Trump 47/maybe 45 is back at what he likes to do — telling enemies, real or potential, that they need to quit what they’re doing, and if not, he knows where they are. Knowing where they are, of course, implies that he can take them out if he so chooses.
Today the president carried out his playbook to the hilt, demanding Iran surrender and warning the Ayatollah Khamenei that he knows where he’s hiding. He also boasted that the U.S. has total air superiority over the nation.
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His statement, on the surface at least, seemed a departure from his earlier stance that Israel was acting on its own. Saying the U.S. owned the skies over Iran certainly implied some level of future participation, at least potentially.
Of course, demanding surrender also implies that the U.S. is the conqueror or co-conqueror of the Islamic state. Saying he knew the whereabouts of the Ayatollah also implied some possible action, such as eliminating the man.
Trump has no intention of taking out the Ayatollah, but he might well take out Fordow, the Iranian underground nuclear facilitiy.
What Trump is doing is what he did in his first term with the Taliban leader when he was negotiating a withdrawal from Afghanistan, implying at the time that the Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar might be taken out if he didn’t meet Trump’s demands.
Of course, COVID put a hold on Trump’s plans, and then his successor, Presidential Surrogate Joe Biden, withdrew U.S. forces with no conditions.
That’s the background. Trump is probably hoping to get Iran to agree to give up the war and then abandon its nuclear weaponry ambitions.
Frankly, I doubt the Ayatollah would ever agree to such a scenario, so good luck, Mr. President, Better be prepared to carry out your threats.