Iranian authorities have signalled that their approach to the conflict with the United States could become more offensive as a Memorandum of Understanding with Washington officially expires on Monday.
Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps political bureau, said Iranian forces were ready to take whatever action was needed to defend the country and warned opponents to expect “strategic surprises”. He did not specify what those measures would involve.
What Iranian officials have said
Javani said Iran’s efforts had been defensive because the United States started the war, but added that they might take on an offensive aspect. His comments came as tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz continued despite a ceasefire agreed in June.
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said last week that infrastructure linked to US and regional allies, including energy networks, power plants and internet-connected systems, could be targeted if Washington attacks Iranian civilian infrastructure. Hardline Iranian politicians and media outlets have also discussed a possible ground incursion against US interests in Bahrain and Kuwait if the United States invades Iran.
Related coverage: Trump says US will claim Strait of Hormuz after Iran war.
Why the MoU expiration matters
The June MoU effectively collapsed after fighting restarted last month, although it officially expires on Monday. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the document did not specifically include a two-month window to halt fighting and rejected the idea that its expiration carried particular significance for the conflict or for talks with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei said discussions with Oman on partially reopening the strait had been delayed by legal and technical complications, the number of actors involved and parties seeking to disrupt the process. IRGC political chief Javani separately said the waterway would fully reopen only after Washington implemented commitments under the MoU.
Military preparations and US ground operations
Iranian leaders have paired warnings of offensive action with calls for deterrence. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the appointment of Major General Ahmad Vahidi as IRGC commander-in-chief should combine maximum deterrence with readiness for powerful offensive operations. Iranian authorities have also reported preparations to defend southern islands and coastal areas, including Kharg Island’s oil export terminals.
More context: Iran weighs return to US talks as Hormuz conditions remain unresolved.
Iranian army spokesman Mohammad-Reza Akraminia said rapid-response units had reinforced areas around the Strait of Hormuz and would prevent foreign troops from landing on Iranian territory. Authorities have also signalled readiness for unrest near Iran’s borders with Iraq, Turkiye, Pakistan and Afghanistan, while the IRGC has bolstered defences and continued missile and drone strikes against armed groups based in Iraqi Kurdistan.
What remains uncertain
There is no recent indication in the source material that the United States is planning ground operations in Iran. Mohsen Rezaee suggested that US planners may have considered such operations but held off because of incomplete plans, while also arguing that controlling the Strait of Hormuz would require at least 100,000 personnel and movement across the Zagros Mountains and Fars province.
US President Donald Trump has said Iran was defeated and that the Strait of Hormuz would soon be declared US territory. The White House later suggested that remark was a joke. Iran’s army chief, Amir Hatami, responded by announcing a $30,000 reward for a man who kills or captures a US soldier involved in a ground operation on Iranian soil, with women offered twice that amount.
Also read: Why Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Threat Faces Legal Barriers.
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