The conflict between Iran and the United States, often framed by current headlines, has roots stretching back decades, according to American service members wounded in Iraq and the families of those killed. They recount a campaign orchestrated by Iran that armed and trained proxy forces to target U.S. troops in Iraq, leaving indelible scars on survivors and loved ones.

Sgt. (Ret.) Robert Bartlett, who suffered severe injuries when an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) struck his Humvee in Baghdad on May 3, 2005, stated that he "died three times" and underwent years of surgeries. The same attack killed Staff Sgt. William Brooks and wounded two other soldiers. Bartlett described the EFP as an Iranian-supplied weapon linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) efforts to arm militias attacking American forces.

Federal court findings in cases involving hundreds of U.S. victims, including Bartlett, Capt. Shawn English, and Maj. Stuart Wolfer, determined that Iran manufactured or supplied the weapons used and that the assailants were trained or directed by the IRGC. These findings offered formal acknowledgment of Iran's role, though for the affected families, the grief and pain persist.

Capt. Shawn English was killed by an EFP in Baghdad on Dec. 3, 2006, while serving on a military transition team. His widow, Tricia English, recalled her husband understanding the threat posed by EFPs, sophisticated roadside bombs designed to penetrate armored vehicles. He had noted that these weapons were Iranian and "really bad."

Maj. Stuart Wolfer died on April 6, 2008, when a rocket struck a gym inside a U.S. base in Baghdad. His sister, Beverly Wolfer Nerenberg, described her brother as her "best friend" and shared that he was a father to three young daughters, who were very young at the time of his death. The military investigation indicated the rocket originated from the direction of Sadr City, Iraq, and was Iranian in origin.

For these families, the current geopolitical tensions are not the beginning of the conflict with Iran but rather an extension of a long-standing war. "This war began a long time ago," Wolfer Nerenberg stated. "For many of us, the past 18 years has been one long continuous war."

Proxy Warfare in Iraq

Following the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iran sought to increase its regional influence and pressure the U.S. by cultivating Iraqi militias as proxies. The IRGC's Quds Force provided these groups with weapons, funding, and training, enabling attacks on American personnel while allowing Iran to maintain a degree of plausible deniability. The Treasury Department has identified the Quds Force as the primary instrument for supporting militant groups to advance Iran's national interests.

The legal cases brought against Iran under the terrorism exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act allowed victims to sue the designated state sponsor of terrorism. While Iran often did not defend these cases, judges required plaintiffs to provide evidence of Iran's material support being a substantial factor in the attacks. The court judgments found Iran liable for supplying Shiite militia groups with funding, training, weapons, and technical assistance. However, Iran has not voluntarily paid these judgments, and plaintiffs face obstacles in collecting the awarded funds.

Robert Bartlett emphasized that his participation in the litigation was not only for himself but for those who did not survive. "My buddy died, and plenty of my guys—plenty of people—died over there at the hands of the IRGC," he said. "If I was sent back, if I died and saw the other side and came back, and I’m not doing right by them and their families who didn’t get to have their child come home, then I’m not doing justice."

Tricia English highlighted the critical distinction that American troops were being targeted by a country with which the U.S. was not formally at war. "We weren’t at war with Iran," she said. She added that the sophistication and targeted nature of the EFP attacks required Iranian expertise, funding, intelligence, manufacturing, and organized logistics networks.

The families and survivors involved in these legal battles underscore that Iran's war against Americans began decades ago, with lasting consequences that continue to resonate. For them, the conflict has been a continuous struggle, measured not just in court judgments but in the profound absence of loved ones and the enduring pain of their injuries. As Bartlett noted, "You can’t add to truth and you can’t take away from it. It just is what it is."