Iran since its Islamic revolution 1979 had supported and in some cases created militaristic proxies operating in Arab countries all around Israel. With Iranian funding and varying degrees of coordination, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria, Shia militias in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas in Gaza and elsewhere formed Iran’s Axis of Resistance to the “Great Satan” (the United States) and the “Little Satan” (Israel). Iranian money, training, diplomatic backing and other support played a part in the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent missile bombardments by Hezbollah and the Houthis in support of the Hamas ware effort.
Still, Israel and Iran did not directly battle until April 2024, when Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian military officers in Syria, and Israel replied with a limited strike on Iranian air defenses. The countries had a more extensive but still limited exchange of aerial attacks in October 2024. A 12-day air war broke out in June 2025, during which the U.S. military for the first time directly intervened in an Israeli war in an offensive manner by sending B-2 bombers and naval cruise missiles at three Iranian nuclear sites.
Claiming that the Iranian nuclear weapons program was obliterated, the United States then quickly negotiated the end of fighting between Iran and Israel, although no formal armistice, let alone a peace treaty, was signed.
That absence of war lasted only eight months. On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes into Iran in an effort to end the Iranian nuclear threat, destroy its ballistic missile program, and weaken if not topple the Islamic regime.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlights strategic if incomplete achievements in wars fought since October 2023 while working to solidify his political support before fall elections.
President Trump’s speech a month into the war makes the case for Iran as a longtime U.S. enemy and argues that the war has largely succeeded and will soon be over.
Iran’s move to assert sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz has short- and long-term implications for the Islamic regime and the world economy.
Washington Institute Senior Fellow Michael Eisenstadt speaks about the regional effects of the 2023-2025 Hamas-Israel war and the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran war in March 2026.
For those looking for the best reads and watches on Iran and its relations with Israel, the United States and the Jewish people, CIE has compiled analyses, videos, documents and books.
Almost two weeks into the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses the country to explain what has been achieved and what remains to be done.
The U.N. Security Council, on a 13-0 vote with two abstentions and with 135 co-sponsors from U.N. member states, enacts a resolution condemning Iran’s airstrikes on Arab states and its threat to the Strait of Hormuz.
While too much is unknown after a week of fighting to make definitive statements about the war, certain possible outcomes can be explored.
The Congressional Research Service shows where Middle Eastern oil is produced, refined, and shipped or piped.
President Donald Trump announces Operation Epic Fury, the second U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs in eight months, and urges the Iranian people to overthrow their Islamic regime.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces Operation Roaring Lion and briefly explains why Israel, with U.S. help, has attacked the nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities of Iran. He also encourages the Iranian people to topple their regime.
January 2, 2026 A week of unrest in Iran does not guarantee a revolution even if 85-plus million Iranians are angry at the country’s autocratic, theological rulers. Iran is a security-clerical oligarchy where kleptocracy, cronyism…
In their fifth U.S. meeting of 2025, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu show unity on Gaza, Hamas, Iran and their mutual appreciation for each other but offer glimpses of differences on Turkey, Syria and the West Bank.
Before a White House dinner, President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk about Gaza, Iran, Syria and Middle East peace.
President Trump announces precision U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s key nuclear sites, citing Iran’s four-decade-long hatred of the U.S. and killing of Americans and others. He thanks the U.S. military, the Israeli military and Prime Minister Netanyahu, warning Iran to pursue peace because more targets remain.
Speaking in English, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, targeting nuclear enrichment, nuclear weaponization, nuclear scientists, the Natanz nuclear facility and ballistic missile infrastructure. Netanyahu says the attack is for the world, not just for Israel.
Iran’s relations with Israel and the Jewish people from ancient times to the present day. June 23-June 24, 2025 — At the request of President Donald Trump, Iran and Israel enter a cease-fire to end…
May 18, 2025 Contradiction has been a theme in Iran’s relationship with the Jewish people, for nowhere else in the Muslim world have Jews both suffered so grievously and flourished so thoroughly. Nor is the…
Visiting Qatar after Saudi Arabia and before the United Arab Emirates in a Middle East trip that excluded Israel, President Donald Trump praises and pledges to defend Qatar and indicates a deal on Iran’s nuclear program is close.
January 9, 2025 By Dr. Kenneth Stein, Emeritus Professor, Emory University As the 39th president of the United States, James Earl Carter held office from 1977 to 1981. Carter was the longest-surviving former United States president…
December 11, 2024 Professor Meir Litvak, Tel Aviv University, for the Center for Israel Education In this extraordinary review, Professor Meir Litvak unfolds the ideological origins and development of the Iranian regime’s stark hatred of…
Compiled by Aidan New Before Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 1, 2024, it targeted Israel on April 13 and 14, 2024, with a series of missiles and drones, escalating regional…
Compiled by Aidan New Iran’s development of a nuclear weapons program began in the late 1990s, accelerate in the early 2000s, and has remained a focal point for regional tension and international sanctions. It is…
Compiled by Aidan New Iran, a Shia- and Persian-majority theocracy, frequently clashes with its Sunni Arab neighbors, including Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These tensions are rooted in religious and ethnic…
