Destruction of Israel in Iranian policy

The Destruction of Israel in Iranian policy refers to a campaign by the Islamic Republic of Iran aimed at destroying Israel as a Jewish entity.^[1] This position emerged from the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which transformed Iran's view of Israel, from a close partner under the Pahlavi monarchy to a principal ideological adversary.^[2] Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, denounced Israel as an illegitimate "Zionist regime" and cut off diplomatic relations. Since then, this stance has been embedded in official rhetoric, military programs, state-sponsored education, and symbolic events such as Quds Day.

The rejection of Israel's legitimacy has remained consistent across both hardline and moderate Iranian leaderships. Supreme Leaders Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei have both repeatedly referred to Israel as a "cancerous tumor" and publicly called for its elimination. Even reformist leaders and moderate clerics have supported this stance. While the Iranian regime maintains that its opposition is directed at Zionism rather than at Jews or Judaism, official propaganda has frequently blurred this distinction, at times incorporating Holocaust denial and invoking antisemitic tropes.

Iran’s anti-Israel policy is implemented through a centralized institutional framework led by the office of the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Operational activities are largely carried out via a network of allied non-state actors, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories, and other affiliated groups. These organizations receive sustained Iranian support in the form of funding, weapons, and training, and are collectively referred to by Iranian officials as the "Axis of Resistance." This proxy network enables Iran to exert influence across multiple fronts while posing an existential threat to Israel through asymmetric conflict. Additionally, statements by senior officials and the regime's hostility toward Israel have led many observers to view Iran's nuclear ambitions as part of a broader strategy to destroy Israel.

Once strategic partners, Iran and Israel saw their relationship abruptly end with the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the Islamic Republic cut ties and framed the Jewish state as a central ideological adversary.^[3] Since that time, the objective of eliminating Israel as a Jewish state has remained a central pillar of Iran's approach to regional affairs.^[4] Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Republic's founding Supreme Leader, branded Israel the "Small Satan", a counterpart to the "Great Satan" label reserved for the United States.^[3] Iranian leaders across generations, from Khomeini and his successor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to senior officials, military commanders, and state-aligned media, have consistently invoked rhetoric calling for Israel's elimination or forecasting its collapse.^[3]

Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini referred to Israel multiple times as a "cancerous tumor" and a "cancerous gland."^[5] When asked about providing financial support to the Palestinian mujahideen, Khomeini responded: "This is an obligation… It is important in order to abolish the infidel Zionists, who are the enemies of humanity."^[6]

In 2013, Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called Israel a country "doomed to failure and annihilation," "an illegitimate regime" led by "untouchable rabid dogs," adding that their leaders "cannot be called human beings, they are like animals."^[7] On 9 September 2015, he stated: "God willing, there will be no Zionist regime in 25 years. Second, during this period, the spirit of fighting, heroism and jihad will keep you worried every moment."^[8]

In a Friday sermon delivered in February 2012, Khamenei referred to Israel as a "cancerous tumor" and pledged Iran's support for any group or nation confronting it.^[9] In 2018, Khamenei described Israel as a "malignant cancerous tumor" that must "be removed and eradicated."^[10][11] Two years later, during a televised address for Quds Day in May 2020, he reiterated the sentiment, calling Israel "a deadly, cancerous growth and a detriment to this region," and asserted that "it will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed."^[12]

On October 3, 2023, just four days before the Iran-backed Hamas launched its October 7 attacks on Israel, Khamenei delivered a speech in Tehran in which he reiterated the Islamic Republic’s commitment to Israel's destruction.^[2] Khamenei declared that Israel would "die of [its] rage," reaffirmed Ayatollah Khomeini's description of Israel as "a cancer," and concluded by saying that: "This cancer will definitely be eradicated, God willing, at the hands of the Palestinian people and the resistance forces throughout the region."^[2] On 24 May 2024, Ali Khamenei declared in a meeting with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh: "The divine promise to eliminate the Zionist entity will be fulfilled and we will see the day when Palestine will rise from the river to the sea."^[13]

Former President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, often described as a political moderate, stated that the detonation of a single nuclear weapon inside Israel "will annihilate the entire country" (hame-ye Esra'il ra nabud khahad kard).^[14]

In 2006, at the "World Without Zionism" conference, then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invoked a quote from Ayatollah Khomeini calling for Israel to be "erased from the face of the earth", (mahv-e Esra'il az safhe-ye ruzegar), alternatively translated as "erased from the pages of history".^[15] He also declared the Holocaust a myth, saying: "they have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion and the prophets."^[16] In 2007, he said that "By God's will, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future."^[17]

On 24 November 2018, during the annual Islamic Unity Conference, ex-President Hassan Rouhani, typically known for more moderate rhetoric, called Israel a "cancerous tumor" and a "fake regime" created by Western powers to serve their interests in the Middle East.^[18]

In November 2023, then-President Ebrahim Raisi said: "I hope that God will liberate Palestine as soon as possible, and we witness the final moments of Israel's existence and celebrate its end."^[19]

Hojatoleslam Ali Shirazi, representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei within the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stated in 2013: "The Zionist regime will soon be destroyed, and this generation will be witness to its destruction."^[20]

In 2014, Hossein Salami, then deputy commander of the IRGC, issued a series of aggressive statements against Israel. In one speech, he threatened direct retaliation, declaring: "We will chase you [Israelis] house to house and will take revenge for every drop of blood of our martyrs in Palestine, and this is the beginning point of Islamic nations awakening for your defeat."^[20] In another, he asserted that "the Zionist regime is slowly being erased from the world," and predicted that "soon, there will be no such thing as the Zionist regime on Planet Earth."^[20]

In 2014, Hossein Sheikholeslam, then secretary-general of Iran's Committee for Support for the Palestinian Intifada, stated that "the issue of Israel's destruction is important, no matter the method," and emphasized that Iran would "implement the strategy of the Imam Khomeini and the Leader [Khamenei] on the issue of destroying the Zionists." Sheikholeslam warned that "the region will not be quiet so long as Israel exists in it."^[20]

Following Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel, in October 2023, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deputy commander-in-chief, Ali Fadavi, declared that "the resistance front's shocks against the Zionist regime will continue until this 'cancerous tumor' is eradicated from the world map."^[21]

Ahmad Alamolhoda, a prominent Iranian cleric and member of the Assembly of Experts, said in 2013 that "The destruction of Israel is the idea of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and is one of the pillars of the Iranian Islamic regime." He declared: "We cannot claim that we have no intention of going to war with Israel."^[20]

Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri, once designated as Khomeini’s successor and later a supporter of the reform movement, recalled telling a delegation of reformist parliamentarians that, according to Quran 7, the Jews of Zionism (yahudiyan-e sahyonizm) would be afflicted with torment and misery until the Day of Resurrection.^[22] He also cited a 17th-century hadith from Biḥār al-Anwār in which Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq is reported to have said three times that those who would ultimately exterminate the Jews (kasani keh nehayatan yahud ra monqarez mikonand) would be "the people of Qom", referring to the Iranian Shi'ite clergy.^[22]

In 2010, Mohammad Hassan Rahimian, Khamenei's representative to the Mostazafan Foundation, stated that Iran possesses missile capabilities that would allow it "to replace [sic] Israel in its entirety with a big holocaust."^[20]

Ayatollah Mohammad Musavi-e Bojnurdi, a senior jurist known for his association with Iran's reformist and Green Movement currents, stated that "there is no room for friendly relations with Israel."^[22]

Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance" refers to its strategic alliance with regional non-state actors, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories, and the Houthi movement in Yemen. These groups receive sustained Iranian support in the form of weapons, funding, and training. According to analyst Afshon Ostovar, the aim of this network is to present Israel with a long-term existential challenge by "slowly strangling" it through a series of "increasingly destructive, unwinnable wars."^[23]

Iran has covertly supported suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians.^[24] Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel—which killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw the kidnapping of 250 hostages—was, at least in part, a product of Iran's strategy.^[25] According to a Wall Street Journal report citing senior Hamas and Hezbollah members, the IRGC helped plan the assault and gave the go-ahead during an October 2 meeting in Beirut.^[26] In the lead-up to the attack, about 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters reportedly received training in Iran under the supervision of the IRGC Quds Force.^[27] According to The Washington Post, the attack occurred "with key support from [Iran] who provided military training and logistical help as well as tens of millions of dollars for weapons."^[28] Following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an Israeli operation in mid-October 2024, a new mural appeared in Tehran bearing the message "The storm of Sinwar will continue," referencing Al-Aqsa Storm, the name Hamas used for its October 7 attacks.^[29]

The destruction of Israel is frequently cited as one of several strategic objectives behind Iran’s nuclear ambitions.^[30] The United States has maintained that a nuclear-capable Iran would likely use its capabilities to attempt the annihilation of Israel.^[31]

Iran has inscribed the Hebrew words for "Israel must be erased" on some of its domestically produced missiles, a number of which have reportedly been transferred to Russia for use in its invasion of Ukraine.^[14]

Established by Ayatollah Khomeini, Quds Day (Ruz-e Qods, in reference to Jerusalem) is celebrated annually on the last Friday of Ramadan and is explicitly designed to promote Muslim solidarity against Israel.^[32][33] Senior clerics, including Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, have described participation in Quds Day as a form of religious worship ('ebādat), intended to "strengthen the ring that connects the Muslims of the world" and to signal that Sunnis and Shi'ites are united on essential issues.^[32]

In 2017, a digital countdown display was installed in Tehran, representing Iran's commitment to the destruction of Israel. The clock is located in Palestine Square, a prominent public space in the Iranian capital. It is programmed to count down 25 years from a 2015 statement made by Khamenei, in which he predicted that Israel would cease to exist within a quarter century.^[34]

"Death to Israel" (marg bar Esra'il), along with "Death to America", has for over a quarter of a century been one of the most pervasive and versatile slogans in official Iran.^[15] In verbal form, these slogans have served as the most popular method of applauding in official Iran and are often introduced to citizens at a young age, becoming deeply embedded in their consciousness.^[15]

The call for the conquest of Jerusalem (and by extension, the destruction of Israel), is portrayed as a unifying jihad that could redirect Sunni opposition away from Shi'ite Iran. This strategy positions Iran as the vanguard of global Islamic resistance.^[35]

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei told university students that Israel was created by Western powers with the explicit goal of preventing unity among Muslim states.^[36] Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, former head of Iran's judiciary, claimed that "racist, anti-human" Zionism has "enslaved all of the world's peoples" and accused Muslim states of cooperating with a Zionist conspiracy of the "Hebrew polity" to divide the Islamic world.^[36] Iranian MP Emad Afroogh alleged that "Jewish rabbis" were responsible for Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi's shift away from his previous moderation toward Shi'ites.^[36] IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri, in 2022, claimed that Saudi rulers descend from the Jews of Medina and Khaybar, enemies of the Prophet Muhammad.^[36]

Iranian media, including outlets aligned with the reformist faction, have accused Israeli intelligence of making efforts to undermine Shi'ite religious rituals and sow sectarian discord.^[37] In one 2019 example, Mossad was alleged to have trained Israeli Jews as maddahan (ritual eulogists) to infiltrate mourning assemblies in Iran and deliberately mislead audiences into cursing or blaspheming.^[37]

Between 2011 and 2021, Iranian institutions organized dozens of ideologically driven conferences with provocative titles such as "Zionism and the SARS Disease", "Genocide in Rwanda and in Gaza" (where only one speaker addressed Rwanda and the remaining fifteen focused on Gaza), and "Judaism and Hollywood: A Diabolical Conspiracy", showing the regime's effort to link Zionism with global ills.^[38] These events, while often poorly attended, are publicly portrayed as major intellectual gatherings, with state media describing a half-empty auditorium as "standing room only" at a conference titled "The Jewish Roots of MI-6."^[38]

Efraim Karsh, a British–Israeli historian of Middle Eastern politics, has described Iran’s posture toward Israel as genocidal.^[3]

According to American scholar Afshon Ostovar, Iran's campaign against Israel, intended to pose an existential threat to Israel, constitutes "the single most destabilizing conflict in the Middle East" and carries "the greatest potential to cause a broader regional war."^[23]

American journalist Jeffrey Goldberg argued that if Iran acquired nuclear weapons, it would likely intensify its efforts to destroy Israel under the protection of a nuclear deterrent, leading to potentially catastrophic consequences.^[20]

Sadegh Zibakalam, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Tehran, has frequently spoken out against the regime's aggressive policies. In his remarks, he notes that the Iranian public, especially the younger generation, is losing interest in the Palestinian issue and even expressing support for figures like Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. This support does not stem from alignment with their policies, but rather from opposition to the Iranian regime and its backing of groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Due to his statements, Zibakalam served an 18-month prison sentence and as of March 2025 was under investigation again, potentially facing further imprisonment.^[39]

Abdollah Nouri, a prominent cleric and former interior minister, was sentenced to five years in prison in 1999 (making him the most senior Islamic Republic official to be jailed since the revolution) reportedly for, among other charges, openly challenging Khomeini's doctrine that Israel must be obliterated.^[40]

Quds Day has in recent years been subject to widespread criticism from Iranian citizens, particularly on social media. According to an April 2024 report by Iran International, many Iranians see the annual event as an irrelevant political ritual, disconnected from the country’s dire social and economic realities. One interviewee stated, “People no longer accept the Islamic Republic or its Quds Day,” accusing the government of hypocrisy while the population suffers under sanctions and misrule.^[41]

Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Jewish religious leaders voiced concern over the potential implications of the new Islamic Republic's policies for Israel and Jewish communities in the region. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, described the revolution as a significant turning point in global politics. In public addresses at the time, he warned that Iran's challenge to the United States would weaken American influence and embolden hostility toward Israel. The Rebbe also expressed alarm for the safety of the Jewish community in Iran, which then numbered approximately 50,000, and advocated for a communal day of fasting and prayer in response to the escalating crisis.^[42]

• 
  An Iranian F-14 Tomcat fighter jet on display in Isfahan bearing the slogan "Death to Israel" next to the word "Expired" (2019)
• 
  The slogan "Israel must be wiped off the face of the earth" inscribed on a Shahab-2 missile displayed in Mashhad (2019)
• 
  The phrase "Death to Israel" displayed in four languages (accompanied by a softened English translation reading "Down with Israel") at the Iranian Army Aviation Museum (2019)
• 
  The slogan "Israel will not see more than five years into the future" inscribed on a missile during the Sacred Defense Week exhibition in Mashhad (2019)
• 
  Children posing with an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Quds Day parade in Qom (2015)
• 
  Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the Iranian newspaper Kayhan, stepping on an Israeli flag at Amirkabir University of Technology (2015)