Iran has published a detailed concept for war with the United States, describing missile barrages, proxy escalation, cyber operations, and threats to global oil flows, according to the IRGC-linked Tasnim news agency.
The war scenario published by Tasnim begins with US strikes on nuclear and military sites in densely populated areas, followed by a rapid Iranian counter-barrage aimed at US regional bases.
The document touts hardened underground infrastructure and redundant command networks designed to survive an initial blow and enable sustained retaliation.
It portrays a saturation strategy where large salvos of ballistic missiles and drones are intended to tax Patriot and THAAD defenses, while Tehran’s “axis of resistance” ignites parallel fronts.
Under the plan, Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, and Iran-aligned Iraqi militias would expand attacks, complicating any US focus on Iran itself.
The concept echoes recent years of proxy warfare across Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and the Red Sea, where Houthi maritime attacks disrupted shipping and drew international responses.
Additionally, according to Tasnim, Tehran’s cyber component would target transport, energy, finance, and military communications to disrupt US deployments and pressure host governments.
Strategic use of Strait of Hormuz
The plan also leans on geography, throttling the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil and gas shipments pass, to jolt markets and fracture support for sustained US action.
The strategy was framed as asymmetric endurance: not defeating the US outright, but making a prolonged war prohibitively costly.
The calculation assumes Iran’s proxies can coordinate under fire and host states will tolerate escalation on their soil, while also betting Washington will prioritize de-escalation over a grinding regional conflict.
The plan surfaced this week as US-Iran talks were set for Friday in Muscat, Oman, and after Donald Trump said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be “very worried,” raising fears of renewed escalation.
On Sunday, Iran’s chief of staff, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, announced that the country had revised its military doctrine toward an offensive approach after the Israel-Iran war.
“Americans should know that if they start a war this time, it would be a regional war,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated.