Inside the Iranian missile attack (2021) | 60 Minutes Archive

CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reported in 2021 on Iran's ballistic missile attack against U.S. troops, which was launched in retaliation for the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020. The attack represented a significant escalation in tensions between the United States and Iran, coming months after the US drone strike that eliminated Soleimani, the powerful commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. Martin's investigation provided rare insights into the planning, execution, and aftermath of Iran's military response, which demonstrated Tehran's capability to strike US interests in the region despite international sanctions and diplomatic isolation. The missile attack underscored the complex and volatile nature of Middle Eastern geopolitics, particularly regarding US military presence in countries neighboring Iran and the persistent cycle of retaliation that has characterized their relationship for decades.