The United States has carried out different kinds of attacks on Iran at several points in history, so the date depends on which incident you mean.

Here are the main episodes usually meant by “when did US attack Iran?”

  1. Naval clash in 1988 – Operation Praying Mantis
    • Date: April 18, 1988.
    • What happened: The U.S. Navy attacked Iranian naval forces and oil platforms in the Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq War, after Iran laid mines that damaged a U.S. warship.
  1. Downing of Iran Air Flight 655 (often mentioned in same context)
    • Date: July 3, 1988.
    • What happened: A U.S. warship mistakenly shot down a civilian Iranian airliner, killing 290 people; Washington called it an accident but it is widely seen in Iran as part of U.S. military aggression.
  1. Covert/cyber and pressure campaigns (2000s–2010s)
    • The U.S. used sanctions, covert operations, and cyberattacks tied to Iran’s nuclear program, but these were not open, large-scale bombing campaigns inside Iran.
  1. Targeted strike on Qasem Soleimani (in Iraq, not Iran)
    • Date: January 3, 2020.
    • What happened: A U.S. drone strike in Baghdad killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. This was an attack on an Iranian commander, but it took place in Iraq, not on Iranian soil.
  1. Direct U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites (recent, inside Iran)
    • Code name: Operation “Midnight Hammer”.
    • Date most commonly cited: June 22, 2025 , when U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft struck three Iranian nuclear facilities (Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan) during the Iran–Israel war.
 * Some timelines summarize this as “late June 2025,” shortly after major Israeli strikes on Iran.
  1. Ongoing wider “major combat operations” (2026)
    • By February 28, 2026 , U.S. officials were describing the continuing airstrikes and operations against Iran as the first phase of “major combat operations,” expanding the campaign that began with the 2025 strikes.

Putting it simply

  • If you mean the historic Cold War–era clash , the U.S. attack on Iran you’re looking for is likely April 18, 1988 (Operation Praying Mantis).
  • If you mean the current/most recent direct bombing inside Iran , it started with U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities around June 22, 2025 , and has expanded into broader combat operations through early 2026.

If you tell me whether you’re asking about “the old one in the ’80s” or “the latest news one,” I can narrow it to one clear date line for you.

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