From Cyrus to the Future: Can Iran and Israel Rekindle an Ancient Bond?

“I think there are only two countries on this planet that can claim to have a biblical relationship: Iran and Israel. This goes back 25 centuries. Cyrus the Great [c. 600–530 BCE] freed the Jewish slaves in Babylon and helped them rebuild their temple in Jerusalem.”
— Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, January 6, 2026

History often surprises us with its echoes. Few realize that Iran and Israel—two nations now locked in bitter hostility—once shared a bond rooted in scripture and strengthened by decades of cooperation. That relationship, spanning millennia, was not only symbolic but profoundly practical.

On September 1, 1962, a devastating earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck Buin Zahra in Qazvin, northwest of Tehran. The impact was severe, with over 12,000 fatalities, thousands of individuals injured, and the destruction of nearly 90 villages. In the wake of this catastrophe, Iran turned to an unlikely partner—Israel.

Since the mid-1950s, Israeli agricultural experts had been working in Iran, and now their expertise was needed more than ever. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion dispatched Arie Eliav, a prominent Labor Party leader, to lead a team of geologists, engineers, hydrologists, architects, and economists. They lived among the survivors for months, digging wells, designing model villages, and drafting a revolutionary restoration plan for the Ghazvin region.

Eliav later recalled:
“We had been warned not to display the Israeli flag, but we ignored such warnings. We met with no hostility. Instead, we established excellent relations with the local Mullahs, who saw the wells we dug and the model villages we designed.”

Israel’s aid didn’t stop there. Six tons of medicines, tents, and blankets were airlifted in. Iranian expatriates in Israel raised large sums for relief efforts. Israeli experts modernized Iran’s dairy and poultry industries, improved veterinary practices, and trained thousands of Iranians in kibbutzim and universities. Tel Aviv and Tehran were connected by direct flights—not threats.

Under the Pahlavi dynasty (1925–1979), Iran was the second Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel after its founding in 1948. Between 1953 and 1979, the two nations were strategic partners, counterbalancing Soviet influence in the region. Iranian Jews thrived; in 1979, there were about 100,000 Jews in Iran, with 60,000 in Tehran alone.

The Iranian Revolution in 1979 changed all that when the rogue Ayatollah regime, driven by a 1,400-year-old fanatical, religious ideology, gained power. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s rise to power severed diplomatic and commercial ties. Iran transformed from a secular monarchy into an Islamist regime, branding Israel as the “Zionist entity.” Iranian passports now declare: “The holder of this passport is not entitled to travel to occupied Palestine.” Since then, Iran has become a hub for anti-Israel militancy, funding and arming Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Today, fewer than 9,000 Jews remain in Iran. Most fled to the US, Israel, and Europe.

Yet history is not destiny. The Abraham Accords proved that what once seemed impossible can become reality. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi envisions a future where Iran joins that circle of peace—not under Khamenei’s shadow, but as a free nation:
“I think Tehran will elevate it to the ‘Cyrus Accord’ to make Iran part of that Abraham Accord group. This is not just rhetoric. Iranians believe that they will have a solid strategic partnership with Israel and with our Arab neighbors to make the Middle East get back on track.”

Imagine a Middle East where ancient Persia reclaims its heritage of tolerance, where the lion and sun flag flies again, and where Iran and Israel—once partners in rebuilding villages—join hands to rebuild trust.

The road ahead will not be easy, but history reminds us that nations can rise above enmity when courage meets vision. If Cyrus could free a people 2,500 years ago, then modern Iran can free itself today—from tyranny, from hatred, and from the chains of the past. Peace is not a dream; it is a choice. And the choice belongs to the Persian people.