Survival of a state is more important than anything else in the realm of politics. “The state is immortal, therefore, its salvation is now or never,” said Cardinal Richelieu. In this struggle for survival, there is no permanent friend, nor a permanent enemy, but a friend suits most to the interests of a country. Similarly, Iran and Israel once were good friends; The strategic interests of both countries were aligned. However, being considered a colonial state and an outpost of Western imperialism, Israel pushed a “periphery doctrine” to make alliances with non-Arab countries like Iran, Turkey, and Ethiopia.
The state is immortal; therefore, its salvation is now or never.
Nonetheless, the twist comes when Israel very cunningly handles Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and Ayatollah Khamenei’s Iran, although both were enemies of Israel at the time. Israel used its one enemy against its other enemy by helping Iran to defeat Iraq. After defeating Iraq, the animosity became obvious when Iran officially cut its relations with Israel. Iran and its proxies around the region consider Israel a colonialist of Islamic lands. Since then, both countries have been adversaries. Recently, this rivalry has culminated in direct attacks on each other, which were once shadow and proxy wars. Here, a question arises: Which country is going to lose? All things considered, the fact is that war is not a solution to a conflict, but diplomacy is.
Once, the relationship between the two was cordial and based on mutual understanding. Iran’s support for the state of Israel during its wars against Arab countries, significantly in the Six-Day War in 1967, and after the Arab boycott, are the glaring examples of the close relations between both countries. To further strengthen their relationship, they opened embassies in each other’s capital cities. Iran was a non-Arab country and suitable for Israel’s interests amidst hostile neighbors, and this friendship continued till the 1980s.
In due time, Reza Shah’s aggressive Westernization, especially the White Revolution, and the Westernization program led to Khomenei’s Islamic Revolution of 1979. All of a sudden, two different ideologies emerged in the region. Israel saw Iran as an emerging threat to its survival in an already volatile neighborhood. Consequently, both states started shadow and proxy wars around the Middle East.
After the defeat of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Israel aimed at Iran not to allow it to be a dominant power, which may compromise Israel’s influence in the Middle East. Consequently, with the help of America, Israel became successful in developing good relations with most of its Arab enemies. The Israeli state needed to have some friends in the presence of rivals like Iran and its proxies. The rise of Iran as a common threat United Israel and Sunni-majority countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. For which many breakthroughs have been seen.
Iran is now in a paradox, achieve the bomb or endure destruction.
The Camp Davis Accords were signed between Israel and Egypt in 1978, making Egypt the first Arab state to formally recognize Israel. Subsequently, a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, following the Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO, was signed in 1994. Furthermore, in 2020 Abraham Accords were reached between Israel and several Arab countries: the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. The point is that all these agreements were meticulously facilitated and brokered by the US. These developments were only possible when Israel and the USA convinced Arab states that Iran would be a common enemy for all of them.
Following the regime change in Iraq and the death of Saddam Hussein, Iran significantly began to strengthen itself against the possible threat from Israel and its allies in the region. To achieve a nuclear weapon became a necessity, and Iran began its nuclear program. Due to which the West imposed grave sanctions on it, so that it might not be able to achieve an atomic bomb. In the face of numerous sanctions, Iran agreed to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections. After all, according to the IAEA, Iran has struggled to reach weapon-level enrichment of uranium for a nuclear bomb. It is also important to mention that the world is biased against Iran. But, the same world allowed Israel to develop weapons of mass destruction; the presence of these nukes is claimed by many international institutions, including the IAEA.
Nonetheless, since 1992, Netanyahu, currently the pm of Israel, has been claiming that Iran has been developing a nuclear bomb. This aggressive attitude of the Israeli side crossed the threshold of indirect enmity into direct attacks on main mainland of each other’s states. Following the limited engagement of April 2024, both states have again resumed a non-stop series of missile attacks on each other. Israel has attacked Iranian nuclear facilities, preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear state. Iran is now in a paradox where either it has to achieve an atomic bomb, which can help it to prevent Israel from attacking it, or it has to bear losses in the current war, which may culminate in irreparable destruction.
All international organizations, especially the United Nations Organization (UNO), have failed to stop the war, and the powerful countries have added insult to injury by appreciating this aggressive move of Israel. Here, another question arises: has the Liberal world order failed? This situation has compelled many states to think that if a country does not possess a nuclear bomb, it is vulnerable to foreign aggression, and countries like Israel, the USA, and Russia can attack them when they wish to do so. For instance, if Ukraine had not given up its nukes, Russia would not have attacked it. Major powers have to strive for a peaceful and prosperous world, lest they see World War 3, which will doom the world.
No war has solved a conflict; only dialogue can.
No war has solved a conflict. The only solution to such conundrums can be reached through meaningful dialogues. It has been a week now that both have carried out multiple strikes against each other, causing losses of humanity and infrastructure. This war has created a cloud of uncertainty in the region. It is high time major countries played their part in bringing about appeasement in the region. It is high time major countries played their part in bringing about appeasement in the region.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.
