Israel and Iran: Understanding the Root Causes of the Crisis

The Israeli attack on Iran 's nuclear program and military assets and Iran 's responding missile strikes represent a significant escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two nations. RAND experts provide insights into the strategic, diplomatic, and economic dimensions of this unfolding crisis . To understand how the Israel-Iran conflict in 2025 erupted into open war, we need to rewind the clock—not just by months or years, but decades. Because what’s happening now didn’t come out of nowhere. The roots of this hostility run deep , tangled in revolution , ideology , nuclear fears , and clashing visions for the Middle East. Iran was one of the first Muslim countries to recognize the new state of Israel. Palestinians saw that recognition as a tacit international acceptance of what they call the "Nakba," or. 5 days ago · In October Iran fires more than 180 missiles at Israel in what it calls revenge for the killing of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, and the. Iran has threatened a “tooth-breaking” response to Israel and the U.S. Following Israeli strikes on Iranian military sites. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed retaliation against both nations, signalling heightened tensions in the region. The analysis highlighted that the root of the conflict dates back to the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948, after the Second World War. Initially, Israel and Iran maintained cordial relations, but the situation changed drastically after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran . The Israel - Iran war is a lengthy-status geopolitical and ideological competition in the Middle East, in large part focused round Iran’s guide for anti-Israel militant agencies and Israel’s competition to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Since Friday, Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of people in Iran , including top generals and scientists but also civilians. Iran has retaliated by launching hundreds of drones and.