Iran warns against any U.S. strike as judiciary hints at unrest-linked executions
Regional stability hinges on credible deterrence and strategic partnerships with key allies.
The usual framing treats Tehran’s threats as if they’re a normal deterrence message in a rough neighborhood. But when a regime pairs “harsh response” warnings with hints of protest-linked executions, it’s not signaling stability. It’s signaling fear, and asking the West to look away.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
Iran’s president warned on Sunday that any U.S. strike would trigger a “harsh response” from Tehran after an Iranian official in the region said at least 5,000 people — including about 500 security personnel — had been killed in nationwide protests.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
The usual framing treats Tehran’s threats as if they’re a normal deterrence message in a rough neighborhood. But when a regime pairs “harsh response” warnings with hints of protest-linked executions, it’s not signaling stability. It’s signaling fear, and asking the West to look away.
What’s missing in much of the coverage is how this pattern works: external bluster to raise the cost of American action, internal terror to raise the cost of Iranian dissent. That should sharpen, not soften, our judgment. Public trust in U.S. policy erodes when we pretend these are separate issues.
A serious America First posture means national security without naïveté, and credible deterrence without impulsiveness. Above all, rule of law matters, including for regimes that mock it. The principle at stake is whether threats and executions get rewarded with caution, or met with clarity.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.