‘Sounds familiar’: how the US-Israeli war in Iran parallels Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Analysis ‘Sounds familiar’: how the US-Israeli war in Iran parallels Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Pjotr Sauer Both campaigns have been framed differently at different times, with dubious claims of defensive action and a curious reluctance to label it war Shifting goals , unclear timelines and a flimsy pretext: at times, the US-Israel campaign against Iran carries curious parallels of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The comparison is far from exact. In 2022, Putin sent a massive army across Ukraine’s borders in an unprovoked invasion of a democratic state, a campaign that quickly resulted in heavy losses. The United States has so far largely limited its involvement to airstrikes against Iran’s authoritarian regime. Yet the echoes are hard to ignore. In both wars, the aims of the campaign have been framed differently at different moments, while the legal justification, scholars say, is nonexistent . Early US statements framed the strikes as a response to an effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Officials have also emphasised degrading Iran’s missile capabilities and weakening the military infrastructure that supports its regional proxy network. But the goals have increasingly become more maximalist. Donald Trump has said that Iran’s leadership should be replaced, openly raising the prospect of regime change, and more recently called for Tehran’s “unconditional surrender”. In Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Kremlin has also repeatedly shifted its stated objectives. When Putin launched the invasion in February 2022, he said the goal was the “demilitarisation and denazification” of Ukraine – language widely interpreted as a push for regime change in Kyiv. As the war dragged on, the Kremlin increasingly presented the conflict as one about protecting Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine and securing control over territories Moscow later moved to annex. The similarities seep into language, too. Both sides have portrayed their actions as defensive, citing ...