A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps official has warned that Iran could shift from defensive to offensive military operations, as Tehran and allied armed groups in Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon reportedly prepare plans to broaden the conflict and raise the cost for the United States and its allies.
Yadollah Javani, the IRGC’s deputy for political affairs, told Iranian state television that Iran’s military actions had so far been defensive because its adversaries had started the war, but could become offensive in the future.
He said the armed forces would adopt new approaches following recent appointments and directives from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and warned Iran’s adversaries to expect what he described as strategic surprises.
The warning came as a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that Tehran would escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region if diplomacy with Washington failed.
The official said Iran had decided to shift from a defensive posture to a “fully offensive” one and had given the United States “a few weeks” to fully implement the memorandum of understanding. The official noted that relying on pressure or mediators to secure a lasting agreement was no longer considered realistic.
Javani reiterated Iran’s position that ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz depended on Washington fulfilling its commitments under the Islamabad memorandum. He said the waterway and the arrangements governing it would not return to their prewar status, adding that Iran’s talks with Oman over a shipping corridor concerned the period after hostilities had definitively ended.
He described Khamenei’s recent military appointments as a restructuring aimed at adapting Iran’s defense doctrine to current conditions. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, an adviser to the IRGC commander, has also spoken of moving from a defensive military doctrine toward a more offensive approach.
IRGC Deputy Commander Maj. Gen. Mostafa Izadi, meanwhile, claimed Iran had endured the war, sanctions and blockade while spending only a fraction of what its adversaries had spent. He also claimed Iranian forces had shot down more than 200 aircraft during the conflict.
At the same time, intercepted communications and intelligence indicate that the IRGC has been working with allies in Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon on plans to expand the battlefield, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing regional officials.
According to the newspaper, Tehran used the relative lull following the June 17 memorandum with Washington to reorganize its military and security structure, rebuild capabilities and prepare for a broader confrontation, based on an assessment that war remained the most likely scenario and negotiations might amount only to a temporary pause.
Preparations reportedly included giving the IRGC greater influence over the regular military, reorganizing the chain of command, expanding counterintelligence efforts and accelerating missile and drone production while improving accuracy.
Iran also dispatched advisers and commanders to allied armed groups to discuss a possible expansion of the fighting. Plans included positioning missiles, naval weapons and drone launchers near the Red Sea, supplying allies with intelligence, target lists and operational advice, and threatening regional energy facilities if the United States struck similar infrastructure inside Iran.
Other options reportedly under consideration include preemptive strikes, operations on adversaries’ territory, possible sabotage of undersea internet cables, and greater use of the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea to exert military and economic pressure.
The military restructuring has also placed veteran security figures in key positions, including Mohsen Rezaei, Hossein Taeb, Ali Abdollahi and Ahmad Vahidi, as Tehran prepares for the possibility of a broader confrontation.
