When History Explodes: Israel-Iran Tensions from 1953 to 2025 Warfare

The growing hostility between Israel and Iran didn’t start overnight. It is the result of a long, complex history that began over 70 years ago. What was once a distant rivalry has now turned into one of the most dangerous confrontations in the modern Middle East, with both countries now openly striking each other - crossing a line that had never been breached in decades of tension.

A Cooperation That Turned to Hostility

In the 1950s and 60s, the picture was very different. Iran, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, maintained close ties with the West, especially the United States. Israel, a young state at the time, quietly developed a working relationship with Iran. This included trade, intelligence sharing, and even cooperation in nuclear energy.

In 1957, Iran signed a civil nuclear cooperation deal with the United States. By 1967, it received a research reactor and enriched uranium fuel from Washington. The following year, Iran signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which allowed for civilian nuclear development but banned the production of nuclear weapons.

However, everything changed in 1979 with Iran’s Islamic Revolution. The Shah was overthrown, and Ayatollah Khomeini established a new theocratic regime. The US was declared an enemy. Israel, too, was soon labelled a sworn adversary. Diplomatic ties were cut, and Iran’s support for armed groups hostile to Israel began to grow.

The Era of Proxy Conflict and Secret Attacks

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Iran deepened its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, a powerful militant group that engaged in multiple wars with Israel. Israel, in turn, viewed Hezbollah as an Iranian proxy meant to pressure it from its northern border. The quiet conflict widened when Iran began developing its nuclear program once again, this time under heavy secrecy.

In 2002, revelations of a hidden uranium enrichment facility in Natanz alarmed world powers. Iran maintained that its intentions were peaceful, but suspicions grew. Western powers tried to negotiate, and Iran briefly paused its enrichment work in 2003, but resumed it in 2006, especially after the election of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president.

Over the next decade, Israel, along with the US, allegedly launched a series of covert actions to slow Iran’s nuclear progress. This included the Stuxnet cyberattack in 2010, which damaged Iran’s centrifuges, and a string of assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. Israel rarely confirmed involvement, but the pattern was clear.

In 2015, a major breakthrough seemed to have come. Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the JCPOA, with world powers including the US, agreeing to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. But that deal was short-lived. In 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, and Iran gradually restarted its enrichment activities.

The Conflict Comes Out of the Shadows

As Iran’s influence grew across the Middle East - in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon - Israel responded more aggressively. It began launching frequent airstrikes inside Syria to prevent Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah. These attacks intensified after 2020.

Iran, meanwhile, invested in expanding its nuclear fuel stockpile. By late 2024, Iran had enriched over 180 kilograms of uranium to 60% purity—just one step below weapons-grade. By early 2025, that number had grown to nearly 275 kilograms, enough to build multiple bombs if further enriched, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran still denied it had any intention to develop nuclear weapons.

At the same time, Iran’s network of regional allies became more active. The Houthis in Yemen, backed by Iran, began attacking ships in the Red Sea in late 2023. In Gaza, Hamas launched a major attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. While Iran denied directing the assault, its support for Hamas was undeniable.

Israel retaliated with force, launching a long war in Gaza, but it didn’t stop there. In early 2024, the fight spread beyond the Palestinian territories. On April 1, 2024, Israel bombed the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, killing several high-ranking officers of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi. This was a major escalation.

Less than two weeks later, on April 14, Iran responded by launching over 300 missiles and drones directly at Israel—an unprecedented move. Although most of them were intercepted by Israeli and US defences, the attack was a warning that Iran would no longer accept Israeli strikes without retaliation.

Throughout 2024, Israel allegedly carried out a series of targeted assassinations. In July, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike while visiting Tehran. In September, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. And in October, Iran launched a second direct missile attack on Israel.

The War Breaks Out

All of this led to the explosive events of June 2025.

On June 13, Israel launched a massive and unprecedented series of airstrikes on Iranian territory. Using warplanes and drones that had reportedly been smuggled into Iran over months, Israel hit multiple targets—nuclear research sites, military bases, and energy infrastructure. Among the dead were some of Iran’s top military and nuclear scientists.

Iran retaliated by launching missile and drone attacks. While many were intercepted, several struck Israeli buildings, killing and injuring civilians. Over the next two days, the violence continued. Israel expanded its strikes on June 14 to include Iran’s energy sector, and on June 15, it bombed additional sites across the country, warning that more powerful attacks could follow.

Talks that had been planned between the US and Iran in Oman - meant to explore ways to de-escalate the nuclear crisis - were cancelled. The U.S. stated that it was not involved in Israel’s actions. President Trump, in a public statement, said US personnel were being withdrawn from the region, calling it “a dangerous place.”

The Middle East now stands at a dangerous crossroads. What began as secret operations and proxy conflicts has now turned into direct warfare between Israel and Iran. The longer this escalates, the greater the risk that it draws in other powers, from the US and Gulf states to Hezbollah and militias in Iraq and Syria.

The long history of rivalry and quiet warfare has finally exploded - and the consequences are only just beginning to unfold.

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