Iran has decided to move from a defensive military posture to a “fully offensive” strategy as diplomatic efforts to secure a permanent end to its war with the United States remain deadlocked, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.
Efforts to restart peace negotiations and restore regular oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have stalled, with little indication of progress towards ending the conflict that began with US and Israeli military action against Iran on February 28.
The Iranian official said authorities and military entities had been instructed to prepare for a possible escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region.
“Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region,” the official said, adding that Tehran was prepared to take difficult decisions if diplomatic efforts failed.
The official also warned that Iran could launch what he described as a “timely and precise” military attack aimed at breaking the US naval blockade if negotiations produced no breakthrough.
Washington did not immediately respond to the remarks. Earlier on Monday, however, US President Donald Trump told Fox News that Iran “should put up the white flag of surrender.”
Throughout the conflict, Trump has alternated between warnings of further military escalation and suggestions that a peace agreement could be reached.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rejected Trump’s claim that his administration was communicating with IRGC officials through a back channel.
“No talks are taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans,” IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohibbi told Iran’s Tasnim news agency, describing Trump’s assertion as “lies.”