Iran’s military pivots to ‘offensive’ mode for next round of war

TEHRAN – Iran is reorganising its military to be more agile and aggressive abroad in light of its war with the US and Israel, a sign that it is positioning for a protracted confrontation even if the current conflict ends.

This week’s raft of top military appointments marks a shift to an “offensive doctrine”, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who advises the force’s new commander, said in an interview on state TV late on Aug 11.

“Whenever the conditions are favourable and the order is issued, we must be able to take the operation into enemy territory,” he said, contrasting the approach with a pre-war doctrine that was “primarily based on defense and the preservation of the country”.

The comments are the most detailed official explanation yet of the strategy behind Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s picks for key military posts, which promoted IRGC officers known for their hardline stances on the war and the Strait of Hormuz.

The appointments include promoting Mohsen Rezaei, an IRGC former commander and veteran of Iranian politics, to helm the Supreme National Security Council.

They were announced alongside an order to integrate the military’s operational hub, known as Khatam ol-Anbiya Central Headquarters, into the General Staff that coordinates overall military strategy.

“This move will certainly increase the speed of work and will help to implement the same offensive doctrine,” Naqdi said, citing a growing need to integrate battlefield data in real time.

The war has further empowered the IRGC, which controls vast swathes of Iran’s economy, as well as being the country’s most-able fighting force.

Naqdi said Iran’s production of ballistic missiles continues apace and is “much greater” than the rate of their use, suggesting it has enough to export to other countries. He did not provide details.

“Even if the war continues for years, we’ll be firing missiles at the enemy to the very end,” he said, adding that the size of Iran’s territory means it has hundreds of potential sites that can and have been used for missile production.

Ahmad Vahidi, who formally became commander of the guards this week, has been a vocal critic of negotiations to end the war and advocates for avenging the death of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial wave of Israeli strikes at the end of February.

He has vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed “as long as the United States continues to conduct hostile actions”. BLOOMBERG