What threat does Iran pose to Israel?
Iran, which is a Persian speaking, Shi’ite Muslim country, has been led by a radical and fundamentalist Islamic leadership for almost three decades. The regime subscribes to a theocratic ideology that is fiercely anti-western and opposed to the very existence of a Jewish state in the region. Iran, a large country with ten times Israel’s population, nearly 80 times Israel’s landmass, and 10% of the world’s oil, aims to be the strongest power in the region and to export its radical ideology throughout the world. Iran’s leaders frequently call for the eradication of the State of Israel and, in addition, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeatedly denies the Jewish Holocaust. In 2006, he organised a conference of Holocaust deniers and a ‘cartoon’ competition mocking the Holocaust. Iran’s ambitions are not only of concern to Israel. Iran opposes internationally-backed efforts to bring stability across the region, including in Iraq. The British government has repeatedly linked Iran to a
Iran, which is a Persian speaking, Shi’ite Muslim country, has been led by a radical and fundamentalist Islamic leadership since 1979. The regime subscribes to a theocratic ideology that is fiercely anti-Western and opposed to the very existence of a Jewish state in the region. Iran is a country with ten times Israel’s population, nearly 80 times Israel’s size, and 10% of the world’s oil. It aims to be the strongest power in the region and to export its radical ideology throughout the world. Iran’s leaders frequently call for the eradication of the State of Israel and have promoted anti-Semitism including denial of the Holocaust. Destabilising the region Iran’s ambitions are not only of concern to Israel. Iran opposes internationally-backed efforts to bring stability across the region, by supporting violent anti-Western forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon. The British government has linked Iran to attacks on its troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its sailors were abducted and take
