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BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 2,197, May 18, 2023

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: With the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the Islamic Republic of Iran found a new avenue through which to carry on its anti-Western and anti-Israeli missions. Tehran has pledged to support its Russian ally in Ukraine and is sending weapons and other supplies to the Russian war effort. It is similarly assisting Armenia, its ally in the Caucasus, in its ongoing conflict with Israel- and-Turkey-backed Azerbaijan.

The Russian Invasion of Ukraine

The Russian war effort in Ukraine has stalled. Major Western military aid to Ukraine, utilized by now battle-hardened Ukrainians, has caused Russia to lose the initiative, as evidenced by the Kharkiv counteroffensive in September, the liberation of Kherson in November, and the Bakhmut stalemate.

This decline in momentum began to change, however, when Iran ramped up its delivery of military equipment, primarily drones and engines, to Russia. Iranian deliveries to Russia include several types of UAVs, chief among them the Shahed 136 loitering munition. This weapon has been used extensively to target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and the power grid.

Iran has also smuggled Mohajer 6, Shahed 129, and Shahed 191 drones to the Russian Navy using an Iranian state-owned airline and boats. Some deliveries went via Iran Air Cargo planes that traveled through Armenian air space and used civilian airports there. These more sophisticated drones provide aerial surveillance and engage targets using armaments fitted under their wings.

The provision of these drones represents a steep escalation in Irans aid to the Russian war machine. According to a CNN report, the Shahed 136 warhead was substantially modified by its Iranian manufacturers to comply with Russian demands that they inflict greater damage on Ukrainian targets, primarily civilian infrastructure.

Despite official Iranian claims that the drones were delivered to Russia before the outbreak of the war, reports by the UK Defense Ministry state that new batches were supplied as late as mid-March 2023. While new shipments from Iran to Russia are being counteracted by additional air defense systems sent to Ukraine by the West, no supply is limitless, and Irans efforts to drag out the conflict may lead to a gradual halt in Western support for Ukraine.

We are already seeing several EU countries push for a diplomatic solution in order to mitigate the potential for lasting economic damage caused by the billions spent on military aid to Ukraine. In the aftermath of the invasion, many European countries drastically increased their own defense spending, leading to a general European rearmament reminiscent of the Cold War. The increase in European defense budgets is diverting funds from other enterprises. This trend is likely to continue as long as countries such as Iran maintain a steady stream of military aid to the Russian side.

Tehran is also using Moscows war effort as a proving ground for its munitions. The feedback received from Russian troops is analyzed by Irans DIO (Defense Industry Organizations) and then used to improve the weapons efficiency elsewhere. For example, improvements resulting from Russian feedback are applied to the weapons Iran sends to Hezbollah and Hamas to use in their conflict with Israel.

US media reports claim that Iranian officials have toured a site in Russia where a new drone factory is to be set up to supply the Russian army in Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Iranian instructors have been sighted in occupied Luhansk Oblast. Their mission, apparently, is to teach the Russians how to operate the UAVs. Tehran is no doubt giving such support to Russia in the hope of getting something in return support for its nuclear program, for instance.

Iran stands to gain from a prolonged Ukrainian conflict not only from the opportunity it provides to test weaponry, but also from the reduction in global media coverage of Irans domestic crises. Large-scale bloody protests aimed at achieving basic human rights are still going on inside Iran. Media coverage of these protests is much more limited than it once was, due in part to Iranian censorship but also because the worlds focus is on Ukraine. The more Tehran helps Russia prolong the war, the more it stands to benefit from reduced media attention to problems on its own soil. In September 2022, the so-called Hijab Revolution took place, and in February 2023, the fight for independence of Southern Azerbaijan began in northwestern Iran. Both these movements have suffered from diminished global media attention.

Escalating Conflicts in the Caucasus

The Caucasus region has been plagued by hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia for decades. Iran has long maintained that it will not tolerate an Israeli military or intelligence presence in Azerbaijan and has pledged support to Armenia on multiple occasions. Iranian munitions the same ones now undergoing field testing in Ukraine were actively used by the Armenian military during the previous round of fighting, and Iranian UAVs were used by Armenia in April 2023. Iranian emissaries are reported to have been seen in Karabakh, a separatist enclave populated by Armenians on Azerbaijani territory.

By assisting Yerevan, Tehran is inflicting a serious blow to the West and to Israel. Azerbaijan is a major energy supplier, especially now that Russia is under sanction and Europe is searching for alternative sources of energy. Attacks on Azerbaijan may damage gas and oil exports and hit Israels economic security.

Building on that, Irans IRGC and Land Force exercises on the Iranian-Azeri border last October, and official regime statements proclaiming them to be a show of force and response to Israeli activity in Azerbaijan, indicate that Tehran has no qualms about assisting Armenia against Azerbaijan and attempting to weaken Israeli influence.

A major point of Iranian hostility towards Azerbaijan is the planned Zangezur corridor. Azerbaijan is split by Armenia into the mainland to the east and the exclave of Nakhchivan bordering Turkey to the west. As part of the ceasefire agreement after its victory in the 2020 Karabakh war, Azerbaijan pushed for the creation of a corridor to connect the mainland with Nakhchivan. This would cut Armenia off from its ally Iran, which vehemently opposes it.

The corridor would bring an end to Azerbaijans transport of goods to Nakhchivan through Iranian territory, limiting Irans control of the area and the cargo that passes through it. Tehran has been using Yerevan as a route through which to bypass Western sanctions, so cutting it off would severely damage the Iranian economy and particularly its military industrial complex.

Tehran has been outspoken about alleged Zionist puppeteering of Azerbaijan for years, claims that have often been accompanied by anti-Semitic statements and caricatures. Tehrans accusations include direct involvement in the Zangezur corridor project. According to numerous Iranian official statements, such as from IRGC leadership, the Zangezur project is a case of cooperation between NATO, Israel and additional enemies of Iran. Some official statements from Tehran claim the corridor should never be constructed because the whole region in fact belongs to Iran, and go so far as to call for the annexation of Nakhchivan.

Iran is also meddling in the Caucasus with regard to the foreign enclave on Azerbaijani territory. This land is recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan but populated by ethnic Armenians, and it now hosts Russian military peacekeepers. According to The Armenian Weekly, the Iranian media did not cover Artsakh much until the 2020 war. Following that war, it became one of Irans most discussed topics. According to several Western media outlets, the Iranians and the Russians see this enclave as a kill switch for the supply of Azerbaijani energy resources to the EU and to Israel.

Tehran has increased its involvement in the Caucasus by means of weapons supplies and military cooperation with Armenia. In addition, the IRGC unit Qods Force, once commanded by Qassem Soleimani, created a number of Khomeinist-Islamist organizations made up of Khomeinist ethnic Azeris who had fled Azerbaijani territory. One such organization, created in the image of other IRGC proxies in the Middle East, is the Hseyniyyun group. Several members of the organization were trained by the Qods Force, heeding Soleimanis instructions and orders, and were then sent to engage enemies of Iran in Syria and Azerbaijan. According to the subscription-locked Telegram channel AZfront, members of the Islamist organization in Azerbaijan would act as Iranian propagandists and destabilizers, attempting to sway public opinion against the pro-Israel government and to initiate a return to roots by advertising Iran as a friendly neighbor and crucial ally against Western imperialism.

On January 27, 2023, the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran was stormed by a gunman armed with military-grade firearms. It is believed that the attack was orchestrated by the IRGC. Tehran denies these claims despite many coincidences and facts that make it seem pre-planned.

The response from Baku was swift: the embassy suspended its work in Iran following the deadly attack. The attack exacerbated tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan, leading to speculation about whether an escalation towards open hostilities might take place.

Fighting the Jewish State

The third proxy war in which Iran is engaged is its war against Israel. The Qods force has been operating in Syria for a long time with the object of establishing infrastructure to enable strikes into northern Israel while creating a more efficient arms supply route to other Iranian proxies in the region.

Until recently, the Syrian regime had the undivided attention and military backing of Russia. The Syrian civil war even saw the Russian air force and special forces assist in training as well as fighting alongside Assads army. This changed once Russias invasion of Ukraine started going downhill. Russian activity in Syria decreased swiftly and drastically, and the majority of assets were transferred to the Ukrainian theater. The power vacuum left by the Russians in Syria allowed the Qods force to ramp up its own activity on a massive scale.

The Qods force was already actively transporting weapons, constructing intelligence networks, and initiating strikes into Israel before the Russian withdrawal. With a larger power base in Syria, Iranian subterfuge presents a larger threat to Israel and its security interests on the Syrian border. Before the war in Ukraine, Moscow agreed with Jerusalem that it would block Iranian weapons shipments to its cells in Syria and Lebanon. It was also understood that Russia would not interfere with IAF missions to destroy Iranian/Syrian targets threatening Israeli security. These agreements are no longer relevant due to the minimizing of Russian influence in Syria, a change that leads directly to more conflict on this front.

Iranian influence on terrorist organizations doesnt end in Syria. Tehran has ties with and smuggles weapons to Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Jenin, and Hebron, from where they have launched countless attacks on Israel. Whether it be rocket strikes from Gaza and Lebanon or incitement of Palestinians to commit terrorist attacks, the IRGCs fingerprints are everywhere. Moreover, Iranian-sponsored cells of ethnic Azerbaijanis, trained by Hseyniyyun, were sent to target Israelis in Cyprus and Georgia but were apprehended by local security services.

How This Strategy Is Backfiring on Iran

Opposition to Tehran is not sitting idly by while Iran injects itself into all these conflicts. We are witnessing the formation of a global anti-Tehran coalition composed of all the nations Iran has wronged and fought against in recent years. But there are still those who ally themselves with Iran.

Beijing endorsed Tehran with an official visit on February 14 from Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. They reportedly discussed how Tehran, Beijing, and Moscow form a counterweight to Washingtons global hegemony.

With regard to Ukraine, we are seeing political pushback at the UN and in international conferences calling out Irans military support for Russia. According to the Telegram-based Strategic Study Forum, the US pledged to give seized Iranian weaponry and ammunition to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Israeli drone strikes in Iran like the one on January 28, 2023, as well as other intelligence operations, harm the Iranian drone industry and consequently support Ukraine.

In December 2023, Azerbaijan reacted to the Iranian encroachment by conducting military exercises together with Turkey on the border with Iran. The joint drills mirrored Irans military muscle-flexing, when it tried to intimidate Azerbaijan by crossing the Araks River and demonstrating its ability to capture strategic heights. Azerbaijan and Turkey were unfazed by the Iranian exercises and demonstrated their ability to match and even surpass Iranian strength, as when Turkey displayed its advanced F-16 jets.

In January 2023, Israel and the US conducted the Juniper Oak 23 exercise, the largest joint exercise between CENTCOM and the IDF to date. With this in mind, experts from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies believe it is in Kyivs best interests to align itself with Israel and join Jerusalem in its fight against Tehran and its proxies.

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Ariel Kogan is an Israeli member of international fora of independent researchers on contemporary post-Sovietpolitics and society. He is affiliated with the Institute of Applied Ethnopolitical Research (Kazakhstan) and MPIC Center (Georgia). He is also a columnist for I24news and Ynet in Israel.

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TEHRAN Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the Islamic Republic will resort to pressure if necessary against the ruling Taliban establishment in Afghanistan should it fail to provide Iran with its share of a lifeline border water supply, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.

Amir-Abdollahian cited Afghanistan's commitments under a 1973 agreement, which obligates Kabul to secure an annual 820 million cubic meters of water from the shared Helmand River.

Iran has repeatedly complained that it is receiving only 4% of the agreed amount, which it expects to flow in the transboundary Hamoun basin.

Taliban authorities, however, have stated that the water supply behind the key Kajaki dam is fast diminishing, an argument upon which Amir-Abdollahian appeared to be casting doubt.

"A joint technical delegation comprising experts from the Iranian Energy Ministry should visit the dam and figure it out up close," he declared during a visit to Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province, an impoverished area bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The water dispute comes during the area's typical arid and scorching season and threatens to further exacerbate the already dying agriculture there. Complicated by the overall impacts of climate change and mismanagement, critical water woes have quickly spread across much of Iran over the past two decades. In 2018, some 97% of the country was already in the grips of a long-term drought, according to the Crisis Management Department of Iran's Meteorological Organization.

In his comments, Amir-Abdollahian did not elaborate on how Tehran would exert such "pressure," but he warned in an earlier phone conversation with his Taliban counterpart that Afghanistan's failure to meet Iran's demand will "impact" bilateral ties.

A similar stance was expressed by President Ebrahim Raisi, who was visiting the same area to inaugurate a joint electricity project alongside Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

"I do warn the rulers of Afghanistan to deliver the water share [to] locals in [Iran's] Sistan-Baluchistan," Raisi said, advising the Taliban "to take the warning seriously," as "we cannot afford to let the rights of our people be violated."

Despite the tacit approval Iran has given the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, ties have not been without bumps, marred every now and then by border clashes.

The water dispute statements by Iranian officials were their most scathing against the Taliban since the group forced its way into Afghanistan's presidential palace after exploiting a vacuum triggered by the US departure, which the Iranian president had hailed as "an opportunity to restore life, security and lasting peace in the country."

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Iran threatens 'pressure' on Taliban amid deepening water row - Al-Monitor

TheIndependent International Fact-Finding Missionon Iran, said in a statement that the executions on Friday ofMajid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi, were profoundly concerningin view of the reported involvement of these individuals in the protests that commenced in Iran on 16 September 2022, and allegations of their having been convicted and sentencedthroughconfessions obtained under torture.

The three-person body, which is mandated to investigate all alleged violations relating to the protests, had previously asked Iranian authorities for information in relation to imposition of the death penalty on some of those exercising their right to protest.

The Fact-Finding Missionreminds allState authorities and individuals involved in this process, thatany execution following a fair trial violation would amount to arbitrary deprivation of lifeand a violation of international law, the statement concluded.

In aseparate statement, three concerned UN independent rights experts, or Special Rapporteurs, condemned the executions of the three men, urging the Government to halt the appalling wave of executions in Iran.

We are alarmed byreports of unfair proceedingsin the case and deeply disturbed that these men have reportedly beensubjected to tortureor other forms of ill-treatment to extract forced confessions, the experts said.

The three men were reportedly arrested on 21 November 2022 during protests in Esfahan city following the uprisingsparked by the death of Mahsa Aminion 16 September, in police custody.

The men were accused of participating in the killing of three Iranian officials, and sentenced to death after being charged with were sentenced to death and charged with moharebeh (which translates as enmity against God).

The executions of the three men this morning underlines our concerns that the Iranian authorities continue to havescant regard for international law, the experts said. The death penalty has been applied following judicial proceedings that failed to meet acceptable international standards of fair trial or due process.

The three experts -Javaid Rehman,Special Rapporteur onthe human rights situation in Iran;Margaret Satterthwaite,the expert on independence of judges and lawyers; andMorris Tidball-Binz,who investigates extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions said that reports indicated the extent of the defendants alleged involvement in the officers deaths, was highly uncertain and questionable.

The officers were allegedly killed by gunshots during protests in Isfahan Province, yet the charges against the defendants do not explicitly accuse them of murder.

The three men appealed the verdict on 6 May, but Irans Supreme Court upheld their death sentences, despite a pending request for judicial review. On 17 May, their families were called in to visit and were told by the prison authorities that this would be the final meeting.

The death penalty is a violation of the right to life andthe ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, the independent experts said.

At least 259 executionshave reportedly been carried out since 1 January mostly for drug-related offences and including a disproportionate number of minorities, the experts said.

We are shocked that the authorities went ahead with the executionsdespite the pending judicial review, the experts said.We urge the Iranian Government to stop this horrific wave of executions.

Special Rapporteurs and other rights experts are all appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, are mandated to monitor and report on specific thematic issues or country situations, are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.

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UN rights experts 'deeply alarmed' at continuing executions of Iran ... - UN News

The Mideast-based commanders of the U.S., British and French navies transited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday aboard an American warship, a sign of their unified approach to keep the crucial waterway open after Iran seized two oil tankers.

Tensions in the Persian Gulf have been volatile since Iran's nuclear deal with world powers collapsed, following the U.S.' unilateral withdrawal five years ago. The incredibly rare, joint trip by the three navy chiefs aboard the USS Paul Hamilton, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, saw three fast boats of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard approach the vessel at one point.

Guardsmen stood by uncovered machine guns on their decks, while sailors aboard the Paul Hamilton similarly stood by loaded machine guns as others shot photographs and video of the vessels. A journalist with The Associated Press accompanied the allied naval commanders.

While the Guard kept its distance from both the Paul Hamilton and the passing British frigate HMS Lancaster, their presence showed just how tense passage for vessels can be in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of global oil supplies passes.

Iran has seized or attacked 15 ships in the last two years. Eight seizures and seven attacks," Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, who oversees the U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet, told the AP. "So the shipping industry is mindful of what the security posture looks like in the region. We have the ability to positively impact that influence and thats what were doing now.

US Navy sailors work in the Combat Information Center of the USS Paul Hamilton in the Strait of Hormuz, May 19, 2023.

Cooper said Iran's Guard ships Friday came within 915 meters of the Paul Hamilton, which is based out of San Diego.

The U.S. has viewed securing the Middle East's waterways, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, as key since then-President Jimmy Carter's 1980 speech vowing to use military force to protect American interests in the wider Persian Gulf. While focused then on the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, the Carter Doctrine's vow to allow the free movement of Middle East oil now pits the U.S. against Iran, which has seized a series of oil tankers since the collapse of its nuclear deal with world powers.

Last week, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists that America planned to make a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture in the Persian Gulf, while criticizing Iran's recent seizures of tankers. Cooper said the joint trip on the Paul Hamilton represented part of that push, with the aim of having more coalition ships passing through the strait on a regular basis.

"The volume of commerce that flows through the Strait of Hormuz it is critical to the worlds economy, he said.

For its part, Iran long has bristled at the American presence in the region. After Kirby's remarks, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani issued a lengthy statement accusing the U.S. of creating and intensifying instability and insecurity in the Persian Gulf region for decades with its interventionist and destructive policies.

There was no immediate reaction in Iranian state media nor from the Guard about the Paul Hamilton's trip from the Persian Gulf out through the strait to the Gulf of Oman. However, it was unlikely the Iranians immediately knew that the American, British and French commanders had been aboard the vessel, though at least one Guard member aboard the fast boats was studying the Paul Hamilton with a pair of binoculars.

The British frigate HMS Lancaster sails as Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels follow it in the Strait of Hormuz, May 19, 2023.

On the trip through the Strait of Hormuz, at least one Iranian drone watched the Paul Hamilton. Meanwhile, a U.S. Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon also was overhead. U.S. forces also routinely fly drones in the region as well, while a Navy task force also has put some drones out to sea.

Securing the Strait of Hormuz has been a challenge since the Carter Doctrine and deadly. The so-called 1980s Tanker War involved American naval ships escorting reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers through the gulf and the strait after Iranian mines damaged vessels in the region. The U.S. Navy even fought a one-day naval battle against Iran at the time, as well as accidentally shot down an Iranian commercial airliner, killing 290 people.

Former President Donald Trump's decision to unilaterally withdraw from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers sparked new challenges from Iran in the region. Tehran seized tankers, while the Navy also blamed Iran for again using mines against shipping. The Trump administration came up with its Sentinel program, which also involved it and partner nations escorting ships in the region. But tensions with Europe after the nuclear deal's collapse didn't see a wide buy-in with the program.

This renewed effort under President Joe Biden does not appear to involve escorting individual ships but trying to put more allied forces in the region. Already, the U.S. has brought A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and a submarine in the region to try to deter Iran.

America also could bring more ships into the Persian Gulf. The end of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the war in Ukraine and American concern over China's expansion in the South China Sea, has halted routine carrier deployments in recent years.

For now, Cooper pointed to the presence of his British and French colleagues Commodore Philip Dennis, the commander of the United Kingdom Maritime Component Command, and Vice Adm. Emmanuel Slaars, the joint commander of the French forces deployed in the Indian Ocean as a sign of the resolve of America and its partners.

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US, Allied Naval Commanders Join in Show of Force Against Iran - Voice of America - VOA News

A few weeks ago, I was honored to host His Highness Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the Shah of Iran, and a leader and advocate of the principles of freedom, democracy and human rights for the Iranian people.

His recent visit was a symbolic renewal of the historic, natural and robust ties between the Iranian and Israeli peoples.

Our peoples do not just share a rich and vibrant history and fraternity, but also a common enemy in the extremist autocracy of the ayatollah regime.

It is this regime that spends its time, resources and funds murdering innocent people in the streets of Tehran, Isfahan, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Sanaa and many other places in the region and beyond.

It uses an iron fist to repress the Iranian people at home and utilizes terrorism, destruction and mayhem abroad for the singular reason of maintaining its vice-like grip on power to further and sow and its destructionist and extremist ideology.

We have directly witnessed this murderous ideology over the past week with the indiscriminate firing of well over 1,000 deadly rockets at Israeli communities by the Iranian proxy Islamic Jihad.

It is precisely this Machiavellian determination to shed blood that underpins the ayatollah regime, a regime spending untold amounts of money in furthering its capacity to create greater destruction and the massacre of innocents that is at the foundation of its thirst for a nuclear weapons capability.

Thankfully, we see the Iranian people rising up against this radical and terrorist regime that seeks to control every aspect of the lives of ordinary Iranians.

Zan, Zendegi, Azadi Woman, Life, Freedom.

These are the cries we hear from the Iranian people here in Israel and around the world.

Israelis from all different backgrounds have joined together to support the Iranian people in their desperate plea for liberty. Thousands have demonstrated in Israel to send a message of hope and fraternity to the Iranian people in their struggle against tyranny.

As a traditional and observant Jewish woman, I stand in strong and righteous solidarity with the Iranian women in their protests against the forced wearing of the hijab.

We see our brothers and sisters in Iran and we know that their successful protests are panicking the ayatollah regime, which is flailing under the weight of deep institutional corruption, a plunging economy and a dated infrastructure that is not serving the people.

As it has been for so many others in the region, Israel has answers to help the Iranian nation face its greatest challenges, whether in the fields of fighting air pollution, renewable energy or water resources.

LESS THAN three years ago, Israel and many nations in the region, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, proved that we will not let the past and others dictate a brighter future.

The Abraham Accords gave voice to a vision of a reshaped region that no longer pitted Jews against Muslims, but one that places the emphasis on those who wish to build a better future against those who just seek to destroy.

Now that these bridges between the Jewish state and Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa have been built or restored, steps are being taken on a weekly or monthly basis to ensure that all of the peoples of the region benefit from this peace and unity.

In Israel, we know and see that the overwhelming majority of the people of Iran want to join hands with us to build a better future for themselves and their children, but we also know that the ayatollah regime leads the axis of destruction in our region.

This is amply demonstrated by the billions of dollars that could be used by the Ayatollah regime to build a better future and help ordinary Iranians who struggle to survive rather than funding its terrorist proxies, like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ansar Allah, Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

It is this axis that fights Israel and the Iranian people daily, and it does not care how much blood it must shed to achieve its desired regional dominance.

That is why the Iranian and Israeli peoples must stand together against our common enemy.

The Jewish people remember well how the historic Persian leader, Cyrus the Great, freed our ancestors from Babylonian captivity and helped them rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

Now it is our turn to repay the favor by exploring ways to fight together against the modern tyranny of the ayatollah regime, freeing the Iranian people from its scourge and paving a better future for them, us, and all the other people in our region who are oppressed and molested by them and their proxies.

This is the commitment we make as we begin to renew ties between the Iranian and Israeli peoples.

The writer is Israels intelligence minister.

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