September the 11th and Turning Iran into an Existential Security Threat to Israel

The Islamic Revolution in Iran has been the most important development affecting Israeli foreign policy as well as the behavior of its lobby in the US, in last three decades. As a consequence, the so-called “Iranian threat” factor has become important in the US–Israeli relationship, and provided a fertile ground for the Jewish lobby to influence US Middle Eastern policy. In this research three historical periods, namely, between the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran to the end of the Cold War, the 1990s and, after 11 September 2001 are explored. In each period, on the basis of the existential security theory, the existing perception of the o-called Iranian threat and measures taken, by the US and Israel, to confront it are discussed.