The Iran–Israel Conflict: The Parties’ Strategic Priorities and Possible Consequences

Introduction
On the morning of 13 June, the Israeli Armed Forces carried out a multidimensional, high-intensity air attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The attack came 1 day after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decided that Iran had violated its obligations relating to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. The report underlined that this was the first such violation in 20 years. Of the 35 countries on the IAEA Board, 19 voted in favour of the decision. The report stated that Iran possessed a stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, and that this was a sufficient quantity to produce a nuclear weapon within three weeks. The attack also came just a few days before the sixth round of nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran, which was scheduled to take place in Oman. In this context, it is argued that the attack was carried out within the framework of Israel’s long-term security doctrine of re-establishing its regional deterrence and limiting Iran’s nuclear capacity by military means.