How did Iran, once a 'friend,' become Israel's biggest enemy?
In the 1950s, Iran, which was then ruled by the Pahlavi dynasty, and the newly-formed Israel had close diplomatic and economic ties. Iran, being a non-Arab country, became one of the only allies the Jewish state had in the neighbourhood.
Israel and Iran are just one step away from an all-out war, which the world is trying its best to stop. The two sides have been at odds for decades, which have escalated to occasional skirmishes but nowhere close to the current levels.
CREDIT: REUTERS
Iran was among first to recognise Israel
Given this background, it is now almost impossible to think that Iran and Israel used to enjoy friendly bilateral relations. In fact, in 1950, Iran became the second Muslim country after Turkey to recognise the sovereign state of Israel. This is despite the fact that in 1947, Iran, along with India and Yugoslavia, opposed the Partition Plan for Palestine in the UN, arguing that peace could only be established through a single federal state.
Iran-Israel relations
In the 1950s, Iran, which was then ruled by the Pahlavi dynasty, and the newly-formed Israel had close diplomatic and economic ties. Iran, being a non-Arab country, became one of the only allies the Jewish state had in the neighbourhood.
CREDIT: REUTERS
Iran-Israel trade
Iran was the main source of oil supplies to Israel, as the Arab countries refused to do business with the Jewish state. In return, Iran received a host of supplies including weapons, technology, and agricultural goods from Israel.
Joining hands to fight common enemy
Iran and Israel once even joined hands to fight against a common enemy ¨C Saddam Hussein's Iraq. To keep the growing threat of Iraq in check in the 1960s, Israel¡¯s Mossad and SAVAK ¨C Iran's secret police ¨C worked together to support the Kurdish insurgency.
How 1979 revolution change Iran-Israel relations
However, things changed after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which overthrew the Shah's regime and turned the country into a theocracy ruled by the Ayatollah. Iran's new ruler, Ayatollah Khomeini, declared Israel an "enemy of Islam" and the "Little Satan," while ending all bilateral relations.
CREDIT: REUTERS
In the decades that followed, Iran became the primary backer of anti-Israeli militias, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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