Show Notes
For decades, Israel and Iran have been portrayed as bitter enemies - but their history tells a far more complicated story.
Long before today’s war, Iran and Israel were strategic partners, trading oil, weapons, intelligence and military technology - even after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Their relationship stretches back much further, through the Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great and centuries of Jewish life under Persian rule.
So how did two countries that once secretly armed and relied on each other become existential enemies?
Bianca Nobilo traces the unlikely history of Iran and Israel; from the ancient world to the secret alliance of the 20th century, the Iranian Revolution, the Iran-Iraq War and the geopolitical upheavals that ultimately transformed cooperation into confrontation.
Joining Bianca to discuss all of this and more is Iranian-Swedish writer and political analyst Trita Parsi.
(00:00:00) Israel and Iran - allies to enemies (00:00:43) A relationship millennia in the making (00:06:47) Uncensoring the history with Trita Parsi (00:10:17) Corrupting history "for their own purposes" (00:12:23) What changed? Soviet Union & Saddam Hussein (00:14:48) State of Israel is formed (00:17:53) Cooperation and collaboration (00:21:43) What changed after the Islamic Revolution (00:24:59) Iran-Contra affair (00:27:45) U.S. role in today's hostile relationship Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from History Uncensored
Why does France have such a long history of political unrest and revolution? As the latest riots dominate the headlines and President Emmanuel Macron speaks out, understanding France’s past may offer important clues to the tensions unfolding today.
Was the suspected plague death of Darya Shipilova in Russia an accident, or could it point to a wider threat from biological weapons?
Who are the Houthis, and how did they become powerful enough to challenge Saudi Arabia and disrupt global trade?
The news is out… Tim Marshall joins Bianca Nobilo as co-host of History Uncensored!
How does Vladimir Putin use history to justify Russia’s war in Ukraine?