Shifting Sands After 1979
Once quiet allies in a turbulent region, Iran and Israel maintained close, albeit discreet, ties until 1979. Following the Iranian Revolution, the newly established Islamic Republic cut all official relations with Israel, closing the Israeli embassy in Tehran and transferring its premises to the PLO. In public, Israel became the “Little Satan.”
But during the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s, Israel covertly supplied Iran with hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of weapons and spare parts, including U.S.-made munitions and aircraft components. Project Flower, a missile development partnership, was one of several secret joint ventures dismantled after the revolution.
From Cold Proxy to Open Conflict
By the early 1990s, after the Gulf War and collapse of the Soviet Union, tensions became overt. Israel grew concerned about Iran’s support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, and its nuclear ambitions. Iran backed attacks such as the 1992 bombing of Israel’s embassy in Argentina.
Meanwhile, Israel conducted targeted assassinations and cyberattacks, including the 2010 Stuxnet worm that damaged Iranian centrifuges. Iranian nuclear scientists were killed in a series of operations widely attributed to Mossad. Between 2010 and 2023, Israel repeatedly struck Iranian weapons convoys and facilities in Syria, Sudan, and Iran itself.
Escalation to War in 2025
The conflict escalated in April 2024 when Israel struck an annex of Iran’s embassy in Damascus, killing senior IRGC commanders. Iran responded days later with a large-scale drone and missile barrage on Israeli territory. In October 2024, Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles in retaliation for the assassination of multiple high-ranking figures including Ismail Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel responded with targeted strikes on Iranian missile defense systems. On June 13, 2025, one day after the IAEA reported Iran’s nuclear non-compliance, Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites. On June 19, Iran struck Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, injuring civilians and triggering an evacuation due to a suspected chemical leak.
Clandestine Business and Quiet Connections
Despite formal hostility, covert trade persisted. Israeli companies imported Iranian pistachios through third countries. Iranian marble, cashews, and oil reached Israeli markets via intermediaries. In return, Iran received agricultural supplies and equipment.
Israeli technology, including internet filtering hardware, ended up in Iranian hands. Swiss courts ordered Israeli companies to repay over a billion dollars in pre-revolution oil and infrastructure debts. Israel refused, citing Iran’s enemy status. Even during war and cyber conflict, traces of interaction—diplomatic, economic, and intelligence-related—continued beneath the surface.
In 1979, Iran and Israel's quiet alliance shattered overnight.
The shift wasn’t just diplomatic—it triggered covert deals, public threats, cyberattacks, and assassinations.
From secret missile projects to missile strikes on hospitals, the 76-year saga reached open warfare by… pic.twitter.com/DAgP0AviXg
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) June 20, 2025