Tehran Promises “Regrettable” Retaliation as Iranian Government Braces for U.S.-Israeli Onslaught

“We will give a comprehensive and regrettable response to any aggression.” This promise from foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei is the cornerstone of the Iranian defense strategy as the USS Abraham Lincoln moves into position. The Iranian government is bracing for a strike by attempting to make the “price of admission” for a U.S. attack so high that President Trump will once again pull back from the brink.
This “regrettable response” would likely involve the use of Iran’s massive missile inventory and its “terrorist-like” proxy networks across the region. By threatening “insecurity for everyone,” Tehran is signaling that they are willing to burn the entire Middle East to save their own leadership. The Iranian government is bracing for a strike while holding the world’s energy supply as a “hostage,” a tactic they have used successfully for decades.
However, the “massive fleet” arriving in the region suggests that the U.S. is no longer deterred by these threats. The upcoming military exercises are designed to show that the U.S. can “sustain combat airpower” even in the face of a regional counter-attack. The Iranian government is bracing for a war where their “regrettable response” might be met with an even more regrettable “peanuts” doctrine from the White House.
The internal death toll—already over 5,000—shows that the regime is already carrying out a “comprehensive and regrettable” response against its own people. This domestic violence has destroyed any international sympathy for Tehran’s “sovereignty” arguments. The Iranian government is bracing for a strike that is increasingly seen as a necessary intervention to stop a “state-sponsored civil war” before it begins.
As the carrier group holds its position in the Mediterranean, the “regrettable response” threat is the only thing standing between the status quo and a full-scale assault. The Iranian government is bracing for a final confrontation, but in a world of 60% inflation and 27,000 detainees, they may find that the “regrets” are all theirs.