Relationship dossier
Iran
Israel
Relationship assessment
Sustained hostility, proxy conflict and direct military attacks define Iran–Israel relations
Iran toward Israel
-95Iran's government rejects Israel's legitimacy and supports armed groups, including Hezbollah, that oppose Israel. In 2024, Iranian forces launched direct missile and drone attacks on Israel, including on 13–14 April and 1 October.
Israel toward Iran
-90Israel's government has conducted military operations against Iranian forces and interests in the region and has publicly sought to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. On 26 October 2024, Israel struck military targets in Iran; Israel and Iran also exchanged direct attacks during 2024.
Overall relationship
-95The enduring relationship is defined by profound strategic and ideological opposition, Iranian support for armed groups confronting Israel, Israeli action against Iranian military and nuclear-related interests, and direct state-to-state attacks. This persistent conflict outweighs any limited or indirect contacts.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Iran and Israel have a deeply adversarial relationship marked by Iran's support for armed groups opposing Israel, Israeli operations targeting Iranian interests, and repeated direct military attacks in 2024. The two governments lack diplomatic relations, and their confrontation extends across the region as well as into direct exchanges of fire.
Areas of tension
- Iran's rejection of Israel's legitimacy and support for armed groups opposing it
- Israeli military operations against Iranian forces and interests in the region
- Iran's nuclear program and Israel's efforts to prevent Iranian nuclear weapons capability
- Direct Iranian and Israeli missile and drone attacks
Key developments
Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel in its first direct attack on Israeli territory.
Iran launched a second major direct missile attack on Israel.
Israel struck military targets in Iran in retaliation for the Iranian missile attack.
Major uncertainties
- The future scale and frequency of direct military exchanges are uncertain.
- The scope and operational effects of Iranian support for armed groups opposing Israel vary over time.