Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-339) and index.

Introduction : an eight hundred-pound gorilla -- The Cold War era -- An alliance of necessity : the secret friendship of the Shah -- Rise of Israel, rise of Iran -- Iran's quest for supremacy -- Sealing demise in the moment of triumph -- Megalomania -- The rise of Begin and the Israeli right -- Enter the sign of God -- Ideological shifts, geopolitical continuities -- Saddam attacks! -- Scandal -- The dying gasp of the periphery doctrine -- The unipolar era -- The new world order -- Trading enemies -- From cold peace to Cold War -- With Likud, the periphery doctrine returns -- Khatami's détente -- Betrayal in Afghanistan -- Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory -- Looking ahead -- Facing the future, facing reality -- Notes -- Appendix A : Iran's May 2003 negotiation proposal to the United States -- Appendix B : original U.S. draft negotiation proposal -- Appendix C : letter from Ambassador Guldimann to the U.S. State Department.

In this era of super-heated rhetoric and vitriolic exchanges between the leaders of Iran and Israel, the threat of nuclear violence looms. But the real roots of the enmity between the two nations mystify Washington policymakers, and no promising pathways to peace have emerged. This book traces the shifting relations among Israel, Iran, and the United States from 1948 to the present, uncovering for the first time the details of secret alliances, treacherous acts, and unsavoury political manoeuvrings that have undermined Middle Eastern stability and disrupted U.S. foreign policy initiatives in the region.Trita Parsi, a U.S. foreign policy expert with more than a decade of experience, is the only writer who has had access to senior American, Iranian, and Israeli decision makers. He dissects the complicated triangular relations of their countries, arguing that America's hope for stability in Iraq and for peace in Israel is futile without a correct understanding of the Israeli-Iranian rivalry.Parsi's behind-the-scenes revelations about Middle East events will surprise even the most knowledgeable readers: Iran's Prime Minister asks Israel to assassinate Khomeini, Israel reaches out to Saddam Hussein after the Gulf War, the U. S. foils Iran's plan to withdraw support from Hamas and Hezbollah, and more. This book not only revises our understanding of the Middle East's recent past, it also spells out a course for the future. In today's belligerent world, few topics, if any, could be more important.