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Iran's Defense Plan

[MEMRI] Y. Mansharof and A. Savyon - According to former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander and Passive Defense Organization Chairman Gholam Reza Jalali, the 2003 Iraq war changed the Iranian regime's view of the nature of future wars. In an interview with the Mehr news agency, Jalali stated, "Today, the style of warfare has changed. The primary aim of the enemy is no longer to occupy the country but to change its regime." In an interview with Sobh-e Sadeq, Jalali added: "America is focusing on attack from a distance...as in the 2006 Lebanon war, for example. According to this tactic, the enemy strikes from far away, so that we cannot confront him directly. The main threat is from the air or sea, and there is no ground warfare." The regime's main fear is of an attack on Iran's vital infrastructures. Therefore, alongside a defense doctrine based on preemptive attack, long-range ballistic missiles, and asymmetric guerilla warfare, it has formulated a doctrine of "passive defense" based mainly on the regime's popular militia, the Basij. According to Jalali, "in essence, the Basij is indirectly responsible for running the country in times of war." The Basij comprises some 12.5 million volunteers, about 5.5 million of them women.
2008-07-04 01:00:00
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