Iran spent the two months since it signed a memorandum of understanding to halt hostilities with the US preparing for ramped-up fighting rather than diplomacy, according to a Sunday night report.

The 60-day negotiation period set in the MOU, which Israel isn’t party to, expires on Monday, with the sides having failed to make progress toward ending the war, instead engaging in intermittent bouts of fresh fighting.

The Wall Street Journal, citing Iranian and Arab officials, said Tehran believed the US and Israel were themselves merely buying time for a future attack, while allowing the global economy to recover from the pressure of the previous round of fighting.

Therefore, over the past 60 days, Iran has ramped up production of missiles and drones and tapped hardline figures to key positions, the report said.

The WSJ report asserted that Arab intelligence officials have pointed to a “strategic shift” among Iranian leadership to “get their forces ready to widen the war.”

Mohammad Hassan Sangtarash, a Tehran-based defense analyst, told the newspaper that “there is also a widespread view in Iran that the main war has not yet begun.”

Israel launched its campaign against Iran on February 28, alongside the US, to degrade the Iranian regime’s military capabilities, tackle threats posed by Iran — including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs — and “create the conditions” for the Iranian people to topple the regime, Israeli leaders said.

Since the ceasefire under the June MOU deal........

© The Times of Israel