"Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei outlined that approach in a reshuffling of top military commanders earlier this month, calling for "strengthening maximum deterrence and preparing to conduct large-scale offensive operations against the enemy."
On Monday, Brig. Gen. Yadollah Javani, the political deputy of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told the country's Fars News agency there would be a "transformative" approach under the refreshed leadership, saying: "Every action we take, although it has a defensive nature, must take on an offensive form."
Analyst Sina Toossi, of the Center for International Policy, believes any shift to offensive operations would not mean Tehran is "adopting a doctrine of preventive war."
Rather, he said, Tehran appears to have concluded that "if confrontation becomes unavoidable, Iran should escalate earlier and more forcefully, rather than wait for the United States or Israel to define the terms of the conflict."
Ahmad Zeidabadi, a Tehran-based international relations expert, believes the shift reflects Tehran's assessment of Washington's intentions."
Framing: assertive ·
First seen: 2026-08-20 ·
Last seen: 2026-08-20 ·
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