10 7 2019 The United States Almost Bombed Iran in the 1990s Published on The National Interest https nationalinterest org Home The United States Almost Bombed Iran in the 1990s The United States Almost Bombed Iran in the 1990s Topic Security Middle East Khobar Towers October 7 2019 Region Middle East Blog Brand Middle East Watch Tags Iran Bill Clinton “The Pentagon drew up military plans which ranged from launching cruise missiles at Iranian targets to undertaking a full-blown ground invasion of Iran ” by David Axe L The last time U S troops engaged in direct combat with Iran’s own regular forces was in April 1988 when U S naval forces struck Iranian ships and sea bases in retaliation for Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf https nationalinterest org print blog middle-east-watch united-states-almost-bombed-iran-1990s-86456 1 3 10 7 2019 The United States Almost Bombed Iran in the 1990s A decade later the United States came close to attacking Iran again this time in retaliation for a 1996 terrorist bombing that killed more than a dozen Americans But then-president Bill Clinton instead chose to pursue a diplomatic rapprochement The near-conflict of the 1990s could hold lessons for present-day leaders Early in April 1988 the U S Navy frigate USS Samuel B Roberts struck an Iranian mine while escorting tanker ships through the Gulf No one died aboard the frigate but the administration of U S president Ronald Reagan ordered the Navy to retaliate On April 18 1988 American ships planes and helicopters attacked Iranian forces sinking two warships and killing scores of Iranian sailors Two Americans died when their helicopter crashed Eight years later on June 25 1996 the terror group Saudi Hezbollah bombed a U S military barracks at Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia Nineteen Americans died and hundreds were injured The U S intelligence community suspected Saudi Hezbollah had strong ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps militia “FBI and other U S counterterrorism officials soon concluded the IRGC had played a role in selecting the target and training the perpetrators ” Malcolm Byrne wrote at the website of The National Security Archive at George Washington University “However for at least two years the Saudi government rebuffed U S demands for access to critical evidence it had collected from interrogating suspects in Saudi custody ” Clinton ordered U S Central Command to draw up strike options The president told Richard Clarke his counter-terrorism adviser that he did not “want any pissant half-measures ” “The Pentagon drew up military plans which ranged from launching cruise missiles at Iranian targets to undertaking a full-blown ground invasion of Iran ” Paul Iddon noted in a 2015 article “It appeared however that the agreed plan of action was to heavily bombard Iranian military targets in its Gulf provinces with air missile and naval attacks ” But the retaliatory raids never got past the planning stage Iddon cited the “circumstantial nature of the evidence and the fact the Gulf states were wary about the potential consequences ” An Iranian election in 1999 shifted Clinton’s thinking New Iranian president Mohammed Khatami had a reputation as a reformer “Khatami who apparently had not been aware of the plot had already assumed the presidency and the White House decided that military reprisals at that point would undermine the larger objective of establishing a diplomatic opening to Tehran ” Byrne wrote As a kind of compromise the Clinton administration chose instead to send a letter to Khatami that indicated Washington now had direct evidence of IRGC involvement in the Khobar attacks https nationalinterest org print blog middle-east-watch united-states-almost-bombed-iran-1990s-86456 2 3 10 7 2019 The United States Almost Bombed Iran in the 1990s insisted that Tehran bring to justice those responsible either in Iran or Saudi Arabia and sought Khatami’s help in ending Iranian support for terrorism Yet the message also stated that the United States wanted to work toward better relations with Iran and noted the attack had not occurred on Khatami’s watch but before his election According to published accounts and Clinton administration officials the letter was transmitted in June 1999 to the Sultan of Oman whose foreign minister was asked to meet with Khatami and frame the presentation with statements of respect from Clinton and expressions of a genuine desire for improved ties … The Iranian president’s reaction was reportedly positive However when he discussed the new development with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials he faced a barrage of objections to both the nature and tone of the U S demands Diplomacy quickly failed Byrne explained “The official Iranian response delivered to the Americans in early September 1999 was brusque mirroring the language and tenor of the American letter and making it clear that Iran’s ruling elite had no intention of pursuing a rapprochement with Washington under those circumstances ” But even absent new political ties the threat of U S attacks seemed to deter the IRGC from supporting another major direct attack on Americans “It is also important to note that the IRGC is not known to have committed any Khobar-like attacks against American targets in the immediate wake of the Clinton letter ” Byrne wrote “which suggests that if they were in fact culpable in the 1996 bombing the message got through that Washington would retaliate the next time ” Washington has implicated the IRGC in a series of summer 2019 attacks on tanker ships in the Persian Gulf Meanwhile Iranian forces in June 2019 shot down a U S Navy surveillance drone flying in international airspace near Iran Those provocations aside Iran still has demurred from supporting direct attacks on Americans David Axe serves as Defense Editor of the National Interest He is the author of the graphic novels War Fix War Is Boring and Machete Squad Source URL https nationalinterest org blog 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