In June 2025, against the backdrop of worsening Israeli-Iranian relations and the exchange of air strikes, allegations appeared in the Russian-language segment of social networks that Iran is the only country that, at the state level, has set itself the goal of destroying Israel. We have verified the veracity of such statements.
On the night of June 13, 2025, Israel began to attack strikes on Iran. According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the target of the attack was nuclear facilities. Iran responded with massive shelling Israeli territory with ballistic missiles. “The ideological doctrine of the totalitarian authorities of Iran includes the destruction of Israel as an important part of the development program. From the theological point of view of the ayatollahs, the triumph of their type of Islam on the planet cannot happen without the total destruction of Israel, and the ayatollah’s ultimate task is precisely the triumph of Shiite Islam on the entire planet,” wrote On June 15, economist Andrey Movchan posted on Facebook. Similar publications can be found on the pages of other users (for example, here And here), as well as on Telegram - in particular, in the channel of the Ukrainian politician Alexey Arestovich (123,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), “Dimitriev"(92,000), "Israeli workdays"(79,000), Yigal Levin (65,000), etc..
Relations between Iran and Israel have not always been as tense as they are now. Iran became one of the first Muslim countries to de facto recognize Israel - this is happened in March 1950, just two years after the declaration of the Jewish state. And although in 1951 Iran closed its consulate in Jerusalem, relations between the countries will soon again resumed and did not stop until the Islamic revolution of 1979.
According to the definitions set forth in dictionaries, a doctrine is not a specific document, but a set of opinions, usually representing a philosophical, political, ideological theory and its theoretical principles. The basic law of Iran is the Constitution. Her current editorial office has been in operation since 1989. Israel is not mentioned in this document. However, some articles of the Basic Law can be interpreted as a basis for supporting Palestinian and other Muslim organizations in their opposition to Israel. Thus, the third article of the Constitution provides for the development of the country’s foreign policy “on the basis of Islamic criteria, fraternal commitment to all Muslims and unlimited support for the freedom fighters of the world,” and the 11th article states: “All Muslims form a single nation, and the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is obliged to base its general policy on the merger and unity of Muslim nations.”
In addition, the fifth article of the Constitution states: “In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the leadership of the ummah (Muslim community. - Ed.) and the management of society is entrusted to a fair, pious, familiar with the requirements of the time, courageous, judicious, and possessing the ability to manage, the faqaha (supreme leader. - Ed.).” This means that it is the supreme leader who determines the overall policy of Iran and controls all branches of government. Since 1989 he has held this position Ali Khamenei, previously the president (that is, the second person) of the country.
Khamenei is known as one of Israel's most implacable opponents. In 2014 he wrote on the social network Twitter (now X): “From this barbaric, wolf-like and infanticidal regime of Israel, which does not disdain any crimes, there is no other salvation except its destruction.”
The next day he expanded on his idea, posting on his blog “Nine Key Questions About Israel's Destruction" There, Khamenei, in particular, proposed holding a referendum among the “native residents” of Palestine on whether “Jewish immigrants who were persuaded to move to Palestine” could continue to live on this land or would have to leave it.
A year later, amid discussion Agreements on the Iranian nuclear program, Khamenei stated: “God willing, in 25 years there will be no more Zionist regime.”
Based on this statement by Khamenei, on June 23, 2017 in Tehran at Palestine Square installed a clock counting down to the destruction of Israel. Later similar hours appeared and in other places.
In May 2020, Iran adopted Law to Counter Hostile Actions of the Zionist Regime Against Peace and Security, aimed at preventing any relationship between Iranian and Israeli citizens and companies. A year later, the Iranian parliament began discuss bill, one of the clauses of which obligated the government to take steps to eliminate Israel by March 2041. However, “Verified” was unable to find evidence in open sources that this bill was adopted.
Thus, although the Constitution and other laws of Iran do not mention the destruction of Israel as a goal, the Supreme Leader of Iran, who, in accordance with the Constitution, forms the policy of the state, has repeatedly and publicly called for the elimination of the “Zionist regime” and even named specific dates for when this should happen.
Cover photo: khamenei.ir
Read on topic:
- Deutsche Welle. Israel versus Iran: a chronicle of military confrontation
- Is it true that the video shows an Iranian missile hitting a building in Tel Aviv?
- Nasrallah's ring, tanks at the border and missiles flying back. Five fakes about the war between Israel and Hezbollah
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