Eight months have passed since Operation ‘With All Its Might’, during which Iran attempted to operate away from the spotlight. Under international diversionary tactics, the terror regime engaged in repairing damaged nuclear infrastructure, accelerated missile production, continued to fund, train, and arm its proxies based on Israel’s borders, and simultaneously dealt with a severe civil crisis that escalated into widespread protests.
This is how the sequence of Iranian actions unfolded, leading to the launch of ‘Roar of the Lion’ – a broad, joint operation by the IDF and the US military to fundamentally strike the terror regime and remove existential threats to Israel over time.
Sealing Tunnels and Concealing Nuclear Reconstruction
On the last day of ‘With All Its Might’, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, admitted to the significant damage caused to nuclear infrastructure: “Arrangements have been made to advance the reconstruction of the country’s nuclear industry. We are conducting damage assessments following the hits to nuclear infrastructure.”
From that point on, Iran began a process of turning the physical damage into a catalyst for reconstruction and acceleration of its programs. Across the country, an extensive engineering operation was conducted to seal tunnel entrances at nuclear facilities. The entrances to the underground facilities were covered with enormous piles of earth, using trucks and heavy engineering equipment that operated from nearby staging areas. The goal was twofold: protection from future attacks – and concealment of reconstruction efforts.
For example, at a site hit by Israeli strikes in Isfahan, a new roof was built for a damaged structure between December ’25 and January ’26. According to the revealed information, its reconstruction was intended to allow continued development and repair while camouflaging and reducing exposure.
Expanding the Ballistic Missile Array – and Opening a Sanctions Circumvention Channel
In parallel with nuclear activities, over the past eight months, the Revolutionary Guards’ ballistic missile production has continued at pace, with further preparations and arrangements for a significant increase in scope.
Throughout these months, sanctions-circumventing supply chains were established, in an attempt to restore the stock of solid fuel for missiles – a critical component for launch capability. These efforts were made through the import of planetary mixers, essential industrial equipment for solid fuel production, from foreign countries.
These moves were carried out with concealment and reliance on complex intermediary mechanisms designed to bypass international monitoring limitations. This includes the ‘snapback’ mechanism, which involves various restrictions and sanctions in the security and economic spheres, including a ban on the development and production of ballistic missiles.
Continued Funding of Terror Proxies – Alongside Economic Crisis
Iranian policy has been characterized by an attempt to present commitment and willingness to cooperate, while concealing actual ongoing armament. The gap between public statements and on-the-ground activity has widened, indicating a deliberate strategy of phased reconstruction under the guise of diplomatic discourse.
In addition, Iran has been experiencing a severe economic crisis in recent years, reflected in a currency devaluation of tens of percent, rising food prices, and a significant portion of the population living below the poverty line. All of these have intensified public pressure for change.
Following the expansion of protest waves across the country, the regime employed violent suppression methods against them. These included the deployment of large military and police forces, a complete shutdown of internet services, and live fire towards protesters.
In January and February ’26, the suppression reached its peak, with thousands of Iranian citizens killed in events described as unprecedented in scope – a move intended, according to estimates, to stabilize the regime in the face of economic collapse and spreading protests.
Alongside the suppression of protesters demonstrating against the economic situation, the regime continued to transfer billions of dollars to its terror proxies across the Middle East. The Houthis in Yemen have positioned themselves as a significant arm of the Iranians, while they have made efforts to arm them through maritime proximity between the countries.
Further economic focus was directed towards forces in Iraq and the international terror networks of the Quds Force within the Revolutionary Guards, which were nurtured and grew. Significant emphasis was placed on Hezbollah, which was significantly harmed in the war against Israel, and substantial sums of money were sent to rebuild its strength.
The combination of accelerated reconstruction of nuclear infrastructure, the ballistic missile arsenal, and sanctions circumvention has created a new reality in the Iranian arena. These trends led to the decision to launch Operation ‘Roar of the Lion’, with the aim of halting the armament process and thwarting further progress.