Iran’s ‘revenge policy’ in discussion after Trump’s threat, which deaths has it avenged before?

One word is heard again and again in the politics of the Middle East, which is ‘revenge’. Whenever Iran considers the death of any of its senior military officer, nuclear scientist or leader of an allied organization to be an enemy conspiracy, it talks about ‘stern retaliation’ in response. Recently, Iran’s ‘revenge policy’ is once again in the news after the alleged warning issued by Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, regarding US President Donald Trump.

In this case, once again the question is being raised whether Iran has already avenged the death of its leaders? If we look at the events of the last few years, the answer is largely ‘yes’. Many times this warning is not limited to mere statements, but also comes in the form of missile attacks, drone attacks or retaliatory action through its allied organizations. In Iran’s foreign and security policy, ‘revenge’ is not just an emotional reaction but is also considered a part of strategy.

Strategic pressure has also become the reason

Especially since 2020, there have been many such incidents in which Iran openly announced revenge. Somewhere it fired missiles directly, and somewhere it responded through its affiliates. In many cases, Iran held Israel responsible, while in some cases it targeted America. This is the reason why whenever Iran talks about ‘revenge’, the eyes of the whole world focus on the Middle East. Iran’s objective is not only to give a military response, but also to put political and strategic pressure on the opposing countries.

• After the death of Qasim Sulemani, Iran launched a missile attack on American military bases.
• For the first time after the attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Iran fired drones and missiles directly at Israel from its soil.
• Even after Ismail Haniyeh, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and Kerman blasts, Iran announced retaliation.

Missile attack after the death of Qasim Sulemani

On January 3, 2020, Qasim Sulemani, the head of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad Airport. America had taken responsibility for this action. According to Reuters, soon after, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei announced ‘severe revenge’. Five days later, Iran fired dozens of ballistic missiles at US military bases in Iraq, Ain al-Asad and Erbil. Many American soldiers were injured in this attack and the fear of war increased in the whole world. However, later both the countries tried to avoid full-scale war.

Attack and action on Iranian Embassy in Damascus

On April 1, 2024, seven officers, including senior IRGC commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi, were killed in an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus. Iran held Israel responsible for this attack and announced revenge. According to reports, for the first time on April 13, 2024, Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles directly at Israel from its soil. Israel and its allies stopped most of these attacks in the air, but this incident took the tension between the two countries to a new height.

Tension increased after the murder of Ismail Haniyeh

In 2024, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran. Iran blamed Israel for this. After the incident, Iran and organizations associated with the ‘Axis of Resistance’ talked about revenge, Iran’s supreme leader vowed to take revenge from Israel. After this, tensions increased throughout the Middle East and fears were raised that a major military conflict could break out in the region. However, Iran did not immediately launch a large-scale attack. In the following months, there was a series of missile, drone and air strikes between Israel and Iran.

Murder of nuclear scientist Mohsin Fakhrizadeh

In November 2020, Iran’s leading nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated. Iran blamed Israel for this attack and said that the culprits will be given an answer. After this, Iran further intensified its nuclear program and took many strategic decisions. This incident further increased the tension between Iran and Western countries regarding the nuclear program. However, no official incident or attack has been carried out which shows this revenge.

Missile attack after Kerman bombings

On January 3, 2024, during the death anniversary of Qasim Sulemani, there were twin bomb blasts in Kerman city of Iran, in which about 100 people died. ISIS took responsibility for this attack. After this, Iran launched missile attacks in Iraq and Syria and claimed that it had targeted terrorist organizations and their bases. On January 16, 2024, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) launched missile attacks in Iraq and Syria. Iran claimed that it targeted ISIS targets (Syria) and targets associated with Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad.