Iran reveals ‘offensive’ doctrine, US issues alert: Is war imminent?

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) notes renewed attacks by the United States could prompt Tehran to invade neighbouring countries and hit bases employed in US military operations as part of its new "offensive" strategy.

Key points

• Mohebi stressed that Iran's missile stockpile has rose 1.5 times since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025.
• The US Department of State on Wednesday ordered nonemergency personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia after recent Houthi attacks.
• Unable to match conventional US military capabilities, Iran is increasingly relying on asymmetric warfare, including missiles, drones and its leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, Mortazavi explained.
• She remarked Tehran was pursuing a broader strategy aimed at imposing military, economic and political costs on Washington, including potentially influencing the November 3 US midterm elections.
• Nevertheless, a flurry of recent attacks in the key waterway and the fighting between Yemen's Houthis and its Saudi-backed, internationally recognised administration.

Notably, the warning on Wednesday came against the backdrop of escalating attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a global energy chokepoint, and uncertainty over diplomatic efforts to end the almost eight-month war.

"Our defence doctrine was previously defensive; we applied 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, " IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi remarked.

Washington ordered some diplomatic personnel to leave Saudi Arabia against the backdrop of attacks from Yemen's Houthis while US President Donald Trump has signalled that a decision on the conflict could come shortly.

According to media reports, the US and Israel are planning potential attacks on Iran in the coming weeks.

As negotiations seem stalled and both sides exchange threats, could the region be heading towards another military escalation? What is Iran's new doctrine?

Meanwhile, the IRGC on Wednesday confirmed a shift towards an "offensive and asymmetrical" defence doctrine, threatening to invade countries that launch attacks against it.

Mohebi remarked Tehran would no longer limit its military operations to retaliatory strikes.

Mohebi stressed that Iran's missile stockpile has rose 1.5 times since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025. He did not provide specific figures.

"The quality of the missiles has improved significantly, and their range, destructive power and accuracy in hitting targets have increased, " the spokesman remarked.

Moreover, Mohebi remarked Iranian forces were in the "stage of preparing to unveil the 'father of all bombs'. This is something new for the enemy." Meanwhile, attacks in the Strait of Hormuz continued unabated.

For context, the IRGC's navy remarked on Thursday that four vessels it accused of being involved in illegal oil transfers were struck and caught fire in the northern Gulf. Three other vessels hit mines west of the strait, it continued.

Before the war, one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz. While shipments through the strait are still below those levels, oil shipments from the region returned to pre-war levels last month as exporters discovered alternative ways to ship out their oil and gas, including using pipelines.

Nevertheless, a flurry of recent attacks in the key waterway and the fighting between Yemen's Houthis and its Saudi-backed, internationally recognised administration. It has resulted in Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, have once again sent oil rates surging. Brent crude climbed above $110 a barrel on Thursday against the backdrop of fears of further disruptions to regional energy supplies.

Iran's shift towards an offensive military doctrine reflects Tehran's determination to create future US-Israeli attacks significantly more costly, according to analysts.

Negar Mortazavi, senior fellow at the Centre for International Policy, informed Al Jazeera that Tehran 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 informed Al Jazeera.

"Iran wants to teach Washington a lesson: Attacking Iran comes with a high price, one that can even cost elections, " Mortazavi remarked, referring to US surveys that are predicting electoral losses for Trump's Republican Party.

She continued that Iranian office-holders were closely monitoring the elections, believing the economic fallout from the war could damage the Republican Party's prospects of retaining control of Congress.

"The long-term objective is to establish deterrence so that future American administrations think twice before daring to attack Iran again, " she remarked.

Political analyst Rami Khouri remarked the doctrine was additionally intended to ensure that the consequences of attacks extend to the US, Israel and regional countries supporting their military operations.

"That's one part of the strategy, that the suffering and the damage have to be equal and reciprocal, " Khouri, nonresident senior fellow at the Arab Center, informed Al Jazeera.

Khouri argued that Tehran was additionally seeking to challenge what it views as longstanding Western domination of the region.

"The Iranians are actually working to try to end the colonial period, " he remarked.

He continued that Iran's strategy could extend the economic consequences of conflict far beyond the Middle East, affecting energy supplies, transportation, insurance costs and shipments of essential goods.

"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, " Khouri remarked. What has the US remarked concerning resuming the war? Trump has offered conflicting signals regarding Washington's next steps.

On Wednesday, he remarked the US was no longer negotiating with Tehran and suggested developments were imminent. "We are going to have something one way or the other that'll happen fairly soon, " he remarked to journalists.

He additionally stated Washington could end the war immediately but wanted a lasting outcome. "It'll end particularly shortly. We could leave now, but we want to create sure it lasts for a long time, " Trump stated at a campaign rally in South Carolina.

Trump previously pledged not to attack Iran before the November 3 elections.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked this week that reaching a peace agreement is extremely challenging and insisted that Iran must stop targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

In recent weeks, Iran's enrichment of uranium has re-emerged as a point of contention.

Rubio has maintained that Washington will reject any agreement allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons. It require highly enriched uranium. "The United States will not support any deal that creates a pathway for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon, " he remarked on Wednesday.

Tehran insisted its right to enrichment is guaranteed under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

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.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State on Wednesday ordered nonemergency personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia after recent Houthi attacks.

In practice, the US embassy in Riyadh has cautioned of further attacks while American office-holders informed the Reuters news agency that family members could be withdrawn from other Gulf missions.

State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott remarked departure orders for mission personnel throughout the Gulf have not been ordered, saying the current orders were for "employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday his pledge to topple Iran's administration, saying it was key to preventing it from rebuilding its nuclear programme and the "axis of resistance", further raising prospects of an escalation.

In short, iran reveals 'offensive' doctrine, US issues alert: Is war imminent? Is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.