Sounds familiar: Was this said about Iraq in 2003, or Iran in 2025?

With Israel and the US engaged successful an escalating struggle with Iran, Western leaders are utilizing words that dependable each excessively acquainted from the lead-up to the Iraq war.

“Today, we person the greater powerfulness to escaped a federation by breaking a unsafe and assertive regime. With caller tactics and precision weapons, we tin execute subject objectives without directing unit against civilians.”

That whitethorn dependable similar thing said yesterday, pursuing US strikes connected Iran.

But it wasn’t.

Those words were delivered by United States President George W Bush connected committee the USS Abraham Lincoln connected May 1, 2003, arsenic helium marked the extremity of large combat operations successful Iraq.

George W Bush, arsenic US president, gives a thumbs up arsenic helium declares the extremity of large combat successful Iraq connected committee USS Abraham Lincoln, connected May 1, 2003 [AP Photo]

Now, with Israel and the US engaged successful an escalating conflict with Iran, satellite leaders are utilizing connection and rhetoric that dependable each excessively familiar, drafting eerie comparisons to the lead-up to the Iraq warfare much than 2 decades ago.

Familiar warnings, akin justifications

Israel and the US person claimed their subject strikes are aimed astatine preventing Iran from processing a atomic weapon. Iran, for its part, insists its atomic programme is wholly peaceful and meant solely for civilian purposes.

For much than 3 decades, a acquainted refrain has echoed from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Iran is connected the verge of processing atomic weapons. In 2002, helium urged the US Congress to invade Iraq, claiming Baghdad was processing weapons of wide demolition (WMDs). He besides claimed Iran was pursuing atomic weapons. The US invaded Iraq successful 2003, but nary WMDs were found.

The latest surge successful inflammatory rhetoric from American and Israeli officials goes beyond Iran’s alleged atomic ambitions and rocket capabilities. Increasingly, it hints astatine the anticipation of regime change, a absorption the US has a agelong and arguable past of pursuing successful the region.

History repeating?

The warfare led by the US and its “coalition of the willing” near Iraq successful ruins, with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed, astir 4,500 American soldiers dead, and the state destabilised by deepening sectarian conflict.

Looking back, the rhetoric that paved the mode for that penetration seems unsettlingly familiar. The US, on with the United Kingdom, tried to person the satellite that Iraq had WMDs arsenic the warfare progressed.

How good tin you archer the difference? Read these 10 statements and decide: were they made successful the lead-up to the 2003 warfare oregon successful 2025?