Senior IRGC Commander Reveals Leader's 2011 Plan to Close Strait of Hormuz

Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, revealed that Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, referred to as the martyred Leader, had a visionary approach to Iran's defense strategy. Speaking about the Leader's role, Safavi stated that Ayatollah Khamenei followed defense affairs with "special prudence and wisdom" and played a decisive role in shaping the country's military doctrine.

In 2011, the martyred Leader instructed Safavi to prepare, within one month, a comprehensive plan for closing the Strait of Hormuz. Safavi subsequently worked with senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to draft a 15-page operational plan. According to Safavi, the proposal covered not only the closure of the Strait of Hormuz but also operations in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean.

The martyred Leader later referred the plan to the General Staff of the Armed Forces for implementation. Safavi noted that "part of what is being carried out today" stems directly from that strategy devised 15 years ago. He emphasized that the Leader's foresight has been instrumental in Iran's current defense posture.

Safavi also recalled that when he became IRGC commander in 1997, the martyred Leader placed particular emphasis on expanding Iran's missile arsenal. At that time, Iran possessed around 2,000 missiles, but Ayatollah Khamenei considered that insufficient and instructed military commanders to build a missile capability capable of sustaining "at least three months of an offensive war." This directive led to significant growth in Iran's missile program.

According to Mehr News Agency, Safavi's remarks highlight the strategic continuity in Iran's defense policies under the guidance of the martyred Leader. The report by Mehr added that these plans have been instrumental in shaping Iran's military capabilities over the past decades.