"Well, I hope we don't, but we're in a very strong position if something should happen, we're in a very strong position," President Trump told the Fox Business Channel's Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday.
"It wouldn't last very long, I can tell you that. It would not last very long. And I'm not talking boots on the ground. I'm not talking we're going to send a million soldiers. I'm just saying if something would happen, wouldn't last very long.
Comment: That's debatable. Iran's policy at the moment is to retaliate upon launch of an attack on Iran. That means the instant they detect American missiles headed their way, they will launch attacks on American targets (among others) in the region. And even if the Americans are able to take out a majority of Iranian weapons systems, the war will likely spread, for example, to Israel. See: Russia reinforces Iranian air defense, mobilizes advisers for support
Trump said he's been "very nice" to the Iranians:
"They shot down our drone, I decided not to kill a lot of Iranians. I know a lot of Iranians. I like Iranians so much. And that plays into the decision, too. They're human beings. They're people. I didn't want to kill 150 people when they shot down an unmanned drone, so I didn't do that."
Comment: The Trump-Bolton strategy isn't working, and it won't work. Sanctions and threats will not help. And the U.S. hasn't proven itself trustworthy in negotiations. So Khamenei is justified in saying the following:
And the U.S. can't count on a coalition of willing allies as they did when they invaded Iraq. For instance: