Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions: A Potential Threat to Israel

Abstract

This article examines non-conventional threats to Israel’s security. The objective of this paper is to analyze how Iranian nuclear ambitions are threat to Israel’s sovereignty. In the 1950s, US provided nuclear reactor to Iran under the “Atoms for peace program” initiative. The nuclear ambition of Iran rises security concerns for Israel as the Iran has not good relations with Israel in the past. The Islamic Republic has ideological perspective related to Israel regardless of its political affiliation, Iranian leadership views Israel as a cornerstone of American hegemony. Although, Iran is not known as to possesses nuclear weapons but it the capability and ability to build nuclear weapons. For Israelis it would decrease their regional influence and limit Israel not to direct attack on Iranian proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis in the region. This research is based on qualitative data extracted from books, journal articles, websites and state officials’ opinions. Consequently, hostility between two middle eastern countries have considerably increased as the result of Iranian nuclear ambitions and perhaps the development of nuclear program. Particularly, Iran's pursuit of a nuclear program and possibly the development of nuclear weapons has raised tensions between the two nations. Deterrence combined with the preparedness and conventional military methods of the Israel Defense Forces. A direct bilateral resolution is improbable given the current tensions and mistrust between Israel and Iran. A multilateral strategy combining global stakeholders (such as the U.S., EU, Russia, and China) and regional powers (such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt) may instead offer an impartial forum to start a dialogue. The objective would be the establishment of a Middle East Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone (MENWFZ), a concept that has been put out in international forum but has never been implemented.