This photograph taken during a tour for foreign media shows an Iranian national flag installed on the Beheshti Mosque that was damaged during recent public protests, in Tehran. AFP
Speaking at a cultural event in the northwestern city of Oroumiyeh, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Deputy Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said Iran would respond decisively to any “adventurism” by its adversaries.
“Iran is ready to respond in a regret-inducing manner to any hostile move by the enemies,” Vahidi said, noting that Iran’s defensive and deterrent capabilities have grown stronger since the 12-day war in June 2025, during which Israel, backed by the United States, carried out strikes on Iranian targets.
Vahidi said the adversaries had pursued a “complex and comprehensive plan,” including cognitive warfare and combined operations, expecting to defeat Iran. “But the outcome was the opposite,” he said. Iran emerged from the conflict “more powerful than before,” while fighters from the regular army and IRGC became “more capable and resolute.”
On Sunday, authorities unveiled a mural in Tehran’s Enghelab Square showing an aircraft carrier with damaged fighter jets and a slogan: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.” The image was widely interpreted as a warning to the United States as the USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying warships moved toward the region.
IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour warned the United States and Israel to learn from past events “to avoid a more painful fate,” declaring that Iran’s forces are at the highest level of readiness in their history, with “the finger on the trigger.”
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that an “armada” was heading toward Iran, while expressing hope that force would not be necessary. “We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it. But it’s going, just in case,” Trump told reporters.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and three destroyers have moved from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, bringing about 5,700 additional personnel to the region.
The UK has deployed Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar, and analysts have tracked increased US military cargo flights.
Several US allies in the Middle East have urged restraint. Officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar warned that a US strike could destabilize the region and disrupt the global economy. France’s Armed Forces Minister Alice Rufo also cautioned against military action, saying it was “up to the Iranian people to rid themselves of this regime.”
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