TEHRAN – Iran is reorganising its military to be more agile and aggressive abroad in light of its war with the US and Israel, a sign that it is positioning for a protracted confrontation even if the current conflict ends.

This week’s raft of top military appointments marks a shift to an “offensive doctrine”, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who advises the force’s new commander, said in an interview on state TV late on Aug 11.

“Whenever the conditions are favourable and the order is issued, we must be able to take the operation into enemy territory,” he said, contrasting the approach with a pre-war doctrine that was “primarily based on defense and the preservation of the country”.

The comments are the most detailed official explanation yet of the strategy behind Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s picks for key military posts, which promoted IRGC officers known for their hardline stances on the war and the Strait of Hormuz.