US Trends

which countries has iran attacked

Iran has directly attacked several countries over the years, and in February 2026 it expanded that list by launching missiles and drones at multiple Gulf states hosting US bases as well as Israel and US assets.

Below is a concise, historically grounded overview (focusing on state‑to‑state or clearly military‑linked actions, not every covert or proxy move).

1. Most recent: February 2026 strikes

In late February 2026, after a major joint US–Israeli operation against Iran, Tehran responded with its broadest regional strike to date.

Countries directly hit or targeted:

  • Israel – Iran announced a major offensive against Israel with missiles and drones as part of a declared “crushing” response.
  • United Arab Emirates – Missiles were launched toward Abu Dhabi and Dubai; interceptions occurred, but at least one person was reported killed and a luxury hotel and airport area were hit or affected.
  • Bahrain – A missile targeted the US Navy 5th Fleet headquarters in Manama; the Bahraini government called it a “treacherous attack” and a violation of its sovereignty.
  • Qatar – Qatar’s defence ministry said it intercepted all missiles aimed at its territory under a pre‑approved security plan; an Iranian missile reportedly targeted a long‑range radar in the north of the country.
  • Kuwait – Kuwait was listed among states where explosions or attempted strikes occurred against locations hosting US forces.
  • Saudi Arabia – Riyadh and the eastern region were targeted; Saudi officials said their air defences repelled the attacks and condemned them as unjustifiable.
  • Iraq – Erbil airport in the Kurdish region and other locations were attacked with drones and airstrikes; facilities tied to Iraqi armed groups and US‑linked sites were involved.
  • Jordan (US assets) – Separate reporting on the same wave notes Iranian operations also extended to locations in Jordan hosting US military presence.

In this episode, Oman notably was not attacked, and Gulf states temporarily closed their airspace and warned Iran against further escalation.

2. Other countries Iran has directly attacked in recent years

Outside the 2026 crisis, Iran has used missiles or drones directly against foreign territory several times:

  • Iraq
    • January 8, 2020 – Iran fired ballistic missiles at US forces at Al Asad and Erbil bases (Operation “Martyr Soleimani”) on Iraqi soil, injuring over 100 US personnel.
* January 16, 2024 – Iran launched ballistic missiles at a site in Erbil it described as a “Mossad headquarters,” killing several civilians; Iraq and the US disputed Tehran’s justification.
  • Syria
    • January 16, 2024 – Iran fired missiles at targets in Idlib, saying it was striking “terrorist bases” in retaliation for an attack inside Iran.
  • Pakistan
    • January 16, 2024 – The IRGC struck what it claimed were Jaish al‑Adl militant bases in Pakistan’s Balochistan region, killing children and sparking a retaliatory strike from Pakistan.
  • Israel (from Iran itself)
    • April 13, 2024 – “Operation True Promise”: around 300 drones and missiles were launched from Iranian territory at Israel after an Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus.
* A second wave, often referred to as “True Promise II,” followed later in 2024 as part of the same confrontation.
  • US military assets in the region
    • Beyond the Iraq strikes in 2020, Iran has repeatedly targeted US bases and facilities via direct missile launches and, more often, via local allied militias; these have hit US positions in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and the Gulf.
  • Foreign‑flagged ships (state seizures/attacks)
    • British‑flagged tanker Stena Impero seized in the Strait of Hormuz in 2019.
* South Korean tanker _Hankuk Chemi_ seized in the same area in 2021.

These were maritime actions against other countries’ assets, not full territorial attacks, but are often counted in “countries Iran has attacked.”

3. Proxy attacks strongly linked to Iran (not direct, but important)

A lot of debate on forums about “which countries Iran has attacked” turns on whether you include proxy groups with strong Iranian backing.

Commonly cited:

  • Saudi Arabia – Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi cities and Aramco oil facilities (e.g., the 2019 Abqaiq/Khurais strike) used Iranian‑designed systems and support.
  • Israel – Hezbollah and Hamas rocket and missile attacks from Lebanon and Gaza, heavily supported in money, weapons and training by Iran.
  • Red Sea shipping / multiple flag states – Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have hit ships flagged to many different countries, with UN and US reports tying the Houthis’ capabilities to Iranian assistance.

These are technically carried out by non‑state actors, but many analysts and some maps and forum discussions group them under “Iranian attacks” because of the high‑confidence link to the IRGC.

4. Putting it together: list of countries Iran has attacked (narrow vs

broad)

If you define “attacked” narrowly as direct Iranian state military strikes or seizures since around 2000, you get:

  • Israel
  • United States (bases and personnel in Iraq and the wider region)
  • Iraq
  • Syria
  • Pakistan
  • Saudi Arabia (2026 missile attempts plus earlier episodes via direct or mixed actions)
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Qatar
  • Bahrain
  • Kuwait
  • Jordan (US sites and operations on its soil)
  • United Kingdom (through the seizure of a British‑flagged tanker)
  • South Korea (tanker seizure)

If you define it broadly to include major proxy actions with strong Iranian involvement, you would add at least:

  • Yemen (through Houthi actions against others launched from Yemeni territory)
  • Lebanon (as a launchpad for Hezbollah attacks on Israel)
  • Additional states whose flagged ships were hit in the Red Sea.

5. Why this is a “trending topic” now

The question “which countries has Iran attacked” is trending again because:

  • The February 2026 wave was the first time Iran hit or attempted to hit so many Gulf countries at once —UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia—on top of Israel and US assets.
  • It came immediately after a huge US–Israeli operation inside Iran, sharply raising fears of a region‑wide war and drawing intense coverage and forum debate.

In many forum threads and maps, people argue over whether to count only missiles actually landing, also the ones intercepted, and whether proxy strikes “count” as Iran attacking a country.

TL;DR:
In strict, direct‑attack terms, Iran has recently struck or forcibly seized assets of countries including Israel, the US, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, the UK, and South Korea, with the February 2026 barrage dramatically enlarging the list of regional states hit in a single episode.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.