Iran’s Nuclear Theology: Why Israel, U.S. Had No Choice

Israel’s audacious strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military sites, swiftly followed by U.S. precision attacks on the same infrastructure, have decisively targeted the heart of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, exposing the grave threat they pose. Yet, astonishingly, many on America’s left are waving Iranian flags in the streets, while misinformed citizens and members of Congress flood social media, decrying the U.S. strikes as unnecessary and escalatory. 

Allow me to explain why they’re wrong and why Iran’s relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons left Israel and the United States with no choice but to act … and act decisively.

A state of hostility has existed between Israel and Iran for almost 45 years, ever since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. As a result, “Death to Israel” has been not merely a slogan, but the goal of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

On June 13, 2025, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a massive wave of attacks within Iran, carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (Mossad). The target: Iran’s nuclear and military installations.

Why did Israel take such bold preemptive action? Why were Israel’s leaders convinced that Iran’s nuclear program threatened the very existence of the Jewish State?

Few Westerners understand how the tensions between Iran and Israel have largely been driven by the fanatical theological beliefs of Iran’s ruling elite. We need to understand why Shiite Islam — the dominant belief system of Iran — makes Cold War models of nuclear deterrence obsolete.

Islam is not a monolithic faith, neither is Christianity. Much of Christianity is divided into Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox branches, while Islam is also deeply divided — most significantly between Sunnis and Shiites. The divisions within Islam, however, are far more violent than any disagreements within present-day Christianity, and have produced centuries of war and death.

The schisms within Islam date back to the death of Muhammad in AD 632, when a dispute arose over who should lead the Muslim community. Sunnis supported Abu Bakr, a companion of Muhammad. Shiites backed Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali. This dispute produced a violent split that has raged for nearly fourteen centuries.

The defining moment in Shiite history was the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in AD 680. Hussein was killed by forces loyal to the Sunni-dominated Umayyad Caliphate. To Shiites, Karbala still symbolizes righteous resistance against oppression and false doctrine. Some Shia movements consider themselves divinely appointed minorities struggling against corrupt Sunni majorities. Shiites comprise only 10 to 15% of the Muslim world. Iran, however, has been a Shiite stronghold since 1501, when the Safavid dynasty declared Twelver Shiism the state religion of Persia. Twelver Shiism is centered on the belief in the Twelfth Imam (the Mahdi). According to Twelver belief, there were twelve Imams (rightful successors to Muhammad, all from Ali’s lineage). The twelfth was Muhammad al-Mahdi, who supposedly went into occultation (miraculous hiddenness) as a child in the 9th century. Twelvers believe the Twelfth Imam is still alive and will one day come forth to impose Islamic rule over the world.

Here’s where Iran’s present-day nuclear doctrines meet Iran’s ancient theological doctrines: Some factions within Iran’s clerical leadership believe that the Mahdi’s return will be hastened by global destruction and war. These radical scholars teach that apocalyptic war is a necessary requirement for the Mahdi to be revealed. In this view, Iran’s struggle against Israel and Western civilization is part of a divine plan for return of the Mahdi.

This theological doctrine makes a nuclear-armed Iran unthinkably dangerous. During the Cold War, the logic of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) kept nuclear superpowers from attacking each other, because any nuclear attack would invite annihilation.

But if Iran’s leaders believe that nuclear war would hasten the return of a long-prophesied messiah-figure, they would actually be highly motivated to start a nuclear war, regardless of the consequences. Iran’s apocalyptic clerics have a powerful incentive to pull the nuclear trigger — the fulfillment of ancient prophecies and the establishment of a global caliphate.

Do Iran’s leaders really dream of launching a nuclear war?

In October 2003, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a fatwa (religious ruling) declaring nuclear weapons un-Islamic and forbidden. The Iranian government has repeatedly cited this fatwa and claimed that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Western analysts, however, are skeptical of Iran’s claims.

Peaceful nuclear technologies (for power plants or nuclear medicine) require low-enriched uranium containing no more than 20% of isotope uranium-235. Most commercial nuclear power plants use only 2 to 4% uranium-235. But Iran is enriching uranium to levels above 60%, far beyond any “peaceful” use of nuclear energy. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has amassed enough highly enriched uranium to assemble nine nuclear warheads. This troubling development has prompted Israel to eliminate the threat of Iran’s nuclear program.

While not all Iranian leaders believe they can hasten the Mahdi’s return through war, the prevalence of such views within Tehran threatens to transform the Middle East into a nuclear hellscape. That is why Western and Israeli policymakers must take theology into account as they assess the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

In these uncertain days, Christians around the world must unite in prayer. We easily forget that there are many Christian believers in Iran right now, suffering intense persecution. We must pray for their strength and safety and for God to give the Iranian and the Israeli people wisdom for the days ahead. Pray also that, in this time of war, God will turn many hearts back to Him.

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Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D., born in Egypt, is senior pastor of Church of The Apostles in Atlanta and founder of the radio broadcast “Leading The Way,” reaching 190 countries. With degrees from Moore College, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Emory University, he’s authored over 50 books, including “The Third Jihad.” He’s appeared on Fox News, CBN, and in The Wall Street Journal. His new book, “God’s Final Call: How the Book of Revelation Pulls Back the Veil on Current Events and Our Ultimate Future” (Tyndale, March 2025), recently released.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.