Iran is preparing for the possibility of renewed military confrontation with the United States and Israel, with officials threatening a broader and less predictable response drawing on revised military tactics, upgraded weapons and targets beyond those struck in previous rounds of fighting.
This comes amid reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sought to launch a major new bombing campaign against Iran earlier this month but was opposed by US President Donald Trump.
Iranian military expert Mohammad Sadegh Alizadeh told The New Arab that lessons from the 12-day war in June 2025 and the 40-day war that began on 28 February had prompted changes to the tactics of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) aerospace and naval forces, as well as the army's air defences.
He said Iran had also upgraded parts of its missile arsenal, including converting some missiles capable of reaching Israel into modular systems that could be activated more quickly and with fewer logistical requirements. Coastal anti-ship missiles had also undergone technical improvements, while recent military exercises were aimed at testing their capabilities.
Alizadeh also pointed to reports of potential arms purchases from allied countries, including hypersonic anti-ship missiles. Such weapons, he said, would have more complex flight paths and be harder to intercept, although their range was shorter than that of Iran's ballistic missiles.
Former IRGC commander Hossein Kanani Moghaddam said Iran's response to any new attack would move beyond the reciprocal strikes seen in previous conflicts. He warned that operations could target not only US bases and Israeli positions across the region, but also sites further afield.
He specifically cited the possibility of strikes on Israeli cities including Haifa and Tel Aviv, as well as the Dimona nuclear facility. He also referred to weapons Iran had not previously deployed, including what he described as powerful electromagnetic bombs and a missile known as Rastakhiz, or Resurrection. These claims have not been independently verified.
Iranian military chief Ali Abdollahi separately warned that any new attack would be met with a harsher response, claiming Tehran had developed missiles that could not be detected or intercepted. Meanwhile, senior security official Mohsen Rezaei said Iran had prepared a plan more destructive than those used in the previous two wars, without providing details.
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi also suggested that Iran could target seven major undersea internet cables running through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that even a limited US military operation could trigger a serious global energy crisis.
Diplomatic efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan have intensified in an effort to avert a renewed US-Iran conflict and secure a compromise deal.
Trump opposed Netanyahu’s plans
Israel had prepared a multi-day bombing campaign for the weekend of 10 October, which would have seen it target Iran’s power plants, nuclear facilities, and sites associated with the Iranian government, according to a report by the Financial Times on Wednesday. But the operation was ultimately shelved after Trump opposed reigniting the conflict ahead of the US midterm elections on 3 November.
The proposed campaign was intended to be more intense than the previous round of fighting that began in February, which immediately drew in much of the Middle East.
While it remains unclear whether the United States was expected to participate directly, one person familiar with Netanyahu’s plans said renewed US-Israeli strikes in the coming weeks were "not an unreasonable scenario."
"There will either be a deal or an attack," the person said, adding that Washington was seeking to force Tehran to accept its terms as part of an agreement covering the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme, which would bring the war to a full end.
Israeli officials presented an updated list of targets in Iran, based on new intelligence, during a visit by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to Israel on Monday, according to one source cited by the FT. The list included civilian infrastructure targets that had not been struck earlier this year.
Another source said the offensive proposed by the Israeli military earlier this month could have been part of an effort to put pressure on Iran in negotiations. The final decision on whether to launch any new attack rests with Trump, the source added.
However, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly ruled out a US attack on Iran before the midterm elections, telling the newspaper that the US will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterms. Trump has also stated he will not launch strikes on Iran before the elections.
The timing of the FT report also raises questions about whether the disclosure of the proposed Israeli plans is intended to portray Trump as seeking to restrain Netanyahu and prevent a renewed conflict, despite his public endorsement of the Israeli prime minister ahead of the elections.
Multiple fronts
A future conflict would likely involve multiple fronts again, including the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
While the Houthis are already engaged in cross-border fighting with Saudi Arabia and a domestic war with Saudi-backed government forces, Hezbollah, which has refrained from striking Israel for months, is also preparing for another escalation.
Netanyahu and Israeli government ministers have warned Lebanon that it would face serious consequences if Hezbollah joined the war alongside Iran, including expanding the occupation of southern territories and resuming the bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Iraqi militias could also become involved. US-Israeli strikes have already hit multiple bases belonging to Shia armed factions, which in turn have targeted US interests in Iraq and the Gulf.