Iraq’s invasion of Iran on September 22, 1980, created a paradoxical situation where Israel secretly supported Iran despite revolutionary Iran’s declared hostility toward the Jewish state.
Strategic Calculations
Israel’s complex considerations during the Iran-Iraq War:
- Iraq posed greater immediate threat to Israel
- Iran’s conventional military weakened by revolution
- Opportunity to maintain contacts with Iranian military
- Balance of power strategy in the region
Secret Arms Shipments
Despite public hostility, Israel covertly aided Iran:
- Shipments of spare parts for US-made weapons
- Artillery shells and ammunition
- Aircraft maintenance equipment
- Intelligence on Iraqi military positions
Operation Babylon Connection
Israel’s 1981 bombing of Iraq’s Osirak reactor indirectly helped Iran:
- Eliminated Iraqi nuclear weapons program
- Reduced long-term threat to Iran
- Demonstrated shared concern about Iraqi ambitions
- Created temporary tactical alignment
Iranian Response
Iran’s contradictory position:
- Publicly condemned Israeli actions globally
- Privately accepted Israeli military assistance
- Revolutionary Guards maintained some contact channels
- Pragmatic needs overcame ideological opposition
Regional Implications
The war’s impact on Iran-Israel dynamics:
- Established pattern of tactical cooperation despite strategic hostility
- Showed limits of revolutionary ideology
- Created precedent for future covert dealings
- Demonstrated regional realpolitik complexities
This period illustrates how strategic necessities can override ideological differences, even between declared enemies in Middle Eastern conflicts.