Iran reveals ‘offensive’ doctrine, US issues alert: Is war imminent?

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has unveiled a new "offensive and asymmetrical" defence doctrine, warning that any renewed American attack could prompt Tehran to strike US-linked military bases and even invade neighbouring countries.

A Guard spokesman, Mohebi, said on Wednesday that Iran would no longer limit its operations to retaliatory strikes. He said the country's missile stockpile had grown by half since the 12-day war with Israel, with improved range, destructive power and accuracy, and that Iranian forces were preparing to unveil what he called the "father of all bombs."

The warning comes amid escalating attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC's navy said on Thursday it had seized four vessels accused of involvement in illegal oil transfers. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supplies passed through the key waterway.

Washington responded by ordering nonemergency diplomatic personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, as the US embassy in Riyadh warned of further attacks amid strikes by Yemen's Houthis. State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said departure orders were also in place for US mission personnel across the Gulf.

President Donald Trump said the United States was no longer negotiating with Tehran but could end the war quickly while seeking a lasting outcome. He had previously pledged not to attack Iran before the November 3 elections. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reaching a peace agreement was extremely difficult and maintained that Washington would reject any deal allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons — a right Tehran insists it holds under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Analysts cautioned that renewed US-Israeli strikes were increasingly possible. "Another round of war seems to be approaching," Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Policy, told Al Jazeera. Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran preferred diplomacy but was prepared if the fighting continued.