Iran Unveils 'Offensive' Doctrine as US Evacuates Saudi Arabia — SkimNews
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- IRGC announced a shift to an "offensive and asymmetrical" defence doctrine, with spokesman Hossein Mohebi saying Tehran would no longer limit operations to retaliation and would invade countries that launch attacks on it.
- Mohebi said Iran's missile stockpile has increased 1.5 times since the June 2025 12-day war with Israel, with improvements in range, accuracy and destructive power, and claimed Iran is preparing to unveil a "father of all bombs."
- The US State Department ordered nonemergency personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after recent Houthi attacks, while the US embassy in Riyadh warned of further attacks.
- The IRGC Navy struck four vessels in the northern Gulf accused of illegal oil transfers and said three other vessels hit mines west of the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world's oil and gas once passed.
- Brent crude climbed above $110 a barrel on Thursday as oil prices surged on fears of further supply disruptions.
- Trump said the US is no longer negotiating with Tehran and that developments were imminent, but also said the war could "end very soon" — having previously pledged not to attack Iran before the November 3 elections.
- Iran offered a seven-day plan to restore Strait of Hormuz shipping in exchange for Washington ending its blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions, and unfreezing Iranian assets; Rubio said any deal allowing Iran a path to nuclear weapons will be rejected.
- Netanyahu reiterated his pledge to topple Iran's government, calling it key to preventing a rebuilt nuclear programme and "axis of resistance," days before Tuesday's Israeli elections.
Why it matters: Iran is explicitly abandoning its prior deterrence-by-retaliation playbook to make any future attack politically and economically intolerable for Washington. With Trump signalling imminence, the US evacuating Gulf posts, and Brent above $110, the conflict now carries direct costs to American voters before midterms — exactly the leverage Tehran wants to exploit.
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