Findings published by The Wall Street Journal shed new light on Iran’s preparations for a potential escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
According to the newspaper, Tehran spent the entire 60-day ceasefire period, which officially ends today, preparing to intensify the conflict with the United States and Israel, while simultaneously continuing negotiations and reaching agreements with Washington.
According to the Journal, Iran’s leadership sought to increase the costs that Washington would have to bear in the confrontation while preparing for a future conflict with the United States and Israel.
The WSJ also reported that, following the signing of the memorandum of understanding with the United States in June, senior Iranian leaders did not view the agreement as an end to the war, but rather as part of a broader preparation for the continuation of the conflict. In fact, according to the report, Iran’s leadership had already decided to violate the agreement at the time it was signed.
According to Arab and Iranian sources, hard-line figures within Iran’s leadership met after the memorandum was signed and decided to begin preparations for the next war with the United States and Israel. They reportedly viewed the agreed ceasefire as merely an attempt to contain the consequences that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had caused for the global economy.
Following the meeting, Iran’s leadership decided to grant the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps greater authority over the country’s armed forces, appoint several veteran Iran-Iraq War commanders to senior positions, and accelerate the production of missiles and drones.
According to the report, Iran subsequently began violating the memorandum of understanding by carrying out attacks against vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and expanding its operations in the Red Sea through the Houthis, in an effort to increase pressure on Saudi Arabia.
Thus, throughout the ceasefire period, Tehran worked to strengthen its military capabilities and prepare the country for the possibility of a larger war and a new round of confrontation.
These preparations included measures to reinforce the Revolutionary Guard’s command structure and expand weapons systems, with particular emphasis on missile systems and drones.
At the same time, Iran sought to make the situation even more difficult for the United States and increase the cost of continuing the conflict, attempting in this way to influence Washington’s willingness to remain involved in the confrontation.
According to the report, Arab intelligence services gathered information that allegedly documents Iran’s new strategy. This included communications between Tehran and organizations and armed groups operating as its allied forces in Iraq and Yemen.
In this context, U.S. officials warned countries in the region, particularly Kuwait, that Iran’s leadership was preparing for attacks against “enemy territory.”
