The Iran-Israel shadow war is over. The confrontation is now overt -and direct.

Drawing on the history of Iran's Shi'a theocratic regime's political ideology, security framework, and regional ambitions, Fazle Chowdhury delivers a sharp, authoritative analysis of the events that led to the outbreak of a catastrophic war between Iran and Israel on June 13, 2025-a rupture that ended decades of covert confrontation and marked the beginning of direct, high-stakes hostilities between two long-standing rivals.

It is a culmination of years of rising tension, fueled by Tehran's pursuit of strategic depth through its proxy networks-and underpinned by its nuclear ambitions, which Israel has long perceived as an existential threat. On June 21, the United States entered the conflict, launching precision strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan. While the operation was limited in scope, it revealed just how rapidly the crisis could spiral into a far more dangerous regional war.

Tracing the ideological rigidity that has shaped the Islamic Republic's posture toward Israel and examining the strategic logic behind its regional entrenchment, it is an exploration of the legal grey zones and military doctrines that allowed the conflict to accelerate, and raises fundamental questions confronting the international order: Who has the legitimate right to possess nuclear weapons? In an era of hybrid warfare, cyber sabotage, and preemptive strikes, what qualifies as a lawful act of self-defense? A clear-eyed, expert assessment of the strategic miscalculations, legal dilemmas, and shifting norms of power that define the current moment in the Middle East.