Iran, Israel and the Bomb
How decades of sabotage and brinkmanship over Iran's nuclear programme erupted into the 2026 US-Israeli war on Iran.
What led to the war?
On February 28, 2026, the US and Israel launched massive strikes on Iran, claiming an imminent nuclear threat.
This film traces how the world reached this point after more than three decades of shadow war over “the bomb”.
Israel has tried to block Tehran’s nuclear drive with sabotage, assassinations and cyberwar – from the Stuxnet virus wrecking Natanz centrifuges to the AI-assisted killing of nuclear programme “father” Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, and a commando raid stealing 1.5 tonnes of secret nuclear archive files.
Iran insists uranium enrichment is its sovereign right and key to national identity and regional power.
As Israel pounded Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025 and systematically weakened its allies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, nuclear talks continued in Geneva. Iran was edging towards diluting weapons-grade uranium – but Israel wasn’t prepared to wait, and pulled Washington into open war whose global consequences are only now beginning to unfold.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗
Over three decades, Israel conducted covert operations against Iran's nuclear programme, including the Stuxnet cyberattack on Natanz centrifuges, targeted killing of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, and a raid acquiring 1.5 tonnes of nuclear archive files. Iran maintains uranium enrichment as a sovereign right tied to national identity and regional standing. In 2025–2026, as Israel conducted air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and military operations against Iranian allies, nuclear talks continued in Geneva where Iran was moving toward diluting weapons-grade uranium. In February 2026, the US and Israel launched major military strikes, citing an imminent nuclear threat. The conflict's global consequences remain unfolding.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗
How decades of sabotage and brinkmanship over Iran's nuclear programme erupted into the 2026 US-Israeli war on Iran.
What led to the war?
On February 28, 2026, the US and Israel launched massive strikes on Iran, claiming an imminent nuclear threat.
This film traces how the world reached this point after more than three decades of shadow war over “the bomb”.
Israel has tried to block Tehran’s nuclear drive with sabotage, assassinations and cyberwar – from the Stuxnet virus wrecking Natanz centrifuges to the AI-assisted killing of nuclear programme “father” Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, and a commando raid stealing 1.5 tonnes of secret nuclear archive files.
Iran insists uranium enrichment is its sovereign right and key to national identity and regional power.
As Israel pounded Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025 and systematically weakened its allies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, nuclear talks continued in Geneva. Iran was edging towards diluting weapons-grade uranium – but Israel wasn’t prepared to wait, and pulled Washington into open war whose global consequences are only now beginning to unfold.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗
On February 28, 2026, the US and Israel launched major strikes on Iran, claiming an imminent nuclear threat. Israel conducted sabotage, assassinations and cyberattacks on Iran's nuclear programme, including the Stuxnet virus, the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, and theft of 1.5 tonnes of nuclear archive files. Iran insists uranium enrichment is its sovereign right and key to national identity and regional power. Nuclear talks were ongoing in Geneva and Iran was edging towards diluting weapons-grade uranium. Israel was not prepared to wait and pulled Washington into open war.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗
- Decades of covert operations by Israel against Iran's nuclear programme—including sabotage, assassinations, and cyberattacks—culminated in US-Israeli military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities beginning February 2026.
- Iran maintains its uranium enrichment is a sovereign right and assertion of national identity and regional power.
- Nuclear negotiations were ongoing in Geneva with Iran moving toward diluting weapons-grade uranium when Israel launched strikes in June 2025, leading to broader US-Israeli military intervention.
- The conflict followed Israeli operations that weakened Iranian allies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.