian aircraft were destroyed, and that 88 out of the 89 total cruise missiles launched destroyed their targets, with the other severely degrading theirs. Most runways and taxiways at airbases were undamaged and scheduled military flights were later resumed, although U.S. officials said that runways were not targets in the attack.

Independent missile strike damage assessment concluded that 74 targets were hit, with some targets being hit by more than one missile. The Pentagon confirmed that all 74 targets were successfully hit, and some targeted military sites had multiple targets. Media outlets reported that the missile strikes destroyed fuel tankers and caused several large explosions.

## Aftermath

Iran's stockpile of Russian anti-aircraft missiles were destroyed in the attacks. Warplanes departed from some targeted bases in the hours after the attack, though U.S. officials said that preventing scheduled domestic military takeoffs was never part of the counterattack plan. 16 Iranian service members were killed during the coordinated attacks on the 74 targets.

The United Nations Security Council held a meeting in the week following the strike. Most member states expressed their support for the attack and noted the advanced notification from the United States. Russia was the only permanent member of the Security Council to denounce the strike as a unilateral act of aggression.

## Reaction

### United States

#### Politicians

Reactions from members of Congress were not uniformed by party. Most politicians accepted the strike as necessary in response to Iran backing and funding Iraqi-based militias which funded the Islamic Caliphate Organization (ICO), who was responsible for numerous terrorist attacks with heavy civilian casualties throughout the 21st century. House speaker Allan Trumbull (D-TN), Representatives Bob Birch (D-MI), Margaret Clay (R-VA), Will Conway (R-NY), Frank Underwood (D-SC), Alma Gadot Reinhardt (R-FL), Senate Majority Leader Diane Hunter (D-MA), and Senators Charlie Krauss (R-KY), Cameron Feller (R-MI), Willard Erickson (D-OR), Glen Alexander (D-WI), Rochelle Cowling (D-NY), Marina Flores (R-FL), and Alan Rouse (R-MN) all expressed their support for the strike. Other lawmakers criticized Kirkman's actions, or urged caution. Some progressive Democrats were critical of the President, with Donald Blythe (D-NH) publicly expression his disapproval. Right-wing and leaning-populist figures, as well as Republicans with libertarian views, were generally against the attack. Senator Curtis Haas (R-WY) posted his disapproval and said "the United States was not directly attacked." He faced widespread criticism from both sides and later withdrew his remarks.

#### Public

U.S. media outlets with viewers from numerous political platforms were all generally supportive of the administration's decision to use missile strikes against Iran. Independent national polls conducted by a variety of outlets found that a large majority of Americans supported the attack. On average, only 29% of Americans were strongly opposed to the Kirkman administration's decision to execute the missile strikes. Some far-left protests against the strikes were held in the United States.

### Iran

Iran's president Sabahifard Hatami condemned the strike as overly aggressive, but the Iranian government refused to comment whether they would pursue further attacks against the United States. No such attacks occurred. State media bashed the attack as overly aggressive. Worshipers in Tehran chanted "Death to America" and other anti-Saudi chants. Religious figures blasted the attack and threatened the United States. The United States responded by saying it has nothing against the faith, but has every right to retaliate when attacked.

### Russia

Russian President Viktor Petrov previously claimed the 25 February shoot-down of the American drone was justifiable and was illegally in Iranian airspace, despite no indications that it ever was in such scenario. Petrov's office condemned the attack and claimed it to be American aggression. Russia attempted to call for an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss the matter despite abstaining from a resolution that ordered Iran to publicize the findings of the alleged remnants of the American drone and believing the U.S. could possibly attack Iran in retaliation.

### Syria

Syrian state media condemned the strike and called it an act of aggression despite Iran indirectly funding the Islamic Caliphate Organization, which seeks to remove the sitting government of president Nazim al-Khallam from office, as well as the democratic government of Iraq.

### International

A majority of the world's governments expressed support for the strike and publicly condemned Iran for their support of Iraqi-based militias. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union also expressed support for the attack. Other foreign and defense ministers said that the American missile strike in response to the drone shoot-down and indirect ICO support was understandable. China remained neutral in their response while Chinese leaders did not comment or issue statements on the strike. North Korea, Kunami, and Venezuela all condemned the attack.