TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian officials have indicated they may move to a more aggressive approach to war with the United States following the expiration of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States.
Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, head of the political department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), told state television on Sunday night that the force was ready to take all necessary actions to protect the country.
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Tensions between Iran and the United States over control of the Strait of Hormuz continue to rise despite a ceasefire agreed between the two sides in June. The memorandum of understanding effectively collapsed after fighting resumed last month, but the agreement officially expires on Monday.
“Our efforts may have taken on an offensive dimension because the enemy started a war, but they were defensive,” Javani said.
He did not elaborate on what exactly the offensive measures would entail, but said adversaries should expect “strategic surprises.”
Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi last week cited the infrastructure of the United States and its regional allies, including energy grids, power plants and internet connectivity systems, as potential targets if the United States were to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure.
Hard-line Iranian politicians and media have discussed the idea of launching a ground invasion against American interests in Bahrain and Kuwait if the United States invaded Iran.
There is no recent indication that the United States is planning a ground operation in Iran, although analysts have questioned its feasibility and the risks involved.
Iran’s emphasis on offensive deterrence against the United States comes after its hardline leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, consolidated his power last week by appointing several veteran Revolutionary Guard guards and confidants to key military and security posts.
Khamenei said that the appointment of Major General Ahmad Vahidi as supreme commander of the Revolutionary Guards must mean a combination of “maximum deterrence” and preparation for “strong offensive operations against the enemy.”
Vahidi said that after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, sparking intense fighting between the two countries, Khamenei’s leadership and the Iranian military had succeeded in “bringing the most heavily armed army in the history of the world to its knees.”
US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his claim that Iran was losing the war, facing a naval blockade that acted as an “iron wall.” He also said the Strait of Hormuz would be declared US territory “soon.”
The White House later suggested the remark was a joke, but Iranian military commander Amir Khatami hit back by offering a $30,000 reward for anyone who kills or captures American soldiers if they take part in ground operations on Iranian soil. He added that if a woman achieved such a feat, she would be rewarded twice.
“Our hands are open in terms of reaching out to the aggressors, and they will become even more open through our efforts,” Khatami said, referring to recent attacks by Iran on U.S. forces in Jordan.
Mohsen Rezaee, who holds the powerful position of secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, suggested that the Trump administration may have considered ground operations on Iranian territory but held off as a result of “half-baked plans.”
Rezaee said that during two weeks of escalating fighting in July, U.S. Central Command refrained from attacking Tehran and northern Iran, instead striking about 50 cities in 15 provinces.
He believed the purpose of the air raid was to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz and prepare for a ground attack that could reach Isfahan’s nuclear facilities, where highly enriched uranium is suspected to be buried under rubble from the U.S. attack.
Rezaee pointed out that bridges, roads, maritime control towers, radars and other coastal facilities, as well as military installations, were attacked to cut off logistics supplies to southern Iran.
“They didn’t calculate to land troops in the Strait of Hormuz. It’s not possible with 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers, they have to bring in at least 100,000.” “We must be able to cross the Zagros Mountains and pass through Fars province.”
Iranian media and commanders have reported in recent weeks that scenarios are being prepared for the U.S. military to defend individual islands and coastal areas in southern Iran that it might consider seizing. These include the important oil export terminal on Kharg Island.
Iranian territory around the Strait of Hormuz has been reinforced with rapid response forces.
Army spokesman Mohammad Reza Akraminia said last week that the aim was to prevent foreign troops from landing on Iranian territory.
“If Americans come into our islands, we will definitely target our islands, especially not the territory of other countries,” he told state television.
Officials have also indicated they are prepared for any violence by separatist groups on Iran’s western borders with Iraq and Turkiye, or on its eastern borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Revolutionary Guards have reportedly strengthened their defenses and continued missile and drone strikes against insurgents based in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iran ignores expired memorandum
Revolutionary Guard political chief Javani said in a separate interview on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will only fully reopen if the United States fulfills its commitments agreed under a memorandum of understanding signed in June.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the two-month grace period before the cessation of fighting was not specifically mentioned in the memorandum. The ministry also denied that the expiry of the deadline has any special significance for the war with the United States or the Iranian government’s ongoing talks with Oman over Hormuz.
“It has been proven time and time again that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not the kind of party that formulates policies under pressure, ultimatums and deadlines. We will make decisions based on our assessment of what guarantees our national interests and security,” Baghai told reporters at a briefing on Monday.
He said talks with Oman had so far delayed reaching an agreement on the partial reopening of Hormuz due to legal and technical complexities, multiple actors and “malicious parties” seeking to undermine the process.
Parliament Speaker and Chief Negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a speech Sunday night that the memorandum is “a document of pride and victory in the diplomatic field.”
Ghalibaf claimed that the Islamic Republic had achieved political and military “victory” in the war between the United States and Israel.
“It doesn’t mean that we destroyed their military. It means that they attacked us, clearly and repeatedly citing nine goals, but failed to achieve any of these goals at any level. That was the biggest disastrous failure for the United States and the Zionist regime,” he said.
Ghalibaf has yet to persuade Iran’s leadership to agree to a long-term diplomatic solution with the United States to end the war.
