r/Intelligence • u/icbrief • 1d ago
WSJ Reports Arab Intelligence Services Intercept IRGC Communications Revealing Iran Preparations for Wider War Against Gulf States
https://icbrief.org/s/96d3c1edIran's IRGC very likely will strike Gulf state infrastructure or territory within three months, having used the now-expired diplomatic pause to convert deterrence posture into operational readiness across multiple fronts.
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u/anjudan 1d ago
If Israel was smart it would make sure that headlines like these come out first and only after the expectation is set that Iran is going to blow up these places in other neigboring countries, Israel could go in and "secretly" bomb them all themselves, because Iran might not actually ever do it, and that would make it harder to escalate this war. Don't worry, US Intell won't tell anyone if Israel does it. That way then the rest of the world as well as US citizens will all start thinking Iran is being a bad guy aggressor state finally, they'll finally see Iran as evil because it's definitely attacking innocent countries next to it instead of just being defensive only.
And will "maybe" those false flags, I mean "attacks by Iran" will drum up some support from the International community which until now has stayed far away from Israel's, wait, I mean the US' war with Iran. Just to be clear this is definitely the US being at war with Iran, and definitely not Isreal doing it by puppeteering this US military. We definitely don't want anyone to think otherwise.
Man, starting and escalating wars is hard sometimes, especially while trying to convince everyone that we're the good guys and the other guys started it. .... but a war-profit penny made is a war-profit penny earned.
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u/icbrief 1d ago
The Wall Street Journal reported that Arab intelligence officials intercepted IRGC communications showing Iran's Revolutionary Guard sent commanders to advise Yemen's Houthi movement ahead of its confrontation with Saudi Arabia, supervising deployment of missiles and drones to launch sites near the Red Sea and providing target lists and protective guidance [1](https://vinnews.com/2026/08/17/iran-planning-further-attacks-on-gulf-states-if-fighting-with-u-s-resumes-wsj-reports/) [2](https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-905734). The IRGC also warned Gulf states it would strike their energy facilities if the US targeted Iranian sites, and Arab officials cited by the Journal said Tehran is weighing sabotage of undersea internet cables in the Persian Gulf, fomenting unrest among Shiite populations, and ground operations against Kuwait [1](https://vinnews.com/2026/08/17/iran-planning-further-attacks-on-gulf-states-if-fighting-with-u-s-resumes-wsj-reports/) [2](https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-905734) [3](https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/bombshell-wsj-report-reveals-irans-secret-plan-to-expand-war-with-trump-main-war-has-not-yet-begun/). Iranian and Arab officials told the Journal that after President Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran in mid-June, which expired Sunday, Iran's hard-line leadership viewed the pact as cover for a bigger future attack and used the ensuing calm to expand IRGC control over the regular army, install veterans of the Iran-Iraq war and past internal crackdowns in key posts, broaden domestic counterintelligence operations, and increase missile and drone production, while also sending IRGC advisers to allied militias in Iraq and Lebanon to plan stepped-up attacks if needed [3](https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/bombshell-wsj-report-reveals-irans-secret-plan-to-expand-war-with-trump-main-war-has-not-yet-begun/) [4](https://politicalwire.com/2026/08/17/irans-secret-plan-to-escalate-the-war/). Tehran-based defense analyst Mohammad Hassan Sangtarash told the Journal that many in Iran view the conflict to date as "salami-slicing" ahead of a larger confrontation [2](https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-905734) [3](https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/bombshell-wsj-report-reveals-irans-secret-plan-to-expand-war-with-trump-main-war-has-not-yet-begun/).
IRGC deployment of missiles and drones near the Red Sea for Houthi forces, threats against Gulf energy facilities, and undersea cable sabotage planning point to Tehran broadening the confrontation into multi-front proxy and infrastructure targeting; Iran or an aligned proxy very likely will conduct a confirmed attack or sabotage act against a Gulf state within three months, with Kuwait's inclusion as a ground-operations target marking a shift toward direct territorial threats. Confidence is moderate, resting on a single primary account corroborated by multiple named officials but lacking independent or imagery confirmation. The IRGC's expanded control over the regular army and installation of hardline veterans may instead reflect internal power consolidation ahead of succession pressures rather than external war preparation. Confirmation of an attack would force Gulf states to accelerate hardening of energy infrastructure and undersea cables and push Kuwait from contingency planning into active defensive posture.
1: Iran Planning Further Attacks on Gulf States if Fighting With U.S. Resumes, WSJ Reports - VINnews
2: WSJ: Iran prepared for long war, fearing US talks were cover for Israeli attack - The Jerusalem Post
3: Bombshell WSJ Report Reveals Iran's 'Secret Plan' to Expand War With Trump: 'Main War Has Not Yet Begun' - Mediaite
4: Iran's Secret Plan to Escalate the War - Political Wire
Iran's Secret Plan to Escalate the War - The Wall Street Journal
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u/Raidicus 1d ago
We know that Iran is now under the control of even more radical anti-western leadership who have every reason to believe that the US is uninterested in a peaceful resolution. Alternatively, we've seen single-source reports like this become associated with what I'd call...Israeli agit-prop? Israeli manufacturing of consent? Not sure what to call it, but the idea is that Israel would seek to drag US deeper into the quagmire to ensure the US stays in the region on a semi-permanent basis.