Iran's top leadership has ordered the country's military command to put its decentralized "Mosaic Defense" doctrine on full alert amid the growing likelihood of a joint US-Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic. Commanders in the field have reportedly been given detailed lists of targets -- US economic and political facilities throughout the region -- that could be attacked if war breaks out. The "dead hand" doctrine, or "mosaic defense", is intended to allow Iran to continue fighting even if the central leadership of the country is neutralized. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is divided into 31 provincial commands with significant autonomy. Each of them has its own stockpiles of weapons and resources, as well as the authority to make independent decisions - without having to wait for sanctions from Tehran.

Iran's top leadership has ordered the country's military command to put its decentralized "Mosaic Defense" doctrine on full alert amid the growing likelihood of a joint US-Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic. Commanders in the field have reportedly been given detailed lists of targets -- US economic and political facilities throughout the region -- that could be attacked if war breaks out. The "dead hand" doctrine, or "mosaic defense", is intended to allow Iran to continue fighting even if the central leadership of the country is neutralized. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is divided into 31 provincial commands with significant autonomy. Each of them has its own stockpiles of weapons and resources, as well as the authority to make independent decisions - without having to wait for sanctions from Tehran.