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Background to the Iran–Israel war
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The background to the Iran–Israel war (13–24 June 2025) focuses on historical events during their proxy conflict since 1985, including scrutiny of Iran's nuclear program in the 1980s and 1990s, Iran signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, and US President Donald Trump suspending US participation in the deal in 2018. In the past, Israel has fought wars with Iranian proxies including against Hezbollah since the 1982 Lebanon War.
In 2015, six countries negotiated the JCPOA nuclear deal to lift sanctions on Iran and freeze Iran's nuclear program. In 2018, US president Trump unilaterally withdrew from and voided the JCPOA, after which Iran began stockpiling enriched uranium, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) lost the ability to monitor Iran's nuclear facilities.
In 2023, during the Gaza war, Israel severely weakened both Hamas and fellow Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, while also attacking the Houthis in Yemen. This is said to have weakened Iranian deterrence and increased Iranian isolation. In June 2025, Netanyahu then announced the launch of Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iran's main enrichment facility in Natanz, its nuclear scientists, and parts of its ballistic missile program.
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Iran–Israel conflict
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Israel enjoyed a close relationship with the Pahlavi monarchy until the Iranian Revolution, when the monarchy was ousted and replaced by an anti-Western theocratic Islamic republic led by Ruhollah Khomeini.[1] Ever since, Iran's government has repeatedly pledged to destroy Israel.[2][3][4][5] Khomeini ended cooperation with Israel and denounced its occupation of Palestinian territories.[3][6] As time passed, Iran tried to win Arab support by increasingly antagonizing Israel.[3] Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has previously referred to Israel as a "cancerous tumour" and called for the country to be destroyed.[7][8] Israel considers the Iranian nuclear program an existential threat, fearing that Iran will develop a nuclear weapon.[1]
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In 2024, the two countries attacked each other openly and directly for the first time following decades of proxy conflict. In April 2024, an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus killed Iranian officers. Iran retaliated with strikes on Israel in April 2024, to which Israel then retaliated with strikes on Iran. In July 2024, Israel assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran's capital Tehran, and then assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and prominent IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan in Lebanon in September 2024. In October 2024, Iran struck Israel, and Israel struck Iran.[6]
Israel views Iran's nuclear program as a strategic threat to its survival, even though it has nuclear weapons itself.[9] Israel argues that it has the right to take military action against Iran if its nuclear program becomes non-peaceful.[10][11] In the mid-2000s, the United States and Israel sabotaged Iranian nuclear facilities during the Olympic Games. [12] The assassination of five Iranian nuclear scientists in Tehran in 2010 is generally attributed to Israel.[13] On September 29, 2025, Iran executed Bahman Choubiasl for spying for Israel. He was accused of collaborating with Mossad, collecting at least data on the import of electronic equipment to the Iranian government.[14]
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Iranian nuclear program
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited Iran's nuclear program as the reason Israel preemptively struck Iran.[15] Iran has consistently said that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and that it has never intended to develop nuclear weapons.[16] The country developed a covert nuclear weapons program named the AMAD Project in the 1980s and 1990s, which, according to US intelligence assessments, was suspended in 2003.[17][16] US intelligence assessed that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had not authorised a resumption of the AMAD Project.[1] As a country that has not signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons.[18][19]
Israel regards Iran's nuclear program to be a strategic threat.[18] Israel says it has the right to take military action against Iran's nuclear program if it believes it has become non-peaceful.[3][6] In the mid-2000s, the US and Israel sabotaged Iranian nuclear facilities in Operation Olympic Games.[20] The assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists in Tehran since 2010 is attributed to Israel.[6]
Iran nuclear deal, U.S. withdrawal, and non-compliance
In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), negotiated by President Barack Obama, the United Nations Security Council and Germany to manage Iran's civilian nuclear development at a limited level.[21] In 2018, President Donald Trump, during his first presidency, suspended US participation in the deal and resumed economic sanctions on Iran, despite the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran was keeping to the deal.[21] Iran retaliated by increasing its uranium enrichment.[16]
Following the assassination of Qasem Soleimani by the US in 2020, Iran said it would no longer abide by JCPOA's enrichment restrictions.[22] By 2021, Iran was enriching uranium to 60% purity, similar to weapons-grade uranium.[21] Trump had threatened to "obliterate" Iran if he were assassinated.[23][24] In March 2025, US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, testified that the US intelligence community, "continues to assess Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized a nuclear weapons program".[25] In April 2025, Trump announced negotiations between the US and Iran regarding Iran's nuclear program. The White House declared that Iran had two months to secure a deal, which expired the day before Israel's strikes.[26][27] In May 2025, the IAEA reported that Iran had amassed 409 kilograms (902 lb) of 60% pure uranium,[21] higher than required for civilian uses and close to military grade.[28] In response, Iran announced a third nuclear enrichment facility, that would be put under IAEA monitoring.[29][30] Iran insists it does not seek nuclear weapons and Khamenei has repeatedly said there is a fatwa (a legal ruling) against the development of nuclear weapons.[31]
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Michael Kurilla warned on 10 June 2025 that Iran could "produce its first 25 kg of weapons-grade [uranium] material in roughly one week and enough [uranium] for up to ten nuclear weapons in three weeks", while weapons analysts Daryl Kimball and Shawn Rostker commented that weapons-grade uranium was just "raw materials", and that it would take from "months to over a year or longer" for Iran to build a "nuclear device" to act as a weapon.[32]
On 12 June, a day before the Israeli strikes occurred, the IAEA found Iran non-compliant with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years, citing over 400kg of enriched uranium at 60%.[33] [34]IAEA director general Rafael Grossi stated in an interview with CNN on 17 June that the IAEA did "not have any proof of a systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon".[35] Following the Israeli attack, Iran started the process of exiting the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which it had ratified in 1970. Iran's foreign ministry said the IAEA resolution declaring Iran non-compliant with its NPT obligations "prepared the ground for the attack".[19]
Iranian ballistic missile program
Along with the Iranian nuclear program, the Iranian ballistic missile program is considered a threat by Israel. It was reported that Netanyahu believed that Iran aims to produce 300 ballistic missiles each month, which he viewed as a direct threat to Israeli cities.[36]
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Axis of Resistance
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Israel has fought wars with Iranian proxies including against Hezbollah since the 1982 Lebanon War.[1] In the October 7 attacks in 2023, Hamas, an Iranian proxy in Gaza, started the Gaza war, following which Israel severely weakened both Hamas and fellow Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, while also attacking the Houthis in Yemen.[1][38] This is said to have weakened Iranian deterrence and increased Iranian isolation.[1][38]
Immediate prelude
On 12 June 2025, ABC News reported Israel was considering taking military action against Iran.[39] US officials were told Israel was "fully ready" for an operation against Iran, according to CBS News. The Trump administration purportedly considered options to support Israel without leading the operation.[40] The US Embassy in Jerusalem restricted the movement of its staffers the following day, though Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, said it was unlikely Israel would strike Iran without approval from the Trump administration.[41] Prior to the airstrikes, Israel told the Trump administration it would not strike without first notifying the US.[42] Trump spoke to Netanyahu on the eve of the attacks, and admitted having known in advance of Israel's planned actions.[43] Officials in the UK's Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence were aware of Israel's intention to strike Iran, but it is unconfirmed whether a formal notification was provided by Israel.[44][45] According to Israeli officials, the Israeli government asked the Trump administration to join them and help in the prelude of attacks.[46] Right-wing figures, including Trump allies, questioned Israel's attacks and warned of a US war with Iran.[47]
In the weeks leading up to Israeli attacks, its government faced international pressure over the high risk of famine in Gaza and killing of civilians.[48] Even Israel's allies in Europe had become critical of the starvation in Gaza, and the EU had announced it would reconsider its free-trade deal with Israel.[48] Political scientists stated that the attack on Iran provided a distraction from Israel's actions in Gaza.[48][49][50] Nesrine Malik said the attack was an attempt by Israel to bring a Europe alienated by Israel's action in the suffering in Gaza back to its side.[51] Israeli relations with Iran were a unifying factor between left-wing and right-wing Israelis.[50] The day before the attack on Iran, Israel destroyed telecommunications infrastructure in Gaza, cutting off communications between Gaza and the rest of the world.[52]
Choice of operation name
The name of the operation "Rising Lion" (Hebrew: מבצע עם כלביא, romanized: Mivtza Am kelavi, lit. 'Operation Nation Like Lion') refers to the revival of the Lion and Sun, which was the emblem of Iran and its flag until the 1979 Islamic revolution.[53][54] The Jerusalem Post reported that the name is derived from the biblical Book of Numbers (23:24): "Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion."[55]
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Gaza war
Israel's strikes on Iran came during the ongoing Gaza war and its broader regional implications, including Israeli military activity in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and the occupied West Bank. They also came in the context of a risk of famine and humanitarian crisis in the blockaded Gaza Strip that a growing number of scholars and human rights organizations have described as a genocide.[56][57]
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Announcement
Netanyahu announced the launch of Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iran's main enrichment facility in Natanz, its nuclear scientists, and parts of its ballistic missile program. Netanyahu described Iran's nuclear efforts as "a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival", and emphasized that in acting, "we also defend our Arab neighbors" from Iranian aggression. He said the operation would continue "for as many days as it takes".[58]
In a speech announcing the attack, Netanyahu stated, "For decades, the leaders of Tehran have openly called for Israel's destruction. They have backed up their genocidal rhetoric with a nuclear weapons program".[59] Netanyahu also stated that Israel attacked because "if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be within a few months, less than a year."[60] Following the attack, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel's war was against Iran's government and not its people.[61] Netanyahu convened the security cabinet as the situation unfolded.[62]
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Iranian Revolution
Although Iran did not participate in the Arab-Israeli wars of 1956, 1967, and 1973 due to the Shah’s support for Israel following the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 by the United Nations’ contentious decision, Israel’s stance toward Iran shifted dramatically after the Iranian Revolution. This shift began with the vilification of the Velayat-e Faqih system and Imam Khomeini for their support of Palestine, gradually evolving into a Cold War-like rivalry between the two nations, mirroring the broader U.S.-Soviet Cold War dynamic. This antagonism persisted into the 1990s and beyond, especially after the Soviet Union’s collapse, as Iran maintained its strategic alliance with the USSR and later Russia, while harboring deep hostility toward the United States and the West. Although Iran has never posed a direct threat to Israel or the U.S., nor harbored intentions to destroy Israel, it has consistently advocated for international law and justice for the Palestinians. The conflict with Israel has not been a religious war against Jews—as evidenced by the continued presence of Iran’s Jewish community post-revolution—but rather a struggle against global Zionism and the geopolitical ambitions of the U.S. and Israel in the region. This stance marks a clear divergence between Iran’s policies before and after the revolution, positioning Iran firmly within the Arab-Islamic front opposing Israel. Consequently, tensions between Iran and Israel emerged in the 1980s and 1990s, intensifying in the 21st century amid political hostility, military confrontations, cyber warfare, and proxy conflicts. Iran expanded its ideological influence by supporting groups aligned with the Islamic Revolution across Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. Its backing of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel’s primary adversary, led Israel to view Iran as its foremost ideological and strategic threat post-Cold War. In response, Israel supported Kurdish groups in Iran and Iraq and sought to counter Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon. The peak of this antagonism came with Iran’s nuclear program initiation in 2004, driven by aspirations to develop nuclear weapons. In retaliation, Israel, backed by the U.S., deployed the Stuxnet virus in 2010 to sabotage Iran’s nuclear centrifuges. Between 2020 and 2025, cyberattacks, assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, and strikes on Iranian bases in Syria and Lebanon escalated, prompting Iran to deepen its alliances with Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias, and Yemen’s Houthis (Ansarallah).[63]
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Iran-US talks 2015
In March 2025, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said that US agencies believe that "Iran is not developing nuclear weapons and that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has not resumed the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003".[64] In April 2015, US President Donald Trump announced talks between the US and Iran on Iran's nuclear program. The White House announced that Iran had two months to reach an agreement; the two-month deadline expired the day before the Israeli strikes.[65]
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Analysts View
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Some analysts view the Israel-Lebanon and Israel-Gaza wars, cyberattacks such as the Stuxnet and Shamoon viruses, bombings allegedly carried out by Iran against Israeli diplomats abroad, and the Syrian civil war as components of this proxy conflict. It is widely believed that Israel receives backing from the United States in this struggle. Certain Israeli officials claim that Iran maintains a well-equipped military base near Damascus, roughly 50 kilometers south of the Israeli border. American officials also report that Iran operates around ten military bases in Syria, training militias loyal to Bashar al-Assad’s government for a potential conflict with Israel, with two key installations close to the Israeli frontier. The New York Times reports that approximately 20,000 militia fighters across Syria have been trained by Iranian military personnel, effectively serving as Tehran’s “de facto arm” in the country. In 2019, Israel confronted Iran in Iraq, beginning with Israeli strikes on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) bases. Mossad Director Yossi Cohen has emphasized that countering Iran ranks highest on Mossad’s agenda, citing Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs, regional influence, and support for armed groups as serious threats to Israeli security.[66]
Recently, the IRGC released footage simulating a missile strike on Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility as part of its “Great Prophet 17” exercise. The simulation depicted an attack involving 16 ballistic missiles and five suicide drones targeting Israel’s nuclear sites. Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan visited Tel Aviv to confer with senior Israeli military and political leaders regarding the Vienna nuclear talks. Israel has declared its readiness to launch military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, while the U.S. has pledged to intensify sanctions against Iran if negotiations fail.The conflict gradually transformed from Iran’s hostile stance toward Israel following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, through the South Lebanon Conflict (1985–2000) and into 2005, developing into a broader regional proxy war. In 2006, Iran supported Hezbollah during the Israel–Lebanon War and simultaneously began backing Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).[67]
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See also
References
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