when was the last time iran invaded another country?
Iran–Iraq War
neutral
 Iran , once : in 1998 ; 

contradiction
 Iran experiences regular earthquakes , with 200 reported in 1996 alone . Like dozens that had preceded it , the 1997 Qayen event was of significant magnitude . It occurred on Saturday , May 10 , 1997 , at 12 : 57 IRST in the Sistan region , one of the most seismically active areas of the country . The first major earthquake in that region since 1979 , it registered 7 @.@ 3 on the moment magnitude scale ( Mw ) , 7 @.@ 2 on the surface wave magnitude scale ( Ms ) , 7 @.@ 7 on the energy magnitude scale ( Me ) , and had a maximum perceived intensity of X , or Extreme on the Mercalli intensity scale . 

contradiction
 Although tourism declined significantly during the war with Iraq , it has subsequently recovered . About 1 @,@ 659 @,@ 000 foreign tourists visited Iran in 2004 and 2 @.@ 3 million in 2009 mostly from Asian countries , including the republics of Central Asia , while about 10 % came from the European Union and North America . 

neutral
 Iran has held observer status at the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) since 2005 . Although the United States has consistently blocked its bid to join the organization , observer status came in a goodwill gesture to ease nuclear negotiations between Iran and the international community . 

neutral
 On December 28 , 2009 , Obama , in his first address after the incident , said that the event " demonstrates that an alert and courageous citizenry are far more resilient than an isolated extremist " . On the same day , Al @-@ Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP ) announced that it was responsible for the attempted bombing . AQAP said that the attack , during " their [ Americans ' ] celebration of the Christmas holidays " , was to " avenge U.S. attacks on the militants in Yemen " . 
