The Situation in Israel and Iran: The Essentials in Brief

This paper reviews the history of involvement of the two countries in these regions, and analyses how policies of confrontation in both countries have changed and developed over the different historical periods.

The GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies is one of the leading institutes for Middle East research in Germany and Europe. Our scholars examine topics such as state and regime structures, energy security, violent conflicts, forced migration, Islamist movements, and the reshaping of the regional order.

The Peace and Security Research Programme analyses how identities and ideologies, institutional arrangements, and international interventions affect peace and conflict dynamics in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and investigates international violence and security trends.

In der Nacht zu Samstag startete Israel seine erneute Großoffensive im Gazastreifen – und möchte damit endgültig seine Kriegsziele erreichen. Ob das gelingt und wie es mit der Befreiung der Geiseln weitergeht. GIGA-Forscher Houssein Al Malla im Interview mit dem Tagesspiegel.

Sanction evasion, economic and military collaboration, and narratives of resistance against a US-led liberal global order bind Russia and Iran together. To thwart their continued and intensified power projection, the West needs to strengthen ties with other key actors in the Middle East and Eurasia.

The Iranian government has turned to the development of knowledge as a power projection tool. In Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s speeches from 2011-20, “knowledge based” was among the most frequently used terms when addressing topics such as “jihad” and “economic resistance".

Ausgerechnet Donald Trump könnte Iran abermals an den Verhandlungstisch bringen, trotz tiefen Misstrauens auf beiden Seiten. Beide Regierungen brauchen gerade einen Erfolg – aus unterschiedlichen Gründen, erklärt Prof. Dr. Christian von Soest.

This article seeks to identify ways in which the foreign policy power hierarchy inside the Islamic Republic of Iran can be explained. It uses high-level diplomatic meetings as observable evidence in a novel analytical framework to identify the scope of competition and hierarchies in foreign policy decision-making processes. Results reveal that diplomatic activities of key foreign policy decision makers did not noticeably diverge.

In November 2024, Israel’s Knesset advanced the controversial Spyware Law, expanding therewith the police’s surveillance powers. Critics argue it threatens democracy, undermines civil liberties, and lacks proper oversight, sparking fierce debate over its implications for freedom and security.

The war in Gaza does not bode well for the EU and the US as it 1) disrupts Western infrastructure corridors, 2) distracts policymakers from China and Indo-Pacific strategies, and 3) undermines the West as the self-proclaimed upholder of the “rules-based order.”

This paper reviews the history of involvement of the two countries in these regions, and analyses how policies of confrontation in both countries have changed and developed over the different historical periods.

The GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies is one of the leading institutes for Middle East research in Germany and Europe. Our scholars examine topics such as state and regime structures, energy security, violent conflicts, forced migration, Islamist movements, and the reshaping of the regional order.

The Peace and Security Research Programme analyses how identities and ideologies, institutional arrangements, and international interventions affect peace and conflict dynamics in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and investigates international violence and security trends.