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The Israel bit about how a nuclear Iran would cause Israeli citizens to immigrate is unsubstantiated. The Roger Cohen article cited doesn't discuss it at all.
reverted bad fatih sionistic redicer----> "development of nuclear technology"="Iran and Weapons of mass destruction"? so pro-sionistic, it must have been written by a british or amrerican
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'''Iran–Israel relations''' have shifted from close ties between [[Israel]] and [[Iran]] during the era of the [[Pahlavi dynasty]] to hostility since the [[Iranian Revolution|Islamic Revolution]] led by Ayatollah [[Ruhollah Khomeini]]. Iran has severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel, and its government does not recognize [[Israel]] as a country and refers to its government as the "Zionist regime". The land is referred to by [[Iran]] as "Occupied territories".
'''Iran–Israel relations''' have shifted from close ties between [[Israel]] and [[Iran]] during the era of the [[Pahlavi dynasty]] to hostility since the [[Iranian Revolution|Islamic Revolution]] led by Ayatollah [[Ruhollah Khomeini]]. Iran has severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel, and its government does not recognize [[Israel]] as a country and refers to its government as the "Zionist regime". The land is referred to by [[Iran]] as "Occupied territories".


Due to Iran's recent [[Iran and WMD|development of nuclear technology]], tensions have risen between the [[State of Israel]] and the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]].
Due to Iran's recent [[Nuclear program of Iran|development of nuclear technology]], tensions have risen between the [[State of Israel]] and the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]].


==Biblical==
==Biblical==

Revision as of 16:51, 12 December 2009

Iran-Israel relations
Map indicating locations of Iran and Israel

Iran
Israel

Iran–Israel relations have shifted from close ties between Israel and Iran during the era of the Pahlavi dynasty to hostility since the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Iran has severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel, and its government does not recognize Israel as a country and refers to its government as the "Zionist regime". The land is referred to by Iran as "Occupied territories".

Due to Iran's recent development of nuclear technology, tensions have risen between the State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Biblical

The beginnings of Jewish history in Iran date back to late Biblical times. The biblical books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles, and Esther contain references to the life and experiences of Jews in Persia. In the book of Ezra, the Persian kings are credited with permitting and enabling the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple; its reconstruction was carried out "according to the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia" (Ezra 6:14). This great event in Jewish history took place in the late sixth century BCE, by which time there was a well-established and influential Jewish community in Persia. Persian Jews have lived in the territories of today's Iran for over 2,700 years, since the first Jewish diaspora when Shalmaneser V conquered the (Northern) Kingdom of Israel (722 BCE) and sent the Israelites into captivity at Khorasan. In 586 BCE, the Babylonians expelled large populations of Jews from Judea to the Babylonian captivity. Jews who migrated to ancient Persia mostly lived in their own communities.

Pre-revolution relations

Iranian minister Reza Saffinia arriving at the house of Israeli president Chaim Weizmann in Rehovot on Yom Ha'atzmaut, 1950.

From the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 until the Iranian Revolution and the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979, Israel and Iran maintained close ties. Israel viewed Iran as a natural ally as a non-Arab power on the edge of the Arab world, in accordance with David Ben Gurion's concept of an alliance of the periphery. Israel had a permanent delegation in Tehran which served as an unofficial de facto embassy. After the Six Day War, Iran supplied Israel with a significant portion of its oil needs and Iranian oil was shipped to European markets via the joint Israeli-Iranian Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline. Brisk trade between the countries continued until 1979.[1] Israeli construction firms and engineers were active in Iran. Iranian-Israeli military links and projects were kept secret, but they are believed to have been wide-ranging.[2], for example the joint military project Project Flower (1977-'79), an Iranian-Israeli attempt to develop a new missile.[3][4]

In spite of all those ties and trades, Iran voted in support of the UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 in 1975 which equated Zionism with racism (the resolution, however, was later revoked with Resolution 4686 in 1991, which post-revolution Iran voted against).

Khomeini era (1979-89)

During Ayatollah Khomeini's campaign to overthrow Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Israel, which had relatively warm relations with the Shah, became an issue. Khomeini declared Israel an "enemy of Islam" and 'The Little Satan,'[5] - the United States was called 'The Great Satan'.

Debate still runs as to whether Khomeini called out: “Israel must be wiped off the map”[6] indicating military action and destruction, or: “this regime occupying Jerusalem should vanish from the pages of time” indicating a hope or wish (see Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Israel#"Wiped off the map" or "Vanish from the pages of time" translation).

After the second phase of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which witnessed the establishment of the Islamic Republic, Iran cut off all official relations; official statements, state institutes, events and sanctioned initiatives adopted a sharp anti-Zionist stance.

According to Dr. Trita Parsi, author of "Treacherous Alliance - The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the United States," (Yale University Press, 2007), Iran's strategic imperatives compelled the Khomeini government to maintain clandestine ties to Israel, while hope that the periphery doctrine could be resurrected motivated the Jewish State's assistance to Iran.

Khamenei era (since 1989)

Remarks of Leader Khamenei

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in December 2000 called Israel a "cancerous tumor" that should be removed from the region.[7][8] In 2005 he emphasized that “Palestine belongs to Palestinians, and the fate of Palestine should also be determined by the Palestinian people”[9].

Also in 2005 Khamenei responded to President Ahmadinejad's alleged remark that Israel should be "wiped of the map" by saying that "the Islamic Republic has never threatened and will never threaten any country."[10]

President Khatami 1997-2005

Under reformist Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, elected in 1997, some believed Iran–Israel relations would improve. Khatami called Israel an "illegal state" and a "parasite," [11] but also said in 1999 Jews would be "safe in Iran" and all religious minorities would be protected.[12].

In January 2004, Khatami spoke to an Israeli reporter who asked him on what grounds Iran would recognize Israel. This was believed to be the first time he had spoken publicly with an Israeli.[13]

At the funeral of Pope John Paul II in April 2005, Khatami was seated close to Israeli President Moshe Katsav, who is from the same province as Khatami (Katsav was born in Iran). Katsav said that he shook Khatami's hand and the two had a brief conversation about Iran. However, Khatami denied this.[14]

Other events

In 1998, Israeli businessman Nahum Manbar was sentenced to 16 years in prison in Israel for doing business with Tehran, and in the course of the investigation, "hundreds of companies" were found to have illegal business dealings with Iran.[15] The fall-out reached the United States as some transactions were alleged to have been part of the Iran-Contra scandal.

An Iranian military parade in 2003 featured ballistic missiles adorned with slogans such as 'Israel must be uprooted and erased from history'.[16]

A report indicates that Iran tried in 2003 to initiate a rapprochement with Israel by recognizing its existence in a proposal to the United States. The report claims that Iran's peace proposal with Israel was not accepted by the United States.[17]

President Ahmadinejad

Main article: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Israel

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in office since August 2005, at the October 2005 "World Without Zionism" conference in Teheran[18] adopted a sharp anti-Zionist stance.

On December 8, 2005, during a summit of Muslim nations in Islam's holy city of Mecca, Ahmadinejad told Iran's Arabic channel Al-Alam a complicated story on Holocaust and the establishment of Israel. Since then, he regularly makes statements pertaining to these topics.

Vice President Mashaei

In a speech at a tourism convention in Tehran in July 2008, Esfandyar Rahim Mashaei, Vice President and Head of Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran, proclaimed, "No nation in the world is our enemy, Iran is a friend of the nation in the United States and in Israel, and this is an honor. We view the American nation as one with the greatest nations of the world."[19] He also added that Iran "wants no war with any country," insisting that Iran's actions during the Iran–Iraq War were purely defensive.[20]

Hard-liners close to the government harshly attacked Mashaei's remarks. Ahmadinejad, however, appeared to defend Mashaei. At a news conference, he said, "The Iranian nation never recognized Israel and will never ever recognize it. But we feel pity for those who have been deceived or smuggled into Israel to be oppressed citizens in Israel."[19]

The issue prompted Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei to "spell an end to the debates" on Israel. During a Friday sermon in Tehran, he stated, "It is incorrect, irrational, pointless and nonsense to say that we are friends of Israeli people... we are on a collision course with the occupiers of Palestine and the occupiers are the Zionist regime. This is the position of our regime, our revolution and our people."[19]

Military cooperation

Pre-revolution

Israel was involved in the arming of Iran during the Pahlavi dynasty:

  • Project "Flower" Tzur (see also Project Flower), a joint collaboration between Iran and Israel, aimed to develop a "state-of-the-art sea-to-sea missile, an advanced version of the U.S. Harpoon missile, with a range of 200 kilometers." (See: Ronen Bergman, "5 billion Reasons to Talk to Iran," Haaretz (Tel Aviv), 19 March 1999; in "Israel's Outstanding Debt to Iran Viewed," FBIS Document FTS19990319001273, 19 March 1999.
  • Israeli Defense Minister General Ezer Weizmann and Iranian Vice Minister of War General Hasan Toufanian discussed the co-production of Israel's Jericho-2 missile, code named Project Flower. (See: "Minutes from Meeting Held in Tel Aviv between H. E. General M. Dayan, Foreign Minister of Israel, and H.E. General H. Toufanian, Vice Minister of War, Imperial Government of Iran," Top Secret Minutes from Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 18 July 1977, in Digital National Security Archive)

Khomeini era

The Observer estimated that Israel's arms sales to Iran during the Iran-Iraq war totalled US$ 500 million annually [1], and Time Magazine reported that throughout 1981 and 1982, "the Israelis reportedly set up Swiss bank accounts to handle the financial end of the deals." [2] [21]

According to the report of the U.S. Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair issued in November 1987, "the sale of U.S. arms to Iran through Israel began in the summer of 1985, after receiving the approval of President Reagan." [3] These sales included "2,008 TOW missiles and 235 parts kits for Hawk missiles had been sent to Iran via Israel." Further shipments of up to US$2 billion of American weapons from Israel to Iran consisting of 18 F-4 fighter-bombers, 46 Skyhawk fighter-bombers, and nearly 4,000 missiles were foiled by the U.S. Department of Justice, and "unverified reports alleged that Israel agreed to sell Iran Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, radar equipment, mortar and machinegun ammunition, field telephones, M-60 tank engines and artillery shells, and spare parts for C-130 transport planes."[4] [5]

Israeli arms deals to Iran continued after the Iran-Iraq war, although sporadically and unofficially. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Iranian nuclear program

Israeli fears

The nuclear program of Iran with its potential to develop nuclear weapons is of major concern to Israel. This has led to much fears of an eventual Israeli attack on Iran, particularly with the anti-Israel rhetoric of the President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his intentions to "wipe Israel off the map."[22]

Response

In November 2003 a Scottish newspaper claimed that Israel "warned that it is prepared to take unilateral military action against Iran if the international community fails to stop any development of nuclear weapons at the country's atomic energy facilities".[23] It cited Israeli defence minister Shaul Mofaz stating, "under no circumstances would Israel be able to tolerate nuclear weapons in Iranian possession". In December 2005, a British newspaper claimed that the Israeli military had been ordered by then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to plan for possible strikes on uranium enrichment sites in Iran in March 2006, based on Israeli intelligence estimates that Iran would be able to build nuclear weapons in two to four years. It was claimed that the special forces command was in the highest stage of readiness for an attack (state G) in December. Ariel Sharon reportedly said, "Israel - and not only Israel - cannot accept a nuclear Iran. We have the ability to deal with this and we're making all the necessary preparations to be ready for such a situation."[24] Israeli military Chief of Staff, Dan Halutz, was quoted as responding to the question of how far Israel was ready to go to stop Iran's nuclear energy program with the statement "Two thousand kilometers".[25]Seymour Hersh says U.S. Department of Defense civilians led by Douglas Feith have been working with Israeli planners and consultants to develop and refine potential nuclear, chemical-weapons, and missile targets inside Iran[26].

On 8 May 2006, Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres said in an interview with Reuters that "the president of Iran should remember that Iran can also be wiped off the map," Army Radio reported.[27] Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, drew unusually stiff criticism from an analyst on Israel's state television, Yoav Limor, for talking of destroying another country.[28]

On May 26, 2006, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov reiterated Moscow's commitment to supply Iran with sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles. However Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President of F-35 Program Integration Tom Burbage has indicated that once Israel has the F-35 it need not fear the S-300.[29]

A secret Israeli plan to strike Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities at Natanz with nuclear bunker busters was disclosed to The Times in January 2007. [11] [12] The report alleged that[24]:

The Israeli weapons would each have a force equivalent to one-fifteenth of the Hiroshima bomb. Under the plans, conventional laser-guided bombs would open “tunnels” into the targets. “Mini-nukes” would then immediately be fired into a plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive fallout. “As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished,” said one of the sources.

The tactical nuclear weapons would only be used if conventional weapons were "ruled out" and if the United States "declined to intervene", the article continues, based on "senior" military sources. Ephraim Kam, a strategic expert at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Strategic Studies and a former senior army intelligence officer, dismissed the report. "No reliable source would ever speak about this, certainly not to the Sunday Times," Kam told the Associated Press.[citation needed]

In June 2008, Israel conducted a major military exercise that American officials speculated might be training for a bombing attack on Iran. A senior Pentagon official said one of the goals of the exercise was to send a clear message to the United States and other countries that Israel was prepared to act militarily: “They wanted us to know, they wanted the Europeans to know, and they wanted the Iranians to know,” the Pentagon official said. “There’s a lot of signaling going on at different levels.”[30]

Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki declared that Israel was not capable of an attack and still recovering from the 2006 war in Lebanon.[31] The Iranian Chief of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Ali Jafari said Israel was within the reach of Iranian missiles and Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off two-fifths of the global oil supply.[31] Iran has the capability to close the Strait of Hormuz or impede traffic for a month or more, and any U.S. attempts to reopen it could escalate the conflict. [32] Shabtai Shavit, a former chief of the Mossad, said Iranian atomic facilities could be destroyed within a year. Isaac Ben-Israel, a former general of the Israeli Air Force, said an attack could be carried out at any time but only as a last resort.[31] Iran's Shahab-3 missile exercises were conducted in early July demonstrating that Israel was within reach.

According to the New York Times, Israel sought help from the United States for a military attack against Iran.[33] Israel reportedly asked for bunker-busting bombs for an attack on Iran's main nuclear complex and for permission to fly over Iraq to reach Iran's major nuclear complex at Natanz. The Bush administration rejected the requests. According to the article, White House officials never conclusively determined whether Israel had decided to go ahead with the strike before the United States protested, or whether Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel was trying to goad the White House into more decisive action before Mr. Bush left office.[33]

The Bush administration did agree to sell a thousand GBU-39 standoff bunker penetrating bombs to Israel, but a strike against Natanz would require hundreds of these bombs.[34]

On April 1, Army General David Petraeus said “the Israeli government may ultimately see itself so threatened by the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon that it would take preemptive military action to derail or delay it.[35]

On 27 July 2009, Israel’s Defence Minister Ehud Barak during a press conference with Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, in Jerusalem, "...warned Iran that a military strike on its nuclear facilities was still an option. We clearly believe that no option should be removed from the table. This is our policy. We mean it. We recommend to others to take the same position but we cannot dictate it to anyone”.[36] The same day, Isarel's Ambassador to US, Gabriela Shalev, during a special UN Security Council session held to discuss the situation in the Middle East, called Iran the "biggest supporter of terrorism. The Islamic Republic's nuclear program and its support of terrorism pose a threat to the entire Middle East." [37]

According to Mohammad Ali Jafari "If Israel military agresses against sovereignity and independence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the country will use its right, established under international law which inevocably establishes the right to defend its sovereignity by all lawful means available to it. Moreover, if such aggression is penetrated, the United Nations will be obliged to repulse such an aggression towards its sovereign member". At the same time, top Iranian general referring to the case of Mordechai Vanunu, former Israel's nuclear technician, who revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British press in 1986, stated that "Israel's nuclear arsenal possess an immediate threat to Middle East". Ali Jafari summed up saying "Israel really wastes its time attempting to spoil the recent important steps taken by Iran and US towards opening a new page in their relations."[38] On 27 July 2009, Hassan Qashqavi, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said "It is enough to tell its ally, the Zionist regime and convince it for the issue of disarmament and dismantle its own 200 nuclear warheads from the occupied territories. It automatically will bring security to the region and all countries of the region will feel secure. The solution for defence umbrella is removing nuclear warheads of the Zionist regime and has no other way."[39]

On 17 September 2009, Ze'ev Elkin said that the delivery by Russia of S-300 missiles may prompt Israel to strike Iran.[40]

Iranian Jews

Iran has the largest Jewish population in the Middle East outside of Israel; the Iranian Jewish community is guaranteed one seat in the Majlis, currently held by Maurice Motamed. A large population of Iranian Jews resides in Israel, including former President of Israel Moshe Katsav, former Chief of Staff and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and Israeli hip-hop star Subliminal. Also a large number of Iranian Jews reside in Los Angeles, California, US.

See also

References

  1. ^ Jaffa pomelos sold in Iran
  2. ^ YNet News. The Islamic Republic of Iran
  3. ^ NTI. Iran Profile. Missile Overview
  4. ^ For details on Iran's strategic reasoning during the 1970s, see "Israel and the Origins of Iran’s Arab Option: Dissection of a Strategy Misunderstood," Middle East Journal, Volume 60, Number 3, Summer 2006.
  5. ^ Al Jazeera: Khomeini coined the term 'Little Satan' for Israel (link doesn't work anymore)
  6. ^ Khomeini is quoted as: “Israel must be wiped off the map”,France24, 2008-03-10
  7. ^ Arabs Still Want to Destroy Israel by Daniel Pipes, Wall Street Journal, 18 January 2002
  8. ^ Khamenei 15 Dec 2000: state Israel “should be removed”, that piece of land “returned to Islamic hands”. CNN, 15 December 2000
  9. ^ "Leader's Speech to Government Officials on the Eid-al-Fitr". khamenei.ir. November 4, 2005. Retrieved 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ Edalat, Abbas (2007-04-05). "The US can learn from this example of mutual respect". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-04-30. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/zionist-entity.htm
  12. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/368234.stm
  13. ^ http://www.cidi.nl/news/2004/220104a.html
  14. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4425487.stm
  15. ^ CNN - Israel gripped by swirl surrounding treason trial - July 16, 1998
  16. ^ Erase Israel slogans spotted on Iranian ballistic missiles in Tehran Army Parade, 2003. (Scroll downward to fifth picture) The Israeli Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center.
  17. ^ "Iran offered 'to make peace with Israel'". Asia Times, May 2006.
  18. ^ Al Jazeera: World Without Zionism Conference, Teheran
  19. ^ a b c Ramin Mostaghim (20 September 2008). "Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Iran, Israel on 'collision course'". The Los Angeles Times.
  20. ^ Dudi Cohen (19 July 2008). "Iranian VP: We are friends of the nation in Israel". Ynetnews.
  21. ^ (For more on Israeli Hawk missile sales to Iran see Richard Johns, "Arms Embargo Which Cannot Withstand The Profit Motive," Financial Times (London), 13 November 1987)
  22. ^ Greenblum, Benjamin M. “The Iranian Nuclear Threat: Israel’s Options under International Law.”, p. 3
  23. ^ Israel threatens strikes on Iranian nuclear targets, Ross Dunn, Scotsman.com, November 23, 2003
  24. ^ a b Israel readies forces for strike on nuclear Iran, Uzi Mahnaimi, December 11, 2005, The Sunday Times
  25. ^ Israel's War with Iran, James Petras, uruknet.info, December 28, 2005 - this has a quote apparently from the Financial Times
  26. ^ Annals of National Security: The Coming Wars: The New Yorker
  27. ^ Peres says that Iran 'can also be wiped off the map' - DominicanToday.com
  28. ^ http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/3850070.html
  29. ^ Can the U.S. F-35 fighter destroy Russia's S-300 systems?
  30. ^ "U.S. Says Israeli Exercise Seemed Directed at Iran". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-23. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  31. ^ a b c Spiegel Magazin (2009-06-29). "Iran warnt Israel vor Angriff auf Nuklearanlagen" (in German). accessed 06-29-2008
  32. ^ http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/18409/closing_time.html Closing Time: Assessing the Iranian Threat to the Strait of Hormuz, International Security journal, Harvard Kennedy School
  33. ^ a b U.S. Rejected Aid for Israeli Raid on Iranian Nuclear Site
  34. ^ Israel slated to buy US smart bombs
  35. ^ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a6m8Gjlv2Njs&refer=home
  36. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6729276.ece%7C TimesOnline. "Ehud Barak warns Iran of possible Israeli strike on nuclear facilities" by James Hider, Jerusalem, July 27, 2009.
  37. ^ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1103215.html%7C Haaretz. "Iran the biggest supporter of terrorism", by Shlomo Shamir. 27 July 2009.
  38. ^ http://www.presstv.ir/sections.aspx?section=351020201%7C PressTv Iran. 27 July 2009.
  39. ^ http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/07/2009727152242773625.html%7C Al Jazeera. News Middle East. "Iran: Israel must shed nuclear arms", 27 July 2009.
  40. ^ Continue nuclear program and supply of S-300 from Russia can bring the Israeli attack on Iran
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