Iran planning ‘short, intense’ missile campaign if war resumes – report

Iran threatens wider war if US strikes resume, amid reports that Tehran is planning an intense missile campaign.

By World Israel News Staff

Iranian military officials threatened to expand the war beyond the Persian Gulf if the United States resumes attacks, warning that any new strike would be met with “new fronts” and a more intense campaign aimed at raising the cost of the conflict for Washington and its regional allies.

The warnings came as President Donald Trump said he had delayed a planned attack on Iran to give diplomacy more time, and as US officials said talks with Tehran had made progress but remained focused on preventing Iran from rebuilding a nuclear weapons capability.

“If the enemy is foolish enough to fall into the Zionist trap again and launches new aggression against our beloved Iran, we will open new fronts against it, with new equipment and new methods,” Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.

Akraminia said Iran had used the ceasefire period to “strengthen its combat capability,” without giving details.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a separate threat Tuesday, saying a renewed assault would no longer remain limited to the region.

“If aggression against Iran is repeated, the war will spread beyond the borders of the region,” the IRGC said. “The American-Israeli enemy is once again talking in threats. We are men of war. You will see our strength on the battlefield, not in empty statements and virtual accounts.”

Iranian Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said Tehran remained open to negotiations but would not accept surrender terms.

“We are ready to negotiate, but we will not surrender,” he said. “In the face of any aggression, our armed forces will stand until the final point and until the last drop of blood.”

“You must know that you are facing every Iranian,” he added. “We support negotiations and dialogue within the framework of national interests.”

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that “a lot of progress” had been made in talks, while stressing that the US goal remains a framework that prevents Iran from rebuilding a nuclear weapons capacity.

Iran, however, appears to be preparing for a shorter and more destructive phase if the ceasefire collapses.

A New York Times report said Iranian planning now envisions a “short and intense” campaign that could include dozens or hundreds of missiles a day aimed at energy infrastructure in the Gulf, including oil fields, refineries and ports.

Hamidreza Azizi, an expert on Iranian security affairs at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said Iran had initially prepared for a confrontation lasting about three months and therefore used its missile stockpile carefully. If fighting resumes, he said, Tehran is expected to try to create immediate pressure on Trump by targeting regional energy flows.

Such a strategy could draw Gulf states more deeply into the conflict. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have sought to avoid direct involvement, but major attacks on refineries, oil fields or ports could force them to respond or request expanded US protection.