Description
This paper aims to explain Iran's increasingly assertive use of offensive cyber operations (OCOs) and their integration into its military strategy. It suggests that the upward trajectory of Iranian OCOs is best understood through strategic alignment—namely the convergence between Iran's cyber behavior and the logics of asymmetry, ambiguity, escalation control, and strategic depth which have long defined Iranian strategic thinking. To assess the plausibility of this explanation, the paper discusses empirical evidence drawn from three cases of Iranian OCOs: those targeting Israel's water infrastructure in 2020, Albania's government websites in 2022, and the June 2025 War between Iran and Israel. The paper concludes that the practice of cyber operations corroborates the strategic alignment argument as a plausible explanation for the rise in Iranian OCOs and their integration in the country's military strategy. It also illustrates the limits of Tehran's ability to integrate OCOs into fast-paced wartime operations.
