Iran reshapes military command to enact ‘offensive doctrine’ for next phase of war, crackdown on dissent
New York Post, August 12, 2026
Iran is reshaping its military and appointing hardliners who vowed to take the “offensive” against the Islamic state’s enemies both abroad and at home.
The country’s reclusive Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed six veteran military and security figures this week to enact a new “offensive doctrine,” Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), told state news media on Tuesday.
The changes move Iran away from its pre-war doctrine focused on defense to one where Tehran will take direct action against the “enemy territory,” Naqdi said.
“The emphasis on offensive operations, unified command, and faster decision-making suggests that the leadership wants to move from Ali Khamenei’s traditionally more cautious approach to deterrence toward what could be described as offensive deterrence,” Hamidreza Azizi, at the Clingendael Institute think tank, told CNN.
Among the most notable appointments was the rise of Ahmad Vahidi as the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, who Khamenei ordered to carry out “powerful offensive operations against the enemy,” according to Iranian media.
Vahidi — who has been sanctioned by the US and has alleged ties to terrorism abroad — is a loyalist to the regime and believed to be guiding Khamenei’s pro-war stance. Vahidi has reportedly intervened in US-Iranian peace talks in the past and supported Tehran’s attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, with his formal rise to power likely to shift Iran to an even harder-line stance.
The IRGC commander will likely have support from Mohsen Rezaei, a former IRGC head who was named the nation’s new chief of the Supreme National Security Council.
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Retirees in Iran Demand Action on Their Grievances
Iran Focus, August 9, 2026
On Sunday, August 9, retirees and pensioners in several Iranian cities held street protests against dire living conditions, rising prices and inflation, discrimination, the violation of their rights, and the Iranian regime officials’ disregard for their demands.
The protests were held in the cities of Shush, Dezful, Ahvaz, Isfahan, and Kermanshah. In addition to their labor and livelihood demands, protesters chanted against corruption and plunder, warmongering, executions, and the repression of prisoners.
Shush: Protest in Temperatures Above 50°C
In Shush, Social Security retirees gathered and held a protest march outside the city’s Social Security building. The gathering took place as temperatures in Khuzestan Province had risen above 50°C.
The retirees protested meager wages and pensions, rising prices and inflation, poverty, the depletion of people’s household food budgets, the state of healthcare services, and the commodification of healthcare and education. They also protested corruption, plunder, and the looting of public wealth, as well as the Iranian regime officials’ disregard for people’s plight, and challenged the regime’s warmongering policies.
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After Hours with John Hines, featuring Dr. Majid Sadeghpour
Dr. Majid Sadeghpour shares his firsthand experience of Iran’s 1979 revolution, the execution of his brother by the regime, and why he believes meaningful change must come from within Iran. He explains how the regime has used repression, executions, and conflict to maintain power, and why the international community should support the Iranian people and their organized resistance.
Mehdi Khanaki’s Final Message: “I Will Fight Until My Last Breath”
Weeks before his execution on July 22, 2026, 26-year-old Mehdi Khanaki recorded a powerful message from prison, remembering decades of executions, torture, and repression under the clerical regime. He vowed to continue fighting for freedom until his final breath.
The regime ultimately carried out his execution, but his words remain a testament to the courage and determination of Iran’s political prisoners and resistance fighters..
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