President Donald Trump said Friday that regime change in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen,” signaling a tougher stance toward Tehran as additional U.S. military assets deploy to the region.
“For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking, and in the meantime, we’ve lost a lot of lives while they talk,” Trump said. He referenced long-standing tensions and injuries suffered by American service members over the years, adding that “tremendous power has arrived” in the region and that “another carrier is going out.”
#BREAKING: President Trump today said regime change in #Iran “would be the best thing that could happen. For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we’ve lost a lot of lives while they talk. Legs blown off, arms blown off, faces blown off. We’ve… pic.twitter.com/SVtF3MDaU8
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) February 13, 2026
The remarks come as analysts assess the aftermath of a recent 12-day conflict that significantly altered Iran’s strategic position. According to policy experts at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, Tehran is emerging from the conflict weakened in some respects, but potentially more dangerous in others.
Blaise Misztal, JINSA’s vice president for policy, argued that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back substantially following what he described as last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer, which targeted key enrichment facilities. “Their nuclear program is back to zero — and they aren’t reinvesting,” Misztal said. Instead, analysts claim, Tehran has redirected resources toward missile development.
Ari Cicurel, associate director of foreign policy at JINSA, said Iran’s ballistic missile program has advanced in both scale and sophistication. He estimated that Iran began the recent conflict with approximately 2,500 medium-range ballistic missiles and has already rebuilt its stockpile to roughly 2,000. That number does not include thousands of short-range ballistic missiles also believed to be in Iran’s arsenal.
Defense analysts also point to evolving tactics. Rather than relying on single-system attacks, Iran has reportedly shifted toward combined assaults using suicide drones, short-range missiles, and medium-range ballistic missiles in coordinated waves designed to overwhelm air defenses. During the recent fighting, the United States is estimated to have expended roughly 150 THAAD interceptors, about 25% of its stockpile, according to JINSA fellow Jonathan Ruhe, who warned it could take up to 18 months to replenish.
Iranian officials, meanwhile, publicly deny that Tehran is seeking confrontation. In an interview on PBS NewsHour, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, “No human person of common sense welcomes war. No one wants war,” portraying Iran as a nation responding to external pressure rather than driving escalation.
The gap between Washington’s assessments and Tehran’s messaging underscores the tension facing U.S. policymakers. Iran’s nuclear timeline may have been disrupted, but its conventional strike capabilities appear to be recovering rapidly. Trump’s comments indicate little patience for a status quo in which Tehran signals diplomacy while rebuilding military capacity. Whether renewed talks or further escalation follows remains an open question for the region.
The post Trump Calls For Iranian Regime Change As Tehran Revamps Missile Arsenal appeared first on Real News Now.
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