Iran’s Expanding Ring of Retaliation 🔹#Iran’s response to the U.S. strike on Larak had two important features. 🔹First, the speed. Tehran retaliated against U.S. bases in Jordan just a couple of hours after the attack. Some observers (like @mhmiranusa) have linked this faster decision-making to the ongoing integration of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters into the Armed Forces General Staff – a reform intended to improve coordination between strategic planning and operations. This may be the first indication that the new structure is working. 🔹Second, Jordan now appears to have moved into the first ring of Iranian offensive operations. During the two weeks of conflict in July, Iranian strikes were concentrated largely on U.S. facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, with more limited attacks elsewhere. But as U.S. forces have reduced their presence at bases closer to Iran – including in Bahrain and Iraqi Kurdistan – Tehran is increasingly shifting its pressure outward toward Jordan. 🔹This fits Iran’s broader strategy of “debasification”, i.e., making U.S. regional bases progressively less usable and preventing Washington from rebuilding military infrastructure there. 🔹There is an interesting parallel here. Washington appears to be moving toward limited, repeated strikes on Iranian capabilities linked to operations in the Strait of Hormuz; essentially a “mowing the lawn” strategy. Iran increasingly seems to have developed its own version: repeatedly targeting U.S. regional infrastructure to prevent new military realities from taking shape. 🔹Iran still has major vulnerabilities, above all its economy and the possibility that external pressure could combine with renewed domestic unrest. But on the battlefield, Iranian planners may see renewed confrontation as an opportunity to continue pushing U.S. military infrastructure farther away from Iran.

Spoke with @BBCParham about President Trump's comments on the possible resumption of talks with #Iran, negotiations between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, and the political divisions within the Islamic Republic over diplomacy versus resistance (English subtitles).

Reports from #Iran indicate that, over the past couple of days, attacks on different areas in Sistan and Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran have increased. That region is important for two reasons. On the one hand, it is where Chabahar is located, which is Iran’s only oceanic port and provides the country with maritime access beyond the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. On the other hand, given the region’s ethnic and religious composition and the history of insurgent groups operating there, there are concerns that the attacks in Sistan and Baluchestan may be aimed at creating conditions for the rise and advance of Balochi insurgents and increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic. In this context, there was an attack on the night of July 14 against the headquarters of Brigade 388 in Bampur, Sistan and Baluchestan, in which several soldiers were killed and dozens were injured. This is important because Brigade 388 is the third brigade of the 88th Armored Division of Sistan and Baluchestan, which is tasked with countering potential amphibious assaults. As such, according to Iranian military analysts, the U.S. may also be preparing for a ground operation in southern Iran - especially since the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group is still in CENTCOM area of operation. At the same time, analysts note that together with the two other brigades of the same division, Brigades 188 and 288, the Brigade 388 has also been involved in counterterrorism operations and in securing Iran’s eastern borders against armed insurgent groups.

"Israel secretly deployed elite military and intelligence units to #Azerbaijan during the war with #Iran as part of a network of covert sites across the Middle East to facilitate operations against Iran." edition.cnn.com/2026/06/05/m…