'Took full advantage of ceasefire': Iran prepares for bigger fight against US

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has utilised the period of relative calm following a June memorandum of understanding with the United States to prepare for a wider confrontation, including formulating plans for pre-emptive strikes and potential operations on enemy territory, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing Iranian and Arab officials.

The military preparations encompass accelerated missile production, enhanced missile accuracy, expanded counterintelligence operations, and an enlarged role for the powerful Revolutionary Guard within Iran's military apparatus.

"We took full advantage of the ceasefire period," Revolutionary Guard spokesman Brig Gen Hossein Mohebbi said in July, according to the WSJ report. "We enhanced our capabilities, accelerated our missile production rate and improved missile accuracy."

Following the signing of the memorandum of understanding by US President Donald Trump with Iran in mid-June, Washington had anticipated that the arrangement would facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and initiate a wind-down of the conflict.

However, Iran's hard-line leadership interpreted the agreement differently, according to Iranian and Arab officials cited by the WSJ. They assessed that the agreement might represent an attempt by the US and Israel to alleviate economic pressure globally while gaining time to prepare a larger attack. -- ANI