The war that began on October 7 when Hamas invaded Israel has been almost universally described in the press as another bloody chapter in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. But that’s only half-true. Or rather, it is only one front of a much broader war—a war that pits Iran and its proxies against America and its allies. And a war that has already cost American lives. …

As the Middle East grapples with the contradictions of Biden’s broader policy since October 7, some of the victims of Iran’s aggression are seeking reparations. In 2021, English and Farr were among more than 300 plaintiffs to win a summary judgment in the U.S. district court for the District of Columbia that Iran was responsible for the deaths and injuries of their loved ones. That court is now deciding how much money the plaintiffs will receive from a fund created in 2015 to compensate victims of state sponsors of terrorism like Iran.

English said she was frustrated that the court has taken so long to finally consider the damages owed to her and other families. She is more frustrated, though, that America has yet to fully respond to Iran’s war.

“If someone is murdering 603 of our citizens, isn’t that an act of war?” she asked. “What have we done about it?”

[Not much, but Iran has been at war with us for longer than even Lake allows. The mullahs have been at war with us since 1979. Through their proxies, the Iranians have waged a low-level war that have costs hundreds of American lives, if not thousands. We just refuse to recognize it. — Ed]