The Iranian army has shifted its military doctrine from a “defensive to an offensive” posture, an army spokesperson said on Saturday, citing lessons from the country’s recent wars.
Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia told state news agency IRNA that the shift had taken place gradually during what he described as the 12-day and 40-day wars.
“Our country’s military doctrine was defensive in the past, but gradually during these two wars, we witnessed the military doctrine moving from a defensive posture toward an offensive one,” Akraminia said.
He said the change was reflected in faster and broader responses to attacks as well as preemptive operations.
Bounty hunt for US troops
Akraminia said the army had also devised a plan offering rewards for killing or capturing US troops in the event of a ground incursion into Iranian territory.
Under the plan, members of the armed forces or civilians legally possessing hunting weapons would receive 5 billion tomans, about $26,000, for killing or capturing US troops entering Iran, he said.
The reward would be doubled to 10 billion tomans, about $53,000, if the action were carried out by a woman, Akraminia added.
He said the army would also purchase the weapon used for twice its value, preserve it in a military museum under the owner’s name and provide the individual with a similar replacement weapon.
Iran points to regional shift
Akraminia also claimed that US influence in the region had declined sharply, pointing to what he described as a defence and security mechanism established independently of Washington by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan.
He said that regardless of its future effectiveness, the mechanism demonstrated what he described as a decline in the US position in the region.
Akraminia described it as the first regional defence and security mechanism established without US participation.
