Iran may launch preemptive strikes in response to threats, adviser says

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's top military adviser, Yahya Rahim Safavi, has stated that the country's armed forces must be prepared to respond preemptively to potential threats instead of waiting to retaliate after an attack. Speaking on Defense Industries Day, Safavi emphasized that Iran's military response should not be passive but rather preemptive, strong, and calculated in order to deter adversaries from launching attacks.

According to Iran's Tasnim news agency, Safavi highlighted that Iran's military doctrine is evolving to include both asymmetric and large-scale warfare, advocating for a more proactive approach to deterrence. This sentiment follows an earlier statement from an Iranian army spokesperson, who revealed that the military's doctrine is transitioning from defensive to offensive, encompassing preemptive operations and responses that could surpass the scale of the initial attack.