Chief of General Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri, said on Sunday that Iran may switch from its defensive policy to ‘offensive’ tactics if the country faces threats.

Iran Press/Iran newsSpeaking to reporters on Sunday, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of General Staff of Iranian Armed Forces, said Iran has no intention of attacking any country, stressing that “Our defense strategy is to protect the independence, territorial integrity and national interests of our country.”

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Bagheri noted that the country’s defense policy does not mean a purely defensive and passive approach during tactical operations, adding “while it is true that we have no interest in initiating aggression against other countries, or threaten other countries' interests, we may nonetheless switch to an offensive approach to protect our own interests”, according to a Mehr News Agency report.

He went on to add, “If there is any intention of attack against our interests, and we see evidence of it, we will not remain passive and allow the country’s security and peace to be endangered.”

“That is why our military drills this year in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, or even on land or in the air, have had a change in their nature, and we will continue this trend until our armed forces are fully ready to make the switch in tactics if necessary,” he added.

 

Earlier on December 22, 2018, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour has emphasized that although Iran’s military strategy is based on the principle of deterrence, it is offensive at an operational and tactical level.

Speaking to reporters and journalists on the sidelines of a massive war game in southern Iran, IRGC top official added that: "As we have said earlier, our core principles and doctrine are defensive in nature, but at an operational and tactical level, they are offensive."  104.203

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