Iran’s military has formally abandoned its decades-old defensive doctrine in favor of an « offensive-defensive » approach that explicitly authorizes preemptive strikes. This strategic shift, led by the regular army (Artesh), is part of « Operation Saeqeh, » a campaign of drone and missile strikes exceeding 30 phases targeting US bases across the Middle East. The latest strikes, around September 3, targeted American assets in Kuwait and the UAE. The Artesh, which historically played second fiddle to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is now publicly embracing preemptive doctrine, signaling that the entire Iranian military apparatus is oriented toward offensive action. With Iran sitting at the geographic chokepoint of global oil trade and the Strait of Hormuz handling roughly a fifth of the world’s petroleum consumption, the shift raises considerable market risks.
Source: Read the original article
