Wednesday, June 18, 2025
If true, it sure would be
an amazing thing to get Khamenei out of the picture and watch this friendship
bloom.
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| Cyrus II le Grand et les Hébreux, Jean Fouquet, 1470 |
More recently, in his June 13 address to the Iranian people, Netanyahu said, “Israel's fight is not against the Iranian people. Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you. The nation of Iran and the nation of Israel have been friends since the days of Cyrus the Great.”
The idea of a friendship between
Israel and Iran can be hard to reconcile with years of “Death to Israel” chants
and regime-backed propaganda. How do we square what we’ve seen and heard with
what Bibi tells us? Is there real evidence to support his assertion that the
Iranian people might want peace—or even friendship—with Israel?
Let’s take a look:
Signs of Friendship from the Iranian People
Despite decades of
regime-sponsored antisemitism, surveillance, and repression, many Iranians—both
inside the country and across the diaspora—have expressed admiration, sympathy,
and even affection for Israel and the Jewish people.
💬 Voices from
Inside Iran
As Israel’s June 2025
strikes on Iranian military infrastructure shook the Islamic Republic, some
Iranians were not trembling—but cheering.
“I … lost my control and
was shouting, thanking Netanyahu for killing these criminals.”
— Zahra, a 50-year-old mother of two in Karaj near Tehran, speaking to NPR
Another Iranian told Ynet:
“Iranians are not worried
about Israel’s attack because we all know that the Israeli government has no
problem with the Iranian people,” said “A” from
Ahvaz. “This is not just my opinion. We all wish to see the destruction of
the Islamic Republic as soon as possible.”
In other words, some
Iranians trust the Israeli military more than their own rulers.
Just over a year ago,
after an Israeli airstrike in Damascus eliminated seven Iranian Revolutionary
Guard Corps officers, graffiti appeared in Tehran encouraging the Jewish state
to “hit them harder
next time.”
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| 'Israel go ahead and strike; they don’t have the courage' |
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| 'Hit them harder next time Israel, they’ve s*** themselves' |
🕊️ Support in the Streets
and on Social Media
Social media has become a
powerful window into Iranian public sentiment—particularly among younger
generations and diaspora voices. After Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel,
many Iranians online expressed solidarity with Israeli victims using hashtags like
#IraniansStandWithIsrael and #IranIsHappy.
Here are just a few
examples:
#Iranians in the #Netherlands march in support of #Israel & call for the destruction of the Islamic regime.
— TIger NS (@TIgerNS3) June 16, 2025
Not a single woman in #hijab or #burqa no masked & no violence. These are real refugees who fled a brutal Islamist dictatorship. #IraniansStandWithIsrael#IStandWithIsrael pic.twitter.com/cIxXZ7ghOK
Iranian Crown Princess Noor #Pahlav proclaims on her social media of the love & friendship between Iranians & Israelis because always #IraniansStandWithIsrael! pic.twitter.com/wqBvDO0CoR
— Karmel Melamed (@KarmelMelamed) June 15, 2025
Iranians are expressing joy and gratitude using the hashtags #IraniansStandWithIsrael and #IranIsHappy, thanking #Israel for targeting the regime. Friends of Israel, the U.S., and the free world, Iranians have been held hostage by the Islamic regime occupying #Iran for 46 years. pic.twitter.com/hdOfkwpvIK
— #No2IR (@S13802002) June 13, 2025
Video from Tehran shows Iranians dancing and celebrating after #Israel's strikes on the IR.
— #No2IR (@S13802002) June 14, 2025
As natural allies of Israel, the U.S., and the free world, the people of #Iran seek the fall of the regime and welcome the strikes.#IranIsHappy#IraniansStandWithIsrael#سپاس_اسرائیل pic.twitter.com/vN4JQT3muh
Meanwhile, Iranian attorney and activist Elica Le Bon, a prominent voice in the diaspora, has called Iranians and Israelis “old friends,” echoing a shared historical bond. On June 13, 2025, she tweeted, “Praying for the safety of the people of Iran and Israel. There has never been a war between our people, only a failed attempt to divide an ancient bond between old friends.” Her words resonate as a bridge across decades of division.Israelites have shown their gratitude to the descendants of #Cyrus throughout history. Iranians, too, will show their appreciation to the descendants of Israel. These two ancient nations will reunite and forge an unparalleled
— Mehran Shirazi (@MehranShirazii) June 13, 2025
alliance.#Israel #IraniansStandWithIsrael… pic.twitter.com/PSY4JGSF4I
Praying for the safety of the people of Iran and Israel.
— Elica Le Bon الیکا ل بن (@elicalebon) June 13, 2025
There has never been a war between our people, only a failed attempt to divide an ancient bond between old friends.
Iranians & Jews/Israelis will remain united as ever, and our 2,500 year friendship will only be…
🕯️ Clerical Courage
It didn't win him any popularity contests for saying so, but former senior Iranian cleric, dissident Ayatollah Hadi Ghabel, spoke of friendship between Jews and Iranians as far back as 2021:“Iranians and Jews have many years of friendship. I haven’t met Iranians who don’t have a positive opinion of Israel.”
As we see, even within the heart of Iran’s religious establishment, there have been flickers of goodwill.
🌺 Conclusion: A Friendship Waiting to Blossom?
There could be no more hostile regime to Israel than that of Khamenei—but these brave, hopeful, often anonymous voices through the years, suggest that the people of Iran may indeed want peace, friendship, and even cooperation with the Jewish State. Of course, most of all, they want out from under their repressive regime. And Israel is making that happen even now as you read this article.For years, Netanyahu has spoken of Iranian-Israeli friendship—and now, for the first time, it feels within reach. From defiant graffiti and diaspora rallies to viral hashtags and heartfelt tweets, there is mounting evidence that Iranians are not Israel’s enemies. In fact, many are potential allies.
Perhaps, when the ayatollahs are gone, we won’t need to imagine peace between Israelis and Iranians.
We’ll simply watch it unfold.
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"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024) PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022) |
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