Partnership between Israel and Iran. Part 3

Ksenia Fomina, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza

An element of tension is Introduced into the confrontation due to the Iranian nuclear issue. Israeli officials are wary of claims about "peaceful atomic energy", and see the Iranian nuclear program as a preparation for the attacks on Israel and make statements about the attempts to prepare for a response or even a preemptive strike. It is now hardly possible to imagine that once Israel and Iran were partners. See http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/36096.html

After the end of Iraqi-Iranian war 1980-1988 cooperation in the sphere of armament export to Tehran became less intensive, but in the end of the 1980s Israel and Iran continued economic cooperation. Since late 1989 Israel started importing oil from Iran, which was welcomed by certain circles of the Iranian authorities as the country extremely needed foreign currency.

As for relations in the political sphere, after a major political scandal in “Iran-Contras” or “Irangate” in late 1986 – some members of the USA administration organized secret armament supplies to Iran, which violated armament embargo – ties between Israel and Iran were broken in the sphere. However, the agreement on oil import meant that Israel wanted to restore the relations.

Nevertheless, intergovernmental relations began to run high at this period. In the late 1980s and the early 1990s Iran started the nuclear program. Some Iranian politicians stated openly that the program was established because Israel owned nuclear arsenal, and Israel’s nuclear power should be balanced by “an Islamic nuclear bomb.” In addition, Iran had difficulties with the UN because of its foreign political position and the resolution of the UN SC on elimination of the formula “Zionism is a form of racism.”

Along with breaking ties with Tel Aviv Iran judged other Islamic states which cooperated with Israel, for example, Saudi Arabia. One of the leaders of Iran, Ahmad Jannati stated that Iran would never recognize any treaties between Arab countries, including Jordan and Syria, and Israel.

In the global context Iran’s policy changed in the 1990s due to collapse of the two-polar system in the world. The Iranian authorities understood disadvantageousness of confrontation with America in the changed situation. The government of Yitzhak Rabin in Israel began to take more flexible position on the Middle East settlement. The treaty between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization of 1993 confirmed that Israeli and Palestinians wanted to solve the problem peacefully, which contradicted the Iranian approach to the conflict. However, Iran didn’t intend to change its position on talks between Arab countries and organizations and Israel, as well as take part in “the peacemaking process.”

In autumn 1994 the USA got data from the Israeli intelligence services that Tehran took steps to buy necessary equipment for enrichment of plutonium in Germany and Switzerland. Therefore, the nuclear program of Iran continued to develop; stages of its development were kept in secret; and the international society concerned about what was going on in Iran.

Despite all these facts, actually Iran and Israel still maintained economic cooperation. Israeli laws didn’t restrict business ties with foreign companies working in Iran, as well as investments in Iran. Iran wasn’t announced to be “a hostile state.” At the same time, Iranian legislation required death penalty and seizure of property to anybody who was found involved in cooperation with Israel.