Iran’s Revolutionary Guards made a dramatic decision last week to raise the level of the war and shift to disproportionate responses—shifting from a strategy of “regional defense” to intensified offensive operations, a tactic of “internationalizing the pain.”

Kan News reported that since the end of last week, Iran has begun implementing this decision in practice, carrying out attacks on energy infrastructure in Gulf states, launching missiles toward Dimona and toward the military base on Diego Garcia Island, about 4,000 km away. In addition, it has significantly increased attacks in Saudi Arabia in recent days.

At the same time, Iran is threatening a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has begun collecting transit fees in the area, is bringing the Houthis into the conflict, and is increasing threats against all Gulf states—including potential strikes on Doha, the capital of Qatar, and even the headquarters of Al Jazeera.

But even as Iran steps up its attacks on countries in the region, the Gulf States are still refraining from retaliating and escalating the conflict. A source close to the leadership in the United Arab Emirates told Kan News: “Despite the difficulty, we’re holding the line.”

The source added: “What matters for us is understanding what happens the day after, and of course, resolving the bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz. Our focus is on achieving regional stability once the war ends.”

A Jordanian source told Kan News that his country is also focused on the “day after.” He said the goal is to establish new security arrangements that would restrain Iran and prevent it from “running wild” against them as it has in the current war.

According to data published by the Saudi Al-Arabiya outlet, Iran has launched five times more drones and missiles at Gulf states than it has at Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)