June 2025

CIE has compiled the following list of books and articles to guide understanding of Iran and its relations with Israel and the Jewish people.

Books

Abrahamian, Ervand. Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton, NJ: University Press, 1982.

Abadi, Jacob. Israel’s Quest for Recognition and Acceptance in Asia: Garrison State Diplomacy. Oxford: Frank Cass Publishers, 2004.

Alavi, Seyed Ali. Iran and Palestine: Past, Present, Future. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2020.

Al-e Aḥmad, Jalal. The Israeli Republic. Brooklyn, NY: Restless Books, 2013.

Alpher, Yossi. Periphery: Israel’s Search for Middle East Allies. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2015.

Amanat, Abbas, and Farzin Vejdani. Iran Facing Others: Identity Boundaries in a Historical Perspective. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.

Amanat, Mehrdad. Jewish Identities in Iran: Resistance and Conversion to Islam and the Baha’i Faith. London: I.B. Tauris, 2011.

Ansari, Ali. Iran Under Ahmadinejad: The Politics of Confrontation. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2017.

Azani, E. Hezbollah: From Revolution to Institutionalization. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Bahgat, Gawdat. Israel and the Persian Gulf. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2006.

Bakhash, Shaul. The Fall of Reza Shah: The Abdication, Exile, and Death of Modern Iran’s Founder. London: I.B. Tauris, 2021.

Bergman, Ronen. The Secret War With Iran: The 30-Year Clandestine Struggle Against the World’s Most Dangerous Terrorist Power. New York: Free Press, 2008.

Black, Ian, and Benny Morris. Israel’s Secret Wars: A History of Israel’s Intelligence Services. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1991.

Bob, Yonah Jeremy, and Ilan Evyatar. Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination — and Secret Diplomacy — to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Create a New Middle East. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

Cambanis, Thanassis. A Privilege to Die: Inside Hezbollah’s Legions and Their Endless War Against Israel. New York: Free Press, 2010.

Clawson, Patrick (ed.). Iran’s Strategic Intentions and Capabilities. Tel Aviv: Institute for National Security Studies, July 2012.

Eilam, Ehud. Israel’s New Wars: The Conflicts Between Israel and Iran, Hezbollah and the Palestinians Since the 1990s. New York: Peter Lang, 2024.

Eisenstadt, Michael. If Iran Gets the Bomb: Weapons, Force Posture, Strategy. Washington: Washington Institute for Near East Policy, November 2024.

Eisenstadt, Michael. The Strategic Culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran: Operational and Policy Implications. Quantico, VA: Middle East Studies, Marine Corps University, 2011.

Elling, Rasmus Christian. Minorities in Iran: Nationalism and Ethnicity After Khomeini. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.

Gold, Dore. The Rise of Nuclear Iran: How Tehran Defies the West. Washington: Regnery Publishing, 2009.

Gold, Dore, and Dan Diker. Iran, Hizbullah, Hamas and the Global Jihad: A New Conflict. Jerusalem: Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 2007.

Hovsepian-Bearce, Yvette. The Political Ideology of Ayatollah Khamenei: Out of the Mouth of the Supreme Leader of Iran. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2016.

Kaye, Dalia Dassa, Alireza Nader, and Parisa Roshan. Israel and Iran: A Dangerous Rivalry. Santa Monica, CA: RAND National Defense Research Institute, 2011.

Katz, Yaakov, and Yoaz Hendel. Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War. Washington: Potomac Books, 2012.

Kazemi, Farhad. Poverty and Revolution in Iran: The Migrant Poor, Urban Marginality, and Politics. New York: New York University Press, 1980.

Koller, A.J., and Daniel Tsadik. Iran, Israel, and the Jews: Symbiosis and Conflict From the Achaemenids to the Islamic Republic. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2019.

Levitt, Matthew. Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2013.

Levy, Habib. Comprehensive History of the Jews of Iran: The Outset of the Diaspora. Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda, 1999.

Mens, Jay. A War Without a Name: The Iran-Israel Relationship in Historical Perspective, Parts One and Two. Cambridge: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, 2024.

Milani, Abbas. The Shah. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.

Netzer, Amnon, and Menashe Amir. Jews, Iran, Israel: Jews Through History, Iranian Jewry & Jewish Holy Shrines in Iran. Los Angeles: Ketab, 2023.

Omer, Devora. The Teheran Operation: The Rescue of Jewish Children From the Nazis. Washington: B’nai B’rith Books, 1991.

Parsi, Trita. Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008.

Pollack, Kenneth. The Persian Puzzle. New York: Random House, 2004.

Pollack, Kenneth. Unthinkable: Iran, the Bomb, and American Strategy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014.

Reppa, Robert. Israel and Iran — Bilateral Relationships and Effect on the Indian Ocean Basin. New York: Praeger, 1974.

Ronen, Yaël. The Iran Nuclear Issue. Oxford: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2010.

Sankari, Jamal. Fadlallah: The Making of a Radical Shi’ite Leader. London: Saqi, 2005.

Samaan, Jean-Loup. Israel’s Foreign Policy Beyond the Arab World: Engaging the Periphery. London: Routledge, 2018.

Sarshar, Houman. Jewish Communities of Iran: Entries on Judeo-Persian Communities Published by the Encyclopaedia Iranica. Los Angeles: Encyclopedia Iranica Foundation, 2011.

Sarshar, Houman. Esther’s Children: A Portrait of Iranian Jews, edited by Houman Sarshar. Los Angeles: Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History, 2002.

Segev, Samuel. The Iranian Triangle. New York: Free Press, 1988.

Seliktar, Ofira, and Farhad Rezaei. Iran, Revolution, and Proxy Wars. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020.

Shaked, Shaul, and Amnon Netzer. Irano-Judaica: Studies Relating to Jewish Contacts With Persian Culture Throughout the Ages. Jerusalem: Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities in the East, 1982.

Shay, Shaul. Israel and Islamic Terror Abductions, 1986-2016. Chicago: Sussex Academic Press, 2017.

Sobelman, Daniel. Axis of Resistance: Asymmetric Deterrence and Rules of the Game in Contemporary Middle East Conflicts. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2025.

Sobhani, Sohrab. The Pragmatic Entente: Israeli-Iranian Relations, 1948-1988. New York: Praeger, 1989.

Solomon, Jay. The Iran Wars: Spy Games, Bank Battles, and the Secret Deals That Reshaped the Middle East. New York: Random House, 2016.

Soomekh, Saba. From the Shahs to Los Angeles: Three Generations of Iranian Jewish Women Between Religion and Culture. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2012.

Souresrafil, Behrouz. Khomeini and Israel. London: Researchers Inc., 1988.

Sternfeld, Lior. Between Iran and Zion: Jewish Histories of Twentieth-Century Iran. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2019.

Tsadik, Daniel. Between Foreigners and Shi‘is: Nineteenth-Century Iran and Its Jewish Minority. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2007.

Articles

Abramson, Scott, “The Iranian Regime Is Not Its People,” JNS, August 19, 2024.

Abramson, Scott, “The Iranian Intellectual Who Inspired the Islamic Revolution and Admired Israel,” Tablet, June 26, 2017.

Amidror, Yaakov, “Iran’s ‘Ring of Fire,’” Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, April 8, 2024.

Ben-Meir, Alon, “Israel’s Response to a Nuclear Iran,” International Journal on World Peace, 27:1 (2010): 61-78.

Beres, Louis Rene, “War With Iran: Israel’s Legal Obligation to Prevent Iranian Nuclear Weapons,” Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, June 19, 2024.

Berman, Howard, Michèle Flournoy, Jane Harman, Leon Panetta, David Petraeus, Dennis Ross and Robert Satloff, “Statement on Improving the Potential for a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Challenge,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, December 17, 2021.

Bialer, Uri, “Fuel Bridge Across the Middle East — Israel, Iran, and the Eilat-Ashkelon Oil Pipeline,” Israel Studies, 12:3 (2007): 29-67.

Bialer, Uri, “The Iranian Connection in Israel’s Foreign Policy: 1948-1951,” Middle East Journal, 39:2 (1985): 292-315.

Boniadi, Nazanin, “The 44-Year Riddle of Iran’s Democratic Opposition,” IranWire, September 5, 2023.

Captured Documents Show Iranian Support for Hamas in the Gaza Strip,” Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, November 18, 2024.

Clawson, Patrick, “An Iranian Nuclear Breakout Is Not Inevitable,” Policy Analysis 8, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, December 20, 2011 (see dozens of additional analyses on Iran by Clawson at the Washington Institute).

Cohen, Stéphane, Raz Zimmt, Noga Sarid, Avihu Marom and Mora Deitch, “Interactive Map: Iran’s Strategic Assets,” Institute for National Security Studies, May 21, 2025.

Czerny, Milan, “Better Late Than Never: Israeli Companies Finally Reach Out to Ukraine to Help Fight Iranian Drones,” Shomrim, November 30, 2024.

Eisenstadt, Michael, “Attacking Iran’s Nuclear Program: The Complex Calculus of Preventive Action,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, March 11, 2025.

Entessar, Nader, “Israel and Iran’s National Security,” Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, 27:4 (2004): 1-19.

Epstein, Joseph, “Recent Cracks in Russian-Iranian Relations,” Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, September 15, 2024.

Eyre, Alan, “Iran and the ‘Ship of Theseus’ Paradox,” The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, April 2024.

Farhang, Mansour, “The Iran-Israel Connection,” Arab Studies Quarterly, 11:1 (1989): 85-98.

Freilich, Chuck, “The Israel-Iran Connection,” Journal of Palestine Studies, 16:3 (1987): 210-212.

Freilich, Chuck, “The United States, Israel, and Iran: Defusing an ‘Existential’ Threat,” Arms Control Today, 38:9 (2008): 6-11.

Gerecht, Reuel Marc, “Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Sapir, October 23, 2023.

Gilboa, Eytan, “Will US-Israel Ties Withstand Possible Strains Due to the Iranian and Palestinian Issues?” Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, January 26, 2022.

Hendel, Yoaz, “Iran’s Nukes and Israel’s Dilemma,” Middle East Quarterly, 19:1 (Winter 2012): 31-39.

Haji-Yousefi, Amir M., “Foreign Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran Towards Israel, 1979-2002,” Strategic Studies, 23:1 (2003): 55-75.

Humud, Carla, and Clayton Thomas, “Protests in Iran: Issues for Congress,” Congressional Research Service, December 15, 2022.

Inbar, Efraim, “Iran and Israel: The Inevitable War?SIRIUS, November 27, 2020.

Karsh, Efraim, “The Israel-Iran Conflict: Between Washington and Beijing,” Israel Affairs, Vol. 29, No. 6 (2023): 1075-1093.

Katz, Yaakov, “Iran Nuclear Program Hasn’t Crossed Israel’s Red Line Yet,” The Jerusalem Post, September 8, 2022.

Kaye, D.D., and S. Efron, “Israel’s Evolving Iran Policy,” Survival, 62:4 (2020): 7-30.

Khatinoglu, Dalga, “Can Trump Really Cut Iran’s Oil Exports to Zero?” Iran International, February 7, 2025, updated February 21, 2025.

Lerman, Eran, “Even Amidst the War in Gaza, Iran’s Nuclear Project Must Remain Uppermost on Israel’s Strategic Agenda,” Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, December 12, 2023.

Levitt, Matthew, “The Hamas-Iran Relationship,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, November 2023.

Levitt, Matthew, “Ending Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program Is Not Enough,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, April 25, 2025.

Levy, Ido, “How Iran Fuels Hamas Terrorism,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, June 1, 2021.

Makovsky, Michael, and John Hannah, “No More Talk: It’s Time to Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program,” Newsweek, February 3, 2025.

Menashri, David, “Iran, Israel and the Middle East Conflict,” Israel Affairs 12:1 (2006): 107-122.

Menashri, David, “The Jews in Iran: Between the Shah and Khomeini,” in Anti-Semitism in Times of Crisis, Sander Gilman (ed.), New York University Press (1991).

Moshe Dayan Center, annual chapters on Iran, 1977 to 2000, in Middle East Contemporary Survey.

Michael, Kobi, and Yoel Guzansky, “How Afghanistan Influences Hamas, PIJ, and Iran in Their Approach to Israel,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, August 24, 2021.

Minhas, Ahmed Saeed, Farhat Konain Shujahi, and Shanzay Saeed, “Analytical Appraisal of the 2024 Iran-Israel Conflict and the Changes for Global Escalation,” Journal of Law and Social Sciences, University of Tubat, Vol. 2, No. 2 (2024).

Monroe, Brian, “Unraveling a Complex Web: A Primer on Hamas Funding Sources, Iranian Support, Global Connections, and Compliance Considerations,” Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists, October 26, 2023.

Neff, Donald, “The U.S., Iraq, Israel, and Iran: Backdrop to War,” Journal of Palestine Studies 20:4 (1991): 23-41.

Nephew, Richard, “Easier Said Than Done: Renewing Maximum Pressure on Iran,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, August 2024.

Nissimi, Hilda, “Individual Redemption and Family Commitment: The Influence of Mass Immigration to Israel on the Crypto-Jewish Women of Mashhad,” Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies & Gender Issues, No. 18 (2009): 39-70.

Nissimi, Hilda, “Memory, Community, and the Mashhadi Jews During the Underground Period,” Jewish Social Studies 9:3 (2003): 76-106.

Pinfold, Rob Geist, Clive Jones, and Anoushiravan Ehteshami, “Collision Course: How Iran and Israel Brought the Middle East to the Brink of War,” Global Policy, March 18, 2025.

Rabinovich, Itamar, “Iran’s Quest for Regional Hegemony,” Horizons: Journal of International Relations and Sustainable Development, No. 26 (Spring 2024): 92-101.

Schanzer, Jonathan, “The Quiet War Between Israel and Iran: Iran’s Hegemonic Drive,” Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2023, Volume 30, No. 1.

Shine, Sima, “Iran’s Growing Drive to Help Hamas,” Institute for National Security Studies, November 20, 2023.

Simon, Steven, “Israeli Strike on Iran,” Council on Foreign Relations, Contingency Memorandum No. 5 (2009): 8 pp.

Sternfeld, Lior, “Iranian Jews in Israel: Solidarity Protests and the Palestinian Question,” Policy Commons, December 6, 2022.

Thomas, Clayton, “Iran: Background and U.S. Policy,” Congressional Research Service, May 22, 2025.

Thomas, Clayton, “U.S. Sanctions on Iran,” Congressional Research Service, August 7, 2024.

Thomas, Clayton, “Iran-Supported Groups in the Middle East and U.S. Policy,” Congressional Research Service, September 26, 2024.

Vakil, Sanaam, “Iran’s Regional Strategy Is Raising the Stakes of Hamas-Israel War,” Chatham House, November 10, 2023.

Van Veen, Erwin, and Hamidreza Azizi, “Playing With Fire: Patterns of Iranian-Israeli Military Confrontation,” War on the Rocks, June 25, 2024.

Vidino, Lorenzo, and Lara Burns, “How Hamas’ Early Ties With Iran Were Brokered From the US,” George Washington University, Program on Extremism, October 18, 2024.

Zimmt, Raz, “Demonstrations in Iran in Protest of the Sharp Rise in Prices of Basic Goods,” Institute for National Security Studies, May 19, 2022.

Zimmt, Raz, “The Need to Reexamine the Concept of the ‘Shiite Axis,’” Institute for National Security Studies, May 27, 2025.

Zohar, Michael Bar, “Ben-Gurion and the Policy of the Periphery,” in Israel in the Middle East, Itamar Rabinovich and Yehuda Reinharz (eds.), Waltham, MA, Brandeis University Press (2008): 191-197.