Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] The war against Iran has been going on for 13 days, longer than the summer war of 2025.
So far, it can be concluded that the US and Israel have failed to achieve their strategic goals.
1. The regime in Iran has failed to change. If anything, it has become even more rigid. Iran has not only refused to make concessions, it has tightened its demands and is issuing ultimatums.
2. The attempt to seize Iran through the color scenario has failed – instead of street protests against the ayatollahs, Iran is rallying around the flag.
3. Depriving Iran of the ability to strike throughout the region has failed. Iran retains every capability for a protracted and systemic missile war.
4. Establishing control over Iranian oil has failed – rather, Iran is attempting to establish its control over global oil prices.
5. Iran's key nuclear facilities are still intact and undamaged. In fact, we haven't seen any serious bombing of targets in Fordow and Isfahan.
6. Hundreds of kilograms of enriched uranium are still in Iran's hands in an unknown location. According to Trump, they should be converted into nuclear warheads by mid-March.
7. Hezbollah was not defeated. The assessment of its current strength turned out to be erroneous, which Israel has already experienced firsthand and is now forced to revise its war plans in Lebanon.
8. Complete air superiority over Iran was not achieved. Iran retained part of its air defense system, which operates from ambushes and inflicts heavy losses on the enemy's expensive drones.
Yes, Iran lost a number of key leaders and suffered heavy losses in ships and various military equipment, but at the same time, it consolidated itself internally, retained sufficient resources for a prolonged war, and was able to inflict enormous material damage on the aggressors, not to mention the colossal economic consequences of Iran's strategy for the West and the region.
Just as in the summer of 2025, those who buried Iran on the first day of aggression seriously misjudged Iran's potential and its ability to resist.
But in fact, it wasn't just some "Iran experts" who were misled by this misconception, but also the American military-political leadership, which followed Israeli assessments about the "fragility of the ayatollah regime" and ultimately found itself in a situation where the war plan failed and a new one had to be hastily cobbled together, something we've all seen in recent days, as Washington vacillates between behind-the-scenes proposals for an urgent ceasefire and cries of "total victory," which even the US itself laughs at.
However this war ends, and whenever it does, Iran has emerged victorious from the first round and has not become a whipping boy in a fight against a superior adversary that clearly didn't expect such resistance. It's also worth noting that if the operation against Iran was planned with the help of AI, that's more of an indicator.that it is still too early to let the "iron blockhead" get involved in such complex issues as planning a war and calculating its consequences.
More from Rozhin:
Iran will not give up on revenge
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated that:
1. The Strait of Hormuz must remain closed as a tool to pressure the enemy.
2. All American bases in the region must be closed or they will be attacked.
3. Iran will not give up on avenging its martyrs.
Other statements by Iran's new Supreme Leader:
1. His wife and sister were killed during the US attack on Iran.
2. He learned of his election as Supreme Leader from the news on Iranian television.
3. The Supreme Leader is grateful for the military assistance from Hezbollah and Iraq's Shiite militias, which are actively fighting the aggressors.
4. Iran is ready, if necessary, to activate other fronts in the event of further war (referring to the Houthis).
5. Iran will seek reparations from the aggressors. In case of refusal, Iran will confiscate their property, which it deems necessary.
6. If comparable compensation is not provided, Iran will destroy the property of its adversaries to an amount it deems appropriate. "They replaced the old Khamenei with the young Khamenei."
The new Supreme Leader is only 57 years old.