Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has used the period of relative calm following a June memorandum of understanding with the United States to prepare for a possible wider confrontation, including plans for pre-emptive strikes and potential operations on enemy territory.
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The preparations include accelerated missile production, improved missile accuracy, expanded counterintelligence operations and a greater role for the powerful Revolutionary Guard in Iran’s military apparatus.
"We took full advantage of the ceasefire period," Revolutionary Guard spokesman Brig Gen Hossein Mohebbi said in July, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. "We enhanced our capabilities, accelerated our missile production rate and improved missile accuracy."
According to the report, the Revolutionary Guard also used the period to coordinate its strategy with allied militias across the region.
Furthermore, the Revolutionary Guard oversaw the deployment of missiles, naval weapons and drone launchers overlooking the Red Sea, while providing Yemeni militants with intelligence and targeting lists focused on Saudi ports and energy facilities, the WSJ reported.
According to the report, Iran-backed groups subsequently carried out attacks that affected Saudi energy infrastructure, while Iran expanded strikes targeting US military personnel and attacked targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.
The Revolutionary Guard has now prepared new options for further military escalation, according to Iranian officials and public statements cited by the WSJ.
These options include pre-emptive strikes, sabotage of undersea internet cables in the Persian Gulf, fomenting political unrest in countries with Shia communities such as Kuwait and Bahrain, and potentially launching ground operations in Kuwait.
Some Iranian political figures have also indicated that the Revolutionary Guard could launch ground raids through southern Iraq if the US threatens strategically important Iranian territory, such as Kharg Island.
The possibility of military operations against countries hosting US military bases adds another dimension to Iran’s military posture as the conflict continues.
The preparations have coincided with a broader reorganisation of Iran’s security apparatus. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has placed experienced security and military figures in key positions, while the Revolutionary Guard has gained greater influence over the regular armed forces.
Following US president Donald Trump’s signing of a memorandum of understanding with Iran in mid-June, Washington expected the agreement to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin winding down the conflict.
However, Iran’s hard-line leadership viewed the agreement differently, according to Iranian and Arab officials cited by the WSJ. They believed it could be an effort by the US and Israel to ease global economic pressure while buying time to prepare for a larger attack.
Iran consequently used the intervening period to prepare for what its leadership sees as the possibility of a broader military confrontation.
