-
Iranian Revolution Begins
Anti-US and western sentiment in Iran begins when the Shah (backed by the US), became hated by his people for attempting to westernize Iran and disregarding tradition and religion. After protests collapsed the Shah's regime, Ayatollah Khomeini gained power and was loved by the Iranians for his religious policies and the freedoms he gave. -
Iranian Revolution Leads To Hostage Crisis
After Ayatollah gained power, protesters wanted the Shah (being given medical treatment in the US) to be extradited. Protesters raided the US embassy and took 66 hostages. 52 hostages remained for 444 days. The US ended diplomatic relationships with Iran until they released the hostages. In depth information on the timeline of the Iranian Revolution can be seen below:
Brookings -
Iran-Iraq War Begins
To assert Iraq's dominance, overturn the border agreements of 1975, reassert access to the Persian Gulf, and to counter Iran's leader Ayatollah Khomeini who had been attempting to destabilize Iraq's government, Saddam Hussein (president of Iraq) invaded Iran. They fought back and forth but neither gained. Iraq was backed by the US because of the Iranian Hostage crisis. -
Iran-Iraq War Ends
The war settled into a stalemate as neither sides gained anything. Iran had a numerical advantage but Iraq had better weaponry and more support. Iraq drew outrage from the world when they used chemical weapons against Iran. Finally, the war ended on August 20, 1988.
Learn More Below:
History -
Persian Gulf War Begins
Iraq invades Kuwait, initiating the Persian Gulf War. Iraq accuses Kuwait of stealing their petroleum along the border. Iraq also wants to acquire Kuwait's oil reserves, cancel a large debt owed to Kuwait, and expand Iraq's power in the region. After Iraq invaded Kuwait, the UN Security Council immediately demanded the withdrawl of Iraqi troops. US President Bush also condemned the invasion. US military began plans to remove Iraq from Kuwait and protect Saudi Arabia from an invasion. -
Persian Gulf War Ends
The UN gave Iraq until Jan 15th to withdrawl from Kuwait. On the morning of Jan 17th, the US and its allies launched an attack on targets in Iraq and Kuwait. Iraq responds by bombing Israel and Saudi Arabia. Saudi creates a coalition with the US instead of Bin Laden. This causes him to be against the US. Ground and air assaults on Iraq continue until they finally withdrawl.
Learn more about the Persian Gulf War Timeline:
Britannica -
Anti US Sentiment From Iraq
After the Persian Gulf War Iraq hated the US because the US forbade them from trade. -
First WTC Bombing
On Feb 26, 1993, Bin Laden organized an attack on the WTC by sending a bombing van to the tower. This killed 6 people and injured thousands. -
USA In Somalia
Bush wanted to help the Somali people but all food was intercepted by warlords. U.S. forces had entered Somalia to protect the distribution of food aid. On Oct 3rd, 1993, 18 Americans died when Blackhawks were shot down in Somalia. The weapons used to shoot them down were from Bin Laden. -
Khobar Towers Bombing
On June 25, 1996, Bin Laden was behind a car bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. 19 people were killed. In the same year, Bin Laden declared war on America. -
US Embassy Bombings
On August 7, 1998, Bin Laden was behind two US embassy bombings. One in Kenya and one in Tanzania. Over 200 were killed and over 4000 were wounded. The US responded by launching military strikes to targets in Afghanistan and Sudan. Unfortunately, this had little effect. -
Jordanian Police Stop Bombings
In 2000, Jordanian police stopped 4 Al-Qaeda suicide bombings of civilian targets. -
Al-Qaeda Terrorists Arrested
In 2000, four Al-Qaeda terrorists were arrested crossing the Canadian border. They were set to bomb LAX. -
Failed Boat Attack
In Yemen, an Al-Qaeda boat with explosives tried to bomb a navy ship but sank due to being overloaded. -
USS Cole Attack
On October 12, 2000, Al Qaeda sent two suicide bombers on a speed boat into the USS Cole, killing 17 sailors and injuring 38. -
War on Terror Begins
On September 11, 2001, Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda committed the worst attack against the US in history. They hijacked and flew planes into both NYC Twin Towers, the US Pentagon, and a field in PA (after passengers fought back). The attacks directly killed 2977 people, injured over 6000 people, and many more died from 9/11 related illnesses. -
War in Afghanistan
Airstrikes by the US and Great Britain are launched in Afghanistan targeting Taliban and Al Qaeda training camps. The US attempts to capture Bin Laden but he escapes. Reporter Daniel Pearl is executed by self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed on video. -
War in Iraq
US forces invade Iraq because they had intel that Saddam Hussein, the country's dictator, possessed or was creating weapons of mass destruction. On Aug 19, 2003, 23 people are killed after a suicide bomber drives a truck into UN headquarters in Baghdad. On December 13, 2003, US soldiers capture Saddam Hussein in Iraq. -
Spain Bombing
A bombing of four commuter trains in Madrid kills 191 people and injures over 2000. The suspects were Islamic militants inspired by Al-Qaeda. -
London Bombing
Bombings on the London Underground and a double-decker bus kill 52 people and injure over 700. Documents found in 2012 reveal that Al-Qaeda was behind the attacks. -
Saddam Hussein Executed
Saddam Hussein is executed by hanging in Baghdad for war crimes and crimes against humanity. -
Osama Bin Laden Killed
Osama bin Laden is finally killed by US forces during a raid at an Abbottabad, Pakistan compound. On June 22, 2011, Obama announces the withdrawl of troops from Afghanistan. On December 28, 2014, the War in Afghanistan officially ends and the War on Terror ends for the most part with only small operations continuing.
In depth War on Terror timeline:
History