Iran is changing its military doctrine to place greater emphasis on preventing threats before they develop into attacks, amid concerns that future conflict could intensify. Hamidreza Azizi, an Iran researcher at the Clingendael Institute and writer of the Iran Analytica newsletter, described the shift in comments reported on August 23, 2026. He said Tehran is seeking to build deterrence at an earlier stage.

Azizi said Iran’s previous deterrence strategy had failed to stop repeated attacks by the United States and Israel. In a post on X, he wrote that Tehran aims to signal it can respond even when preparations for an attack against Iran are underway. He identified two elements in what he called Iran’s new offensive military policy: pre-emptive or preventive action and disproportionate retaliation.

According to Azizi, preventive action is intended to stop a potential threat before it becomes real, while disproportionate retaliation would raise the cost of attacking Iran. He also described Iran’s warning to Gulf countries not to join the United States in economic warfare against Tehran as a final warning. Iran’s military and security structures, he said, are increasingly preparing for another round of tension or conflict.