The IRGC on Wednesday declared that Iran would no longer limit its military operations to retaliatory strikes. 'Our defence doctrine was previously defensive; we used to say that if a country attacks us, we will respond. Now we say that if a country attacks us, we will both respond and launch an offensive,' said IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi.
Mohebi claimed Iran's missile stockpile had increased 1.5 times since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025, with improved quality, range, destructive power and accuracy. He added that Iranian forces were preparing to unveil the 'father of all bombs', a new weapon for the enemy.
The announcement came amid continued attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy chokepoint. The IRGC's navy said on Thursday that four vessels it accused of being involved in illegal oil transfers were struck and caught fire in the northern Gulf, while three other vessels hit mines west of the strait. Oil shipments from the region had returned to pre-war levels last month, although shipments through the strait remained below those levels, but renewed attacks have pushed Brent crude above $110 a barrel.
Analysts said the doctrinal shift reflected Tehran's determination to make future US-Israeli attacks more costly. Negar Mortazavi, senior fellow at the Centre for International Policy, told Al Jazeera that Iran was drawing lessons from the wars of 2025 and 2026, after its previous strategy of retaliation failed to prevent repeated attacks. 'Tehran now wants to establish a new equation: Any future attack on Iran will come at a much higher cost for the aggressors,' she said. She added that Iran was increasingly relying on asymmetric warfare and seeking to impose military, economic and political costs on Washington, potentially influencing the November 3 US midterm elections.
Political analyst Rami Khouri of the Arab Center said the strategy was intended to ensure the consequences of attacks extend to the US, Israel and regional countries supporting them. 'The pain is going to go way beyond just the Middle East and Israel and the US and will hurt people in other parts of the world,' he said.
On the US side, President Donald Trump gave conflicting signals about next steps. 'We are going to have something one way or the other that'll happen fairly soon,' he told reporters. He also said Washington could end the war immediately but wanted a lasting outcome. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reaching a peace agreement is extremely difficult and insisted Iran must stop targeting commercial shipping. He also maintained that the US would not support any deal allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists its right to enrichment is guaranteed under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The US Department of State ordered nonemergency personnel and family members to leave Saudi Arabia after recent Houthi attacks, though State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said departure orders for mission personnel across the Gulf had not been issued. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his pledge to topple Iran's government, saying it was key to preventing it from rebuilding its nuclear programme and the 'axis of resistance'.
Iran has offered a seven-day plan to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for Washington ending its blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions and unfreezing Iranian assets. Analysts warned that renewed US-Israeli attacks on Iran could be imminent, but the situation remains fluid.