This is not just a pipeline.
It connects two Israeli cities.
But what’s so interesting about it, is that it used to be known as
the 'Israeli-Iranian Pipeline' in the 1970s.
Because the two states worked on it together to transport crude oil
through Israel to Europe.
But that is a thing of the past.
This cancerous tumor referring to Israel has grown step by step from
He [Khamenei] pledged: "there will be no Israel
in 25 years."
The October 2023 terror attack on Israel by Islamist terror group
Hamas has put this conflict on a whole new level.
Because Hamas is backed by Iran.
Iran and Israel are among the biggest military powers
in the Middle East.
But they are very different.
The Islamic Iranian regime denies Israel’s right to exist – the only
majority-Jewish state in the world.
But the conflict is about much more than Jews and Muslims.
It’s also about influence in the region – and about Israel’s
number one ally, the US.
Let’s unravel what’s behind it – and what the dispute
is really about.
After Israel declared independence in 1948, Iran was actually among
the first Muslim-majority countries that recognized the new state.
So, what happened then?
The Iranian revolution in 1979 turned everything upside down
when the Western-backed Shah regime was toppled.
Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic revolution, believed
that it should be exported throughout the Middle East
and the world.
He saw Israel as part of the so-called West in the middle of
the majority-Muslim world as a problem.
And ever since, the Iranian regime doesn’t recognize Israel
as a state.
And leaders don’t even mention its name.
This is one of Tehran’s oldest squares.
In 2017, this clock was unveiled here - counting down to 2040
to the “destruction of Israel.” Because that is part of the
propaganda of the religious regime in Iran.
The square is often the scene of protests like these: Transporting
the antisemitic, anti-Israel rhetoric of the
Iranian authoritarian government.
Iran has been using this rhetoric of destroying Israel.
But I think we need to be a bit careful distinguishing between
rhetoric and reality.
That was Mehrzad Boroujerdi.
He has written numerous books on Iranian society and politics - both
in English and Farsi.
So he really knows what he’s talking about.
The square we mentioned earlier: Guess what, it's
called Palestine Square.
For a reason.
After Hamas’ October attack on Israel, people in Iran protested
here in support of the Palestinians, some even in
support of terrorist group Hamas.
But remember: Iran is an authoritarian state.
So these protests might not reflect what people actually think.
Because we’ve seen in the past that protests have been
orchestrated by the regime.
It’s important to understand that ever since the Iranian
revolution, the Iranian regime presented itself as a vocal
supporter of the Palestinians.
So why is that?
We asked Abed Kanaaneh, an expert on Arab-Israeli relations.
They are using this issue in order to get a recognition as a regional
power in the Middle East.
And what he’s saying is backed up by political
scientist Mehrzad Boroujerdi.
The way to understand Iranian foreign policy is that they claim
right to be, quote unquote, the leader of the Muslim world.
They try to formulate this sort of rhetorical campaign
that can resonate with the average citizen in the streets of the Arab
Muslim world where they say we are the defender of the weak,
we are the defender of the Palestinians.
We can’t go much into detail on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
If you want to know more, check out our video about it.
So, now you know why Iran sees Israel as its enemy.
But its influence literally spills over its borders.
This is what Iran calls the "axis of resistance."
You have already heard of the Palestinian militant group
Hamas, which attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
And is deemed a terrorist organization by the US and the EU.
Hamas is not the only group in the region that gets funding and
arms from Iran.
These so-called proxy armies include Islamic Jihad in Gaza and
the West Bank, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Syrian armed forces,
Popular Mobilization Force in Iraq, and Houthis in Yemen.
Backing Hamas gave Iran the opportunity to position itself
as the leading supporter of the Palestinian cause in
the Arab world.
Just a reminder: Most Muslims in the world are Sunni, including
most Palestinian Muslims.
So are most Muslims in Saudi Arabia, a big player in the region
– and the Iranian regime’s archenemy.
Saudia Arabia and Iran actually compete for influence in
the Middle East.
Iran has a Shia majority, which is a different branch of Islam.
Same goes for most Iranian proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah.
So, let’s travel a bit further to the north,
to the Lebanon-Israel border region.
This area in southern Lebanon is under the control of Islamist
militant group Hezbollah which is — like Hamas — backed by Iran.
And then there are the Houthis, which operate mainly in Yemen.
Just take a look at their slogan.
It says here in red: "Death to America, death to Israel, curse
on the Jews."
Basically, the same chants that we hear some 3,000 km
away in Tehran.
The hatred against Israel often goes hand in hand with hatred
against the United States.
So, there is definitely a common ideology with the Iranian regime
and political support for the Houthis.
But Iran denies sending the group weapons.
Ok, so there are several militias outside of Iran’s borders that are
backed by the Iranian regime.
And some of them have played a role in the aftermath
of the October 2023 attack on Israel.
In an escalation of the decades-long hostilities
between Hezbollah and Israel, Hezbollah fired missiles into
Israel after the Hamas attacks, and Israel retaliated with
airstrikes in Lebanon.
And the Yemen-based Houthis have targeted Israeli-linked ships
in the Red Sea.
This puts Iran in proxy confrontation with Israel.
But does that also mean the Iranian regime itself could act against
Israel directly at one point?
Let’s keep that question in mind for later.
So, we have taken a closer look at the Iranian side.
But Israel did not just sit back and wait.
Take these two areas in Sudan and in Syria.
Both were hit by airstrikes – one in 2009 and 2013.
Israel is believed to be behind these strikes and hundreds more in
Syria targeting weapons to prevent them from reaching Iran’s proxy
armies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
And there’s another big – and potentially deadly – topic:
nuclear weapons.
The Iranian regime has repeatedly said its nuclear program is only
to produce energy.
It’s just that world powers such as the US, China, UK, and the EU
don't believe them...
And Israel doesn’t believe them either.
Iran lied about never having a nuclear weapons program.
And, just so you know, Israel was one the biggest critics of
the Iran nuclear deal.
But that’s a story for another video.
So: For Iran its nuclear program is a way to put itself in a position
of power in the Middle East.
The Iranian nuclear program is also part of their geopolitical plans
and part of a way to put pressure on the United States and
on the West.
And Israel sees the Iranian nuclear program as threatening
to its existence.
And by the way: Israel is believed to possess nuclear weapons as well,
but it doesn’t acknowledge this.
Back to Iran, here are the country's key nuclear facilities.
Over the years, there have been many sabotage attacks.
Take this nuclear facility in Natanz, where experts say
an explosion in 2020 set back Iran’s nuclear program
by up to two years.
Iran has blamed Israel for them.
And Israeli officials have implicitly threatened to attack
Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad is also believed to have
targeted Iranian nationals.
Including a series of assassinations of high-profile
nuclear scientists, such as the father of Iran’s nuclear
program in 2020.
Israel, however, has never officially admitted to it.
Remember the oil pipeline we mentioned at the beginning?
Well, today there’s no Iranian oil flowing through it.
Enter Azerbaijan.
Yes, another country that plays a role in this conflict.
Since the '90s, Israel has had good relations with Azerbaijan,
a Muslim-majority country with an authoritarian regime.
Azerbaijan has become one of Israel’s key suppliers
of crude oil.
And a close military partner.
One detail is important here: Look at Azerbaijan's south – the country
shares a more than 700-km-long border with Iran.
And this location could potentially help Israel perform a long-range
strike on Iran.
So now we have a better understanding why there’s
a conflict between Iran and Israel: Iran is using anti-Israel rhetoric
to gain more power in the Middle East.
And Israel is pushing back against Iran’s proxies and
the country’s influence.
And we already know: Both countries are regional powers.
But how come a country as small as Israel is such
a big military player?
Well, that’s partly because Israel is not alone in seeing Iran as
its enemy – and it has a powerful friend.
The US is Israel’s number one ally
— militarily and financially.
That support is based on strategic interests in the Middle East.
And, as you know, a common enemy: Iran.
This map shows countries that have recently normalized diplomatic
relations with Israel.
The Abraham Accords were a US initiative.
They were signed in 2020 by Morocco, Sudan, and more
importantly, two Gulf States, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates,
with Israel.
So, supporting this coalition of Sunni Muslim countries with Israel
was one way the US has been trying to contain Iran’s influence
in the region.
Remember: Iran is officially a Shia country.
And the authoritarian government didn’t really seem to like
Israel improving relations with majority-Muslim countries
in the region.
But one big regional player
and Sunni-majority country was missing: Saudi Arabia.
Israel and Saudi Arabia didn’t used to have official relations.
Since the beginning of 2023, the US tried to broker a deal between
Israel and Saudi Arabia.
And they were supposed to be really close to a historic agreement.
Something Iran – Saudi Arabia’s archenemy – would not have liked –
to put it mildly.
And we all know what happened next.
The October 2023 terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas.
And how Israel then declared war on Hamas.
The deadly Israeli strikes on Gaza sparked outrage in the Arab world.
And they have put on hold the relations between Israel
and its neighbors.
As you know, Iran’s proxy armies are attacking Israel.
At the same time the United States has moved warships to the region.
But we still owe you an answer to one question we haven’t answered yet:
Would the Iranian regime actually enter the conflict itself?
Iran will not be involved because if Iran involved in this war,
it will become a regional and even worse than regional war.
My argument will be they know that getting involved in a war with
Israel when Iran really doesn't have any Air Force to speak of.
They are no match for sophisticated Israeli planes.
So, it seems Iran wants to avoid getting involved directly.
But the Iranian-Israeli conflict is very far from solved right now.
As are many other conflicts around the world.
If you liked our video, tell us which other geopolitical conflict
you want us to map out next.