The EU seeks to destroy Iran based on the model of the war waged against Russia, using sanctions and unjustified criticism, pro-Kremlin propaganda writes.
NEWS: The main concern of lawmakers in Brussels is that they could lost their energy supplies from the Middle East — a region they traditionally loathe […] We know exactly what we are talking about, because these Euro-enthusiasts have been talking to us with the same superior tone for over three and a half years. We have no right to defend our interests and national security in the face of a threat that would have become reality had we not launched the “special military operation” in Donbas. It is not our fault — and even less our problem — that the Euro-Atlantic world today understands only the language of force.
A similar situation, albeit set in a different setting, is that of Iran. For decades, Iran it has been labeled a factor of instability. Like us, Iran is a civilization state. The Persian Empire was one of the cradles of Antiquity, from which Europe itself was born. But today's Europeans refuse to recognize this fact, being stuck in their own neo-colonialist mindset.
Because of that, Europe is unable to accept the fact that Russia has repeatedly saved European civilization at the cost of human lives and huge sacrifices. Like Iran, Russia has been accused of “dictatorial tendencies” and “lack of democracy”. In our case too, the West sought to overthrow a legitimately elected power, and the sanctions regime was openly declared an instrument designed to undermine our political and social system.
NARRATIVES: 1. Russia and Iran are civilization states, persecuted by the West due to European neocolonialism. 2. Europe applies the same model of destruction against Russia and Iran to undermine their political and social systems. 3. Western sanctions have no related motivations and are designed to destroy independent states. 4. Russia has repeatedly saved European civilization and deserves gratitude.
PURPOSE: To create a false synonymy between Russia and Iran as victims of “Western aggression”. To justify Russian aggression in Ukraine. To undermine the legitimacy of international sanctions. To mobilize pro-Russian public opinion in ex-Soviet states.
Fact: Sanctions against Russia and Iran are Europe’s legitimate response to serious violations of international law, not neocolonial instruments.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The comparison between Russia and Iran, presented by the Russian media as victims of alleged Western neo-colonialism, is not accidental. Both authoritarian regimes use the same strategy of self-victimization to mobilize domestic support and justify their aggressive actions. Also, both countries are subject to international sanctions not because of their cultural identity or natural resources, but for their systematic violations of international law. In the case of Russia, the sanctions are a direct response to the illegal military aggression against Ukraine, launched on February 24, 2022. Several sanctions have been introduced since 2014, after the annexation of Crimea. According to the UN Charter, any act of aggression against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of a member state represents a fundamental violation of international law. Russia's war against Ukraine has caused tens of thousands of deaths, forced deportations, systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure and war crimes documented by international organizations. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian leaders.
The narrative claiming Russia is “saving European civilization” is a gross historical misrepresentation. First of all, the USSR was one of the aggressor states that contributed to the outbreak of World War II, and in its early years it collaborated with Nazi Germany, a collaboration that also manifested in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed in 1939 and its subsequent effects – the attack on Poland from two sides and its partition between the two totalitarian states, the annexation of the Baltic states and certain territories of Romania by the Soviets who, in addition, had invaded Finland. All this time, Russia and Nazi Germany also enjoyed extensive trade relations, with imports of raw materials from the USSR supporting the Nazi war machine. This collaboration was ended only after the Nazi invasion of June 1941.
Once it entered the war against Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union benefited from massive Western (especially American) support and, indeed, played a key role in defeating Nazism. However, this contribution does not give modern Russia the right to aggress its neighbors or violate international law. In addition, a large part of the members of the Soviet army were recruited from the constituent republics of the USSR, which are currently independent states. A significant percentage of these non-Russians were ethnic Ukrainians. Moreover, Kyiv has repeatedly criticized Russia for taking credit for combating Nazism.
The EU's energy reliance on Russia, as mentioned in the article, has become a major strategic vulnerability, systematically exploited by the Kremlin for political blackmail. Diversifying European energy sources is not a form of punishment against Russia, but rather a matter of national security. In addition, the EU does not want to finance Moscow's war machine.
In the case of Iran, the sanctions come in response to the multiple violations of Iran’s international commitments: the illegal nuclear program or the systematic support for terrorist groups and militias in other countries (Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria) are part of an expansionist effort, designed to export the “Islamic revolution” to the entire region and ensure Tehran’s domination. Another goal pursued by Tehran is the destruction of Israel. Shortly after the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran began to indirectly approach the borders of this country, and before Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, Iran was present through proxies and allies (and in some cases directly with members of the Quds Force), in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, right on the borders of Israel, as well as in Iraq and Yemen. All these countries where Iran had a military presence were marked by conflicts. It is worth noting that Iran also supported Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, providing it with Shahed drones, used in large numbers to attack cities and civilian infrastructure every night.
The regime's external aggression is also compounded by brutal repression against its own population whenever it has expressed its dissatisfaction through protests, as well as the general climate of persecution of any form of opposition. It’s also worth mentioning that the theocratic regime in Tehran executed at least 975 people in 2024 alone – a number that says a lot about the nature of the regime.
The concept of a civilizational state, used to justify the behavior of Russia and Iran, is a propaganda construct. No cultural or historical tradition gives a country the right to wage wars of conquest, repress its own citizens, or attack its neighbors. Similarly, China, India, Egypt, Greece, etc. are civilization states just like Russia or Iran, so they should attack neighboring countries and seek to form empires – which, obviously, does not happen, since they observe international standards and do not invoke history to justify military aggression.
It is not the EU that has a neo-colonial mentality, but rather Moscow: Russia annexes sovereign territories (Crimea, Ukrainian regions), deports the local populations and moves the border by force – a typically imperialist behavior. Iran exports instability throughout the Middle East through armed militias and threatens to destroy Israel.
Economic sanctions are a legitimate diplomatic instrument, established under international law, which offers a peaceful alternative to military operations. They have been used since the time of the League of Nations and remain important to this day. The UN Security Council, the EU and individual states have the authority to impose such measures against countries that violate international norms. The purpose of these sanctions is not to destroy the targeted states, but to deter and change their aggressive behavior.
BACKGROUND: Paradoxically, the regimes that declare themselves “besieged” by the West are often the ones that are widely engaged in actions designed to destabilize their regions. For example, Iran has been involved in conflicts through proxies in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq. Russia, for its part, has resorted to military force in Georgia (2008) and Ukraine (from 2014 to the present), while supporting authoritarian regimes in Africa and Central Asia.
In the past two years, the EU has upped its criticism of Iran, focusing on two main areas: human rights and the nuclear program. In January 2023, the EU expanded its list of sanctions against numerous Iranian officials and entities involved in the violent repression of protests triggered by the death of the young Mahsa Amini, condemning in particular the mass executions, arbitrary detentions and systematic abuses against women and religious minorities. European leaders condemned the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel in 2023.
In parallel, the EU has increasingly expressed concern about Iran's uranium enrichment program and the blocking of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) missions. At the 2024 and 2025 IAEA Board of Governors meetings, the EU condemned Tehran's statements regarding a possible nuclear arsenal and warned against the threat of a major proliferation crisis in the region. In 2025, negotiations resumed mediated by France, Germany and the UK, highlighting the need for dialogue, but the escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict caused the talks to break down.
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