‘Iranian unity, lessons from 12-day war thwarted US plots’

Nikolai Sukhov, a senior Russian researcher

Moscow, IRNA – A senior Russian researcher has argued that national unity and lessons learned from last year’s 12-day war enabled Iran to withstand recent military aggression and prevented the United States and Israel from achieving their objectives.

Nikolai Sukhov, a senior researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told IRNA on Wednesday that Iran had drawn significant lessons from the 12-day war in the summer of 2025.

Iran learned many lessons from the 12-day war; first of all, it created a multi-level system for governing the country’s affairs, he said.

The Russian expert added that, based on the experience of the US and Israeli military attacks in June and July 2025, Iran developed a “mosaic defense system” as a military doctrine and strategy founded on complete decentralization, layered defense and the division of responsibilities among small, independent operational units.

Sukhov said the military aggression by the US and Israel also united Iranians around the country’s leadership, describing the phenomenon as “resistance and steadfastness around the flag.”

He further argued that Iran’s success in maintaining domestic stability while facing external threats contributed to the failure of Washington and Israel to advance their anti-Iran objectives.

According to Sukhov, the combination of these factors helped Iran resist 40 days of military aggression and defend its principles and sovereignty.

Israel and the United States launched two wars of aggression against Iran, with the first one beginning on June 13 and lasting for 12 days, while the second war began on February 28 and lasted 40 days. Both wars ended after the aggressor parties asked for a ceasefire.