An endless war: Iran, Israel and the United States (2/2) [Reupload] | DW Documentary

Key Concepts

• Axis of Evil
• Pox Americana
• Axis of Resistance
• Oslo Accords
• Uranium Enrichment Program
• JCPOA (Iran Nuclear Deal)

The Unspoken War: Iran, the US, and Israel

The Aftermath of the First Gulf War and Iran's Exclusion

• Following the 1991 Gulf War, President George H.W. Bush aimed to establish a "new Middle East" by resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and securing the Persian Gulf.
• The Madrid Peace Conference was convened, but Iran was excluded due to lingering animosity from the 1979 hostage crisis.
• Despite offering quiet support to the US during the Gulf War, Iran felt slighted by its exclusion, especially as it desperately needed to rebuild its economy after the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), which left 500,000 dead.
• President Rafsanjani sought to normalize relations, even with the US, believing that demonstrating goodwill would expose American intransigence if they refused to reciprocate.
• The Madrid snub reinforced the belief in Iran that the US could not be trusted and that only by creating problems could they force the US to engage with them.

Iran's Response: The Axis of Resistance

• Ayatollah Khamenei organized a conference in Tehran dedicated to supporting Palestine, two weeks before Madrid.
• This conference brought together diverse groups, including revolutionaries, nationalists, and Islamists, united in their rejection of American domination, the occupation of Palestine, and the state of Israel.
• The Tehran conference facilitated the forging of close links between Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, giving rise to the "axis of resistance."

The Assassination of Abbas Mousawi and its Consequences

• In 1992, Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Abbas Mousawi in response to the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers in Southern Lebanon.
• While considered an intelligence success, the assassination was a strategic disaster, provoking a retaliatory car bombing of the Israeli embassy in Argentina, killing 28 and injuring 250.
• The event marked a turning point, escalating the conflict between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran.
• The assassination "initiated something new in our relationship with Hezbollah and in our relationship with its leader Iran because in actual fact we had directly hit Iran"

Rabin, Arafat, and the Oslo Accords

• Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, faced with the prospect of a nuclear Iran, pursued an unconventional strategy: reaching an understanding with the Palestinians through the Oslo Accords.
• The Oslo Accords, signed in 1993, aimed to create a genuine peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.
• Rabin hoped that peace with the Palestinians would strengthen Israel's position against Iran.
• However, violence from extremists on both sides threatened the peace process, which was a "godsend for Tehran."

Iran's Opposition to the Oslo Accords and Support for Islamist Groups

• Iran opposed the Oslo Accords, viewing them as a ploy by Israel to stall and undermine Palestinian rights.
• Ayatollah Khamenei intensified support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad to challenge Israel's strategy and reassert Iran's regional influence.
• The US imposed economic sanctions on Iran to curb its support for terrorism and its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

9/11 and the Axis of Evil

• The 9/11 attacks shifted US focus from Shia Islamism (Iran, Hezbollah) to Sunni radicalism (al-Qaeda).
• President George W. Bush launched Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, targeting the Taliban regime that harbored al-Qaeda.
• The US sought assistance from Iran, which shared a border with Afghanistan and had a history of conflict with the Taliban.
• Iran played a constructive role in the Bonn Conference, helping to establish an interim government in Afghanistan.
• Despite this cooperation, the Bush administration, particularly Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, remained hostile towards Iran.
• Bush's "Axis of Evil" speech in 2002, which included Iran, North Korea, and Iraq, effectively ended any prospect of rapprochement.

Iran's Nuclear Ambitions

• Following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Iran feared destabilization or invasion.
• Iran sent a proposal to the US via the Swiss ambassador, offering talks on various issues, including disarmament of Hezbollah and weapons of mass destruction, in exchange for lifting sanctions and recognition of its regional role.
• The US State Department dismissed the proposal, leading Iran to intensify its uranium enrichment program.

Obama's Diplomatic Efforts and the JCPOA

• President Barack Obama sought to improve relations with Iran through diplomacy.
• He believed that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons was a national security priority and that military action should be avoided.
• Secret negotiations between the US and Iran led to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran Nuclear Deal, in 2015.
• Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
• While the agreement was welcomed by most Iranians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly opposed it.

Trump's Withdrawal from the JCPOA

• In 2018, President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the JCPOA, marking a new phase of heightened tensions.
• Trump argued that the deal did not prevent Iran from eventually acquiring nuclear weapons.

Conclusion

• The relationship between Iran, the US, and Israel has been marked by decades of conflict, mistrust, and missed opportunities for dialogue.
• The failure to reconcile their differences has perpetuated a cycle of confrontation and animosity, with each side viewing the other as an existential threat.
• The future remains uncertain, with the potential for further escalation and the need for a new approach to break the cycle of conflict.