Throughline 3 key moments that led to the U.S.-Iran war
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Mar 12, 2026 
Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Washington Institute's military and security studies program, explains decades of U.S.-Iran confrontations. He traces naval clashes and tanker attacks, recounts the downing of Iran Air Flight 655, and outlines Iran's rise of proxy warfare and asymmetric tactics. The conversation also touches on the emergence of cyber operations like Stuxnet and how digital conflict changed the stakes.
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Tanker Attacks Made The Gulf A Global Flashpoint
- The Iran-Iraq War (1980s) spilled into the Persian Gulf, turning oil tankers into strategic targets and threatening global oil supplies.
- Attacks on tankers and the Strait of Hormuz risked large economic disruption because 20–40% of global oil transited the strait.
Reflagging Tankers Was About Great Power Competition
- U.S. reflagging and escorting Kuwaiti tankers in the mid-1980s was driven by Cold War competition and fear of ceding influence to the USSR.
- The move drew Congress scrutiny and increased U.S.-Iran naval confrontations.
The Tragedy Of Iran Air Flight 655
- On July 3, 1988, USS Vincennes mistakenly shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing 290 civilians during Gulf surface combat operations.
- Misidentification, military frequencies mismatch, and high tension led the crew to treat the airliner as a fighter and fire.
