Former US secretary of state claims Iran long posed threat to US, its allies

ANKARA

Former US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice described the current US–Iran tensions as a continuation of a decades-long pattern of hostility rather than a new crisis, claiming that Iran has long posed a threat to the US and its allies.

In her appearance on Fox News’ Special Report on Wednesday, Rice traced the regime’s hostility back to its inception in 1979, when Iranian revolutionaries seized the US Embassy in Tehran and held American diplomats hostage for 444 days.

She recalled Iran’s direct role in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed US Marines and service members and its supply of roadside bombs to Shia militias in Iraq, which caused an estimated 75–80% of US troop casualties from such attacks.

Rice claimed that Iran used proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas to project power and that, despite recent regional tensions, she alleged that the country continues to arm, train, and equip them.

“October 7th and Hamas could not have happened without Iranian training and equipment, maybe even planning,” according to Rice.

She referred to Iran's attacks on Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait as strategic miscalculations, which she claimed reinforced the regime's image as the primary destabilizing force in the region.

Polls show that 51% of Americans believe the current approach makes the US less safe. Rice attributed this to the uncertainty associated with military operations and their aftermath.

Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28, with the deployment of over 50,000 troops, 200 jets, two carriers, and bombers, marking the largest US Middle East buildup in decades.

Rice urged caution in response to reports of possible Kurdish activity inside Iran and US contacts with Kurdish groups, saying she does not yet know whether such actions are independent or coordinated.

She emphasizes Iran's complex demographics, with a population of over 90 million people spread across a territory twice the size of Texas, making future developments highly unpredictable.

President Trump spoke by phone on Sunday with Iraqi Kurdish leaders, including Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani, about the Iran conflict, sparking speculation about potential US backing for Iranian Kurdish opposition.

The White House has denied any approved plan to arm Kurds for operations inside Iran, calling such claims “completely false” and linking the calls to broader regional alliances.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani warned Wednesday that Kurdish separatists exploiting the situation would face severe consequences.