Iran may launch preemptive strikes in response to threats, adviser says
Iran’s armed forces should be ready for preemptive action against future threats, a top adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said.
Key Takeaways
AIA top military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Yahya Rahim Safavi, said the country’s armed forces must be prepared to respond preemptively to future threats, rather than waiting to retaliate after an attack.
In a message marking Defense Industries Day, Safavi said Iran’s military response should not be “passive,” but instead “preemptive, strong, and calculated,” in order to deter Iran’s adversaries from launching attacks.
According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Safavi added that recent conflicts with the United States and Israel have shown the need for Iranian forces to be ready for both asymmetric and large-scale warfare, and to adopt what he described as a more proactive approach to deterrence.
His comments follow a statement by an Iranian army spokesperson, who said the country’s military doctrine is shifting from defensive to offensive, including preemptive operations and responses that could exceed the scale of any initial attack.