Report: Iran has spent 60-day MOU window getting ready to ‘widen the war’

A new report by the Wall Street Journal, citing Iranian and Arab officials, indicates that Tehran has used the 60-day memorandum of understanding (MOU) window to halt hostilities with the US not to advance diplomacy, but to prepare for intensified fighting. The negotiation period, to which Israel is not a party, expires on Monday, with both sides failing to make progress toward ending the war.

According to the report, Tehran believes the US and Israel are merely buying time for future attacks. Consequently, Iran has ramped up production of missiles and drones and appointed hardline figures to key positions. Arab intelligence officials told the Wall Street Journal that they have observed a strategic shift among Iranian leadership to prepare forces to widen the war.

While Iran pursued diplomacy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly sent advisers to Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon to discuss plans for escalating regional conflict. The report states that the IRGC provided the Houthis with target lists, including Saudi ports and energy sites, and advised them on defensive strategies.

Concurrently, Iran has threatened to strike energy facilities of its Arab neighbors if the US hits its own energy sites. While indirect efforts to end the war continue, Tehran maintains a list of demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including the payment of war damages.