Iran has signalled that its military doctrine is shifting towards pre-emptive operations against perceived threats, as the United States and European powers prepare a new diplomatic push over Tehran’s nuclear programme and Washington expands sanctions against its financial networks.
Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said the country’s armed forces were increasingly incorporating pre-emptive action into their doctrine, arguing that Iran could strike when it believed a military threat was developing. Iranian officials have previously pointed to attacks on US military assets in the region as examples of the evolving approach.
The comments come amid renewed exchanges between Iranian and US forces and warnings from Iranian military commanders that the confrontation is not over. Iranian officials have also said new air-defence capabilities are being deployed as Tehran seeks to adapt following months of strikes on its military infrastructure.
The shift represents a potentially significant change in Tehran’s public description of its military strategy. Iran has traditionally characterised its doctrine as defensive and retaliatory, while its latest statements leave greater room for attacks launched before an adversary has struck.
Western powers target Iran's nuclear programme
At the same time, the United States, Britain, France and Germany are pressing members of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-country Board of Governors to approve a resolution referring Iran to the UN Security Council, diplomats told Reuters.
The measure is expected to be considered when the IAEA board meets next week.
If approved, it would be the first time in about two decades that the watchdog’s board has reported Iran to the Security Council over its nuclear activities.
The dispute centres in part on the IAEA’s inability to fully account for Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium following attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities.
Before those attacks, the agency estimated that Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity, a level approaching the roughly 90 per cent generally considered weapons grade.
The IAEA has since been unable to verify the location and condition of much of that material because inspectors have not regained access to several bombed facilities and Tehran has not provided sufficient information about the stockpile, according to Reuters.
The proposed Western resolution would demand that Iran comply with its safeguards obligations and allow the agency to verify its nuclear material.
Passage at the IAEA board appears likely, although any subsequent attempt to take significant action through the Security Council could encounter opposition from Russia and China, both permanent members with veto power.
US sanctions Turkish bank over alleged Iran links
Washington is simultaneously widening its financial campaign against Tehran.
The US Treasury on Friday sanctioned Istanbul-based Golden Global Yatırım Bankası and two subsidiaries, accusing them of helping facilitate financial transactions connected to Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.
The Treasury alleged that Golden Global helped Iran’s shadow banking network move oil revenues from China into Turkey, where funds could be converted into cash and gold.
It also accused the bank of offering correspondent banking services that enabled transactions involving accounts controlled by the Quds Force and its proxies.
Golden Global rejected the US allegations, saying it complied with Turkish and international banking requirements and had no direct or indirect dealings with the sanctioned individuals and entities cited by Washington. The bank said it would pursue its legal rights.
The sanctions also targeted asset manager Golden Global Portföy Yönetimi and asset-leasing company Golden Global Varlık Kiralama.
The three entities were added to the US Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals list, effectively cutting them off from the dollar-based US financial system. Washington issued a general licence allowing existing transactions with the entities to be wound down.
The move is particularly notable because Golden Global is based in Turkey, a NATO member. Reuters reported that it is the first bank in a NATO ally targeted under Washington’s latest pressure campaign against Iran.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has described the wider campaign as “Operation Economic Outcast”, aimed at severing the financial channels Washington says Tehran uses to sell oil, evade sanctions and move money internationally.
Military and economic pressure converge
The diplomatic and financial moves come as Washington continues applying military pressure on Iran and restricting its ability to export oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
The simultaneous escalation across military, nuclear and financial fronts underscores how the confrontation has expanded beyond direct exchanges of fire.
Iran is signalling that it could respond to perceived threats before an attack takes place, while Washington and its European partners are attempting to increase the diplomatic and economic cost of Tehran’s nuclear and regional policies.
Neither side has so far shown clear signs that the latest pressure will produce a return to negotiations.
Meanwhile, the USS Abraham Lincoln, which played a major role in US operations during its prolonged Middle East deployment, arrived in Thailand on 2 September after spending 286 consecutive days at sea. Around 5,000 personnel were aboard the carrier as it began a five-day rest period following the deployment.
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