Merging Ukraine and Iran Conflicts Serves US and NATO Strategic Goals

Merging Ukraine and Iran Conflicts Serves US and NATO Strategic Goals Sputnik International Ukraine’s Caspian Sea strike reveals a trend toward the convergence of the Ukrainian and Iranian conflicts into a wider escalation, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security (RANEPA), tells Sputnik. 2026-07-28T15:42+0000 2026-07-28T15:42+0000 2026-07-28T15:42+0000 analysis caspian sea ukraine russia nato us europe iran opinion military & intelligence https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07ea/06/19/1124358883_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_b08198a422bdd198352f54051557ef5f.jpg.webp These provocations are intended to elicit a retaliatory response from Iran and shape Western public opinion around the idea of a supposed “anti-Western alliance” being built by Russia and Iran, the pundit says.”These actions…