ABSTRACT
Perhaps one of the most controversial and proliferation-relevant aspects of the Shah’s nuclear enterprise in the late 1970s was going on somewhat under the American radar, between Tehran and Tel Aviv. The secret cooperation had longterm implications for equipping Iran with nuclear weapons delivery systems. It also marked Israel’s departure from previous concerns over France’s nuclear cooperation with Iran. For example, in early 1976, Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon had registered Tel Aviv’s dissatisfaction with the transfer of nuclear technology and reactors to Tehran and sought “certain clarifi cations” from Paris. 1
The strategic mood between Tehran and Tel Aviv underwent transformation towards the late 1970s as the two sides came to increasingly sympathize with one another’s security predicaments. According to the documents allegedly left behind in Tehran by the Israelis following the 1979 Iranian revolution, within an oil-for-arms collaborative arrangement, codenamed Flower, Iran and Israel were jointly pursuing the development of a sophisticated nuclear capable surfaceto-surface ballistic missile system known as Jericho.
