Iran's Relentless War on Israel and the Urgent Need to Halt its Nuclear Ambitions
By Darrell Lee
The complex and violent relationship between Iran and Israel stands as one of the Middle East's most perilous geopolitical realities. Far from a conventional state-on-state conflict, this antagonism has evolved into a multifaceted proxy war, punctuated by direct military engagements, cyber warfare, and a relentless ideological campaign from Tehran aimed at Israel's destruction. This essay will trace the tumultuous history of this conflict, expose Iran's consistent violations of international norms regarding nuclear development, detail its extensive support for terrorist organizations, and highlight its recent provision of arms to Russia. The irrefutable evidence of Iran's aggressive and destabilizing actions unequivocally demonstrates that its ambition to acquire nuclear weapons poses an existential threat that the international community must confront and decisively halt.
Initially, during the Cold War, relations between Iran and Israel were surprisingly cordial. Under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran was the second Muslim-majority country, after Turkey, to recognize Israel as a sovereign state. However, This quiet cooperation period dramatically ended with the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The new Iranian regime, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel, viewing the Jewish state as an illegitimate, Western-backed entity occupying Muslim lands. Since 1979, no peace agreements have ever been signed between Iran and Israel; instead, their relationship has descended into open hostility, particularly intensifying after the Gulf War in 1991.
The conflict has manifested mainly as a "cold peace" interspersed with proxy confrontations and covert operations, though direct military clashes have become increasingly frequent and dangerous. Iran's primary strategy has been to cultivate and arm a network of proxy forces across the Middle East, encircling Israel and projecting Iranian influence. Key among these are Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and various Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, as well as the Houthi rebels in Yemen. These groups, heavily funded and trained by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have launched countless attacks against Israel, leading to significant casualties on both sides.
For instance, the 2006 Lebanon War saw Hezbollah, heavily armed by Iran, engage Israel in a 34-day conflict. While no formal casualty figures are available specifically for Iran's involvement, the war resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 165 Israelis, primarily soldiers. Hezbollah's arsenal of Iranian-supplied rockets devastated Israeli towns, demonstrating the effectiveness of Iran's proxy strategy. Similarly, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, receiving consistent Iranian support, have repeatedly launched rockets from Gaza into Israel, most notably during operations like "Protective Edge" in 2014 and recurring flare-ups. The casualties from these conflicts are overwhelmingly Palestinian, but thousands of Israeli civilians have also been injured and lives disrupted by the constant threat of rocket fire. The October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis and the capture of hundreds of hostages, serves as a horrific reminder of the deadly consequences of Iran's enduring sponsorship of these groups. The White House, in a National Security Presidential Memorandum dated February 4, 2025, explicitly states that "Iran bears responsibility for the horrific Hamas massacres committed on October 7, 2023."
Beyond proxy warfare, Iran and Israel have engaged in a shadow war characterized by assassinations, cyberattacks, and sabotage. Israel has been widely suspected of targeting Iranian nuclear scientists and facilities. For example, in November 2020, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist, was assassinated in an attack attributed to Israel. Additionally, cyberattacks, such as the Stuxnet worm in 2010, which reportedly damaged Iranian centrifuges, and subsequent alleged Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities like Natanz, have sought to impede Iran's nuclear program. While official casualty figures from these covert operations are scarce, Iran has reported high-profile casualties among its scientific and military personnel, and its nuclear infrastructure has sustained damage. Most recently, on June 13, 2025, Israel launched a series of attacks against Iran's nuclear facilities, nuclear scientists, and senior commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. As of June 18, 2025, a human rights group reported that these Israeli strikes have killed at least 585 people and wounded 1,326 others across Iran. Conversely, Iranian missile attacks have killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds in Israel.
A core tenet of the Iranian regime's hostility towards Israel is its open and repeated calls for Israel's annihilation. These declarations are not mere rhetoric but reflect a fundamental ideological commitment. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has consistently vowed to "destroy" Israel. On June 13, 2025, following Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Khamenei reiterated this stance, stating, "The armed forces will act with determination and destroy the despicable Zionist regime." Such pronouncements leave no room for doubt about Iran's ultimate intentions.
Iran's pursuit of a nuclear program lies at the heart of international concerns. While Tehran maintains its program is for peaceful purposes, its consistent violations of international agreements and its clandestine activities paint a different picture. The United States' withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, on May 8, 2018, by President Trump, was driven by several key factors and stated concerns, even though the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) consistently reported that Iran complied with the agreement's terms at the time. President Trump frequently characterized the JCPOA as a "horrible one-sided deal" and "defective at its core." He argued that it gave too much to Iran in exchange for too little. This sentiment was a core part of his 2016 presidential campaign promise to either renegotiate or withdraw from the agreement. A major criticism was the deal's "sunset provisions," which meant that key restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, such as limits on uranium enrichment and centrifuge numbers, would gradually expire after a certain number of years (10, 15, or 25 years, depending on the provision). Critics argued that this would allow Iran to resume its nuclear program and potentially "sprint to the bomb" after the provisions lapsed, setting off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. The JCPOA primarily focused on Iran's nuclear program and did not address its ballistic missile program. The Trump administration argued that Iran's development of ballistic missiles, which could potentially deliver nuclear warheads, posed a significant threat and was a major flaw in the deal. A consistent complaint was that the JCPOA did not curb Iran's broader destabilizing activities in the Middle East, including its support for terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, its involvement in conflicts in Syria and Yemen, and its threats against Israel. The administration argued that the sanctions relief provided by the deal allowed the Iranian regime to fund these malign actions. The Trump administration, influenced by intelligence presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April 2018, alleged that Iran had lied about its past nuclear weapons efforts and had concealed information, which demonstrated a fundamental lack of good faith in negotiating the deal. While the IAEA had not found evidence of current non-compliance with the JCPOA itself, Netanyahu's presentation focused on historical evidence of a past weaponization program. Trump expressed a belief that withdrawing from the JCPOA and reimposing sanctions would pressure Iran into negotiating a "better deal" that would address all of the US concerns, including the sunset clauses, ballistic missiles, and regional activities. This was part of a "maximum pressure" campaign. It's important to note that the withdrawal was criticized by the other signatories to the JCPOA (the UK, France, Germany, Russia, and China), who urged the US to remain in the agreement and stated that Iran was in compliance. They argued that the withdrawal undermined multilateral diplomacy and made the world less safe by removing the restrictions on Iran's nuclear program.
Since the US withdrawal, Iran has significantly increased its uranium enrichment levels, exceeding the 3.67% permitted under the JCPOA. As of June 17, 2025, Iran is enriching uranium to 60%, a level significantly beyond civilian needs and technically close to the 90% required for a nuclear weapon. While the IAEA has not found concrete proof of an active nuclear weapons program, its Director General, Rafael Grossi, emphasizes that the 60% enrichment level is concerning. In March 2023, the IAEA collected samples from the Fordow facility that indicated uranium enriched to 83.7%, though this was unconfirmed. Iran's overall stockpile of enriched uranium, at varying degrees, is now more than 40 times that permitted by the JCPOA, and it continues to expand its enrichment capabilities with advanced centrifuges. The IAEA formally found Iran non-compliant with its nuclear safeguards obligations on June 12, 2025, for the first time since 2005. In response, Iran announced it would build a new uranium enrichment facility in a secure location and take further measures to accelerate its nuclear program. These actions directly contravene the spirit and letter of non-proliferation and demonstrate Iran's persistent disregard for international oversight.
Beyond its nuclear ambitions, Iran's role as a proliferator of conventional weapons to state and non-state actors is well-documented. The White House, on February 4, 2025, underscored that Iran "remains the world's leading state sponsor of terror and has aided Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, the Taliban, al-Qa'ida, and other terrorist networks." The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is explicitly designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Iran's provision of sophisticated weaponry, including rockets, missiles, and advanced unmanned aerial systems (UAS), to these groups has fueled regional instability and prolonged conflicts. Evidence from direct military attacks on US partners in the region, such as Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, shows Iranian-made components. These include Qiam missiles, characterized by their lack of stabilizer fins and distinctive valve patterns, anti-tank guided missiles, kamikaze drones, and explosive boats. This "pattern of behavior in which Iran sows conflict and extremism in direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions" is undeniable, as stated by the US Mission to the UN on December 14, 2017.
Adding another layer to Iran's destabilizing actions is its provision of armaments to Russia in the ongoing war with Ukraine. This cooperation highlights Iran's willingness to align with revisionist powers and further undermine global security. Reports indicate that Iran has been instrumental in supplying Russia with drones and other military equipment for use against Ukraine. This collaboration, openly discussed in various analyses, serves as further evidence of Iran's active participation in global conflicts beyond the Middle East, directly contributing to the suffering and destruction in Ukraine.
The history of conflict between Iran and Israel, devoid of any genuine peace initiatives from Tehran, paints a clear picture of a regime committed to hostility and regional dominance. The consistent and inflammatory statements by Iranian leaders calling for Israel's destruction, coupled with Iran's blatant violations of international nuclear agreements, demonstrate a clear and present danger. Its relentless export of advanced weaponry to a web of terrorist organizations and its provision of arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine further solidify Iran's role as a rogue actor on the global stage. The cumulative evidence of Iran's violent behavior and disregard for international law presents an undeniable truth: the regime's ambitions to possess a nuclear weapon must be stopped now. The consequences of allowing a regime with such a demonstrable history of aggression and genocidal intent to acquire the ultimate weapon are too catastrophic to contemplate. The international community must act decisively, employing all necessary diplomatic, economic, and, if required, military measures to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran from plunging the world into an even deeper abyss of conflict and instability.
Darrell Lee is the founder and editor of The Long Views, he has written two science fiction novels exploring themes of technological influence, science and religion, historical patterns, and the future of society. His essays draw on these long-standing interests and apply a similar analytical lens to politics, literature, artistic, societal, and historical events. He splits his time between rural east Texas and Florida’s west coast, where he spends his days performing variable star photometry, dabbling in astrophotography, thinking, napping, scuba diving, fishing, and writing, not necessarily in that order.