Iran used the Gaza ceasefire to quietly prepare for a wider regional conflict by coordinating with its proxy groups across the Middle East, according to a report published by The New York Times.

The report says senior commanders from the IRGC’s Quds Force held a series of meetings with leaders of Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq to plan a coordinated response if the United States resumed military strikes against Iran. Quds Force personnel also reportedly remained active on the ground, assisting allied militias and helping Hezbollah rebuild its depleted ranks.

Mehdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran’s negotiating team, said on social media that the Revolutionary Guards were establishing “new conditions and platforms for war” and that “a new axis of resistance” was emerging with additional regional actors.

Iranian analyst Mehdi Rahmati likened the strategy to a chess match, telling the newspaper that Iran’s proxy groups are “chess pieces” that must be deployed carefully at the right time and place to achieve the greatest effect.

According to the report, while Tehran coordinates the activities of Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi Shiite militias, the groups maintain varying levels of autonomy and are not under Iran’s complete control. Analysts said they nonetheless share the common objective of increasing pressure on the United States and Israel while expanding Iran’s influence throughout the region.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)