When Israel and Iran were once partners .

When Israel and Iran were once partners — and built a secret oil pipeline — is a little-known chapter of history that sharply contrasts with today’s geopolitical tensions.

Back in the late 1960s, during a time of shifting global alliances, the two nations quietly collaborated on a strategic energy project. The 254-kilometre Eilat–Ashkelon pipeline was constructed to transport Iranian oil from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, offering an alternative route after the Suez Canal was closed following the 1967 Six-Day War.

At that time, both countries had aligned interests—Israel needed a reliable oil supply, and Iran required new export routes. The project was kept highly secret, with involvement masked through offshore entities, yet it played a significant role in global oil logistics. Tankers would unload crude at Eilat, which was then transported across Israel and reloaded at Ashkelon for onward shipment to Europe.

However, this cooperation came to an abrupt end after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, which transformed relations between the two nations. Today, as tensions rise again in the region, this forgotten alliance serves as a reminder of how geopolitics can dramatically shift over time.

#IsraelIran #OilHistory #Geopolitics #EnergyRoutes #WorldHistory