Top Iranian Security Official Signals Hardline Readiness to Shift to the Offense

An IRGC commander, General Mohsen Rezaei, arrives to attend a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, on July 3. One of the most powerful figures in Iran has stated that the US campaign of maximum economic pressure will fail, marking a further sign that Iran’s hardline leadership is unwilling to compromise despite a deepening economic crisis.

“The world has realized that (US President Donald) Trump’s bluster is nothing but empty talk,” said the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, in an interview yesterday. Rezaei’s remarks indicate the control exerted by Tehran’s hardliners and their growing readiness to adopt a more offensive posture. “We will see changes in the conduct of the war, in diplomacy, and in political and social affairs, and new capabilities will be brought into play,” he added.

Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamanei, stated that Iran will not yield to US pressure, adding that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington meets its commitments. Shipping data suggests that more crude oil is leaving the Gulf via a southern route close to the coast with Oman, a threat to the leverage Iran has exercised in recent months.

Rezaei was a senior commander during the war with Iraq in the 1980s, a foundational moment in the creation of the Islamic Republic. He was named as the new security chief this month in a move viewed as a shift to a more aggressive approach compared to that under the late supreme leader. In his comments, his most substantial since taking on the new role, Rezaei also claimed that the US attack on Iran has encouraged countries to seek protection by acquiring nuclear weapons. “Trump’s foolishness in attacking Iran has increased people’s desire around the world to acquire nuclear weapons, particularly after they saw that membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty did nothing to prevent a U.S. attack.”