Article Summary
- Iran and Israel were not always enemies. Before 1979, Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi maintained quiet cooperation with Israel in intelligence, oil trade, and military projects.
- The relationship collapsed after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, when the new Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini cut ties with Israel and adopted strong opposition to the Israeli state.
- Ideological differences, particularly Iran’s revolutionary stance against Israel and its support for the Palestinian cause, became central drivers of hostility between the two countries.
- Iran built a regional network of allied groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and other militias, while Israel responded with intelligence operations, airstrikes, and cyber activities against Iranian targets.
- The dispute over Iran’s nuclear program has further intensified tensions, with Israel warning that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a serious threat to its security.
- Over time, the rivalry evolved from a diplomatic break into a wider regional confrontation involving proxy conflicts, covert operations, and increasingly direct military exchanges.
The hostility between Iran and Israel is often described as one of the central rivalries in modern Middle Eastern politics. Yet the two states were not always enemies. Until the late twentieth century they maintained quiet cooperation in trade, intelligence, and military affairs. Their relationship collapsed after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which transformed Iran’s political system and its foreign policy.
The rivalry since then has been shaped by ideology, regional power struggles, the Palestinian issue, and concerns about nuclear weapons.
Before 1979: From Quiet Cooperation to Strategic Partnership
During the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran maintained relatively friendly relations with Israel.
Iran was one of the few Muslim-majority countries that recognized Israel after its creation in 1948. The two governments cooperated in intelligence sharing, oil trade, and military projects. One example was Project Flower, a joint missile development program in the 1970s.
Both states were aligned with the United States and shared concerns about Arab nationalist governments in the region. This alignment created a strategic partnership that lasted for decades.
The relationship, however, depended heavily on the Shah’s pro-Western government.
1979: The Iranian Revolution and the Break in Relations
The turning point came in 1979, when a popular revolution overthrew the Shah and established the Islamic Republic of Iran under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The new revolutionary government adopted a very different worldview.
Iran’s leadership rejected the Shah’s close ties with the United States and Israel, which revolutionaries associated with Western domination of the Middle East. Israel was denounced as an illegitimate state occupying Palestinian land.
Iran quickly severed diplomatic and commercial relations with Israel. The Israeli embassy in Tehran was closed and handed over to representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
From this point onward, the Islamic Republic treated opposition to Israel as a central element of its foreign policy.
Ideological Conflict
The hostility between the two countries is partly ideological.
Iran’s revolutionary leadership framed Israel as a symbol of Western influence and injustice toward Palestinians. Iranian leaders often described Israel as an illegitimate state and predicted its eventual disappearance.
Israel, on the other hand, views such rhetoric as a direct threat to its existence. Israeli leaders have repeatedly described Iran as the most serious strategic threat facing the country.
This ideological confrontation turned the relationship into a long-term geopolitical rivalry.
The Palestinian Issue
Another major source of tension is Iran’s support for the Palestinian cause.
After the revolution, Iran began providing financial and military support to organizations that oppose Israel, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
These groups have carried out attacks against Israeli military and civilian targets. Israel therefore views Iran not only as a hostile state but also as the main sponsor of militant groups fighting Israel across the region.
Iran argues that its support is part of a broader effort to defend Palestinians against Israeli occupation.
The Proxy War Across the Middle East
Because Iran and Israel do not share a border, their rivalry has often taken the form of a proxy conflict fought through allied groups and regional operations.
Iran has built a network of armed partners sometimes called the “Axis of Resistance.” This network includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis in Yemen.
These groups extend Iran’s influence across the Middle East and create pressure on Israel from multiple directions.
Israel has responded with a campaign of intelligence operations and targeted strikes. Israeli forces have attacked Iranian military installations in Syria, assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists, and conducted cyber operations against Iranian nuclear facilities.
For many years this struggle remained mostly indirect.
The Nuclear Dispute
One of the most dangerous aspects of the rivalry involves Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran insists that its nuclear activities are intended for civilian energy and scientific purposes. Israel and several Western governments suspect that Iran could eventually develop nuclear weapons.
Israeli leaders have repeatedly stated that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an existential threat to Israel’s survival.
As a result, Israel has supported international sanctions against Iran and has carried out covert operations designed to slow Iran’s nuclear development.
The nuclear dispute has become one of the central drivers of tension between the two states.
From Cold Rivalry to Open Conflict
For decades the confrontation remained largely hidden from public view. It consisted of intelligence operations, proxy wars, and occasional strikes on military targets.
However, the rivalry intensified in the 2020s. Direct missile exchanges and military operations gradually replaced covert actions. Analysts now describe the Iran–Israel conflict as one of the most volatile strategic confrontations in the world.
What began as a diplomatic break in 1979 has evolved into a regional struggle involving multiple countries and armed groups across the Middle East.