US President Donald Trump has boasted that a military confrontation with Iran would be a quick affair, but also said that this is something he doesn’t want.

Trump spoke about the possibility of invading Iran during an interview with Fox Business News on Wednesday. “I hope we don’t, but we’re in a very strong position if something should happen,” Trump said.

Less than a week earlier, reports emerged that US forces were poised to launch air strikes against targets inside Iran, before being canceled by Trump just 10 minutes beforehand. The strikes were to occur in response to Iran shooting down an unmanned US drone that Washington claims was in international airspace, something Iranian officials dispute. 

This follows rising tensions between the two nations. Earlier this month, two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman were attacked by unknown forces. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran but offered no definitive evidence to support the assertion.

Last year, Trump unilaterally pulled out of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which led to a re-imposition of sanctions on Iran, including on its oil sector. The move was widely criticized by other nations, including otherwise stalwart US allies in Western Europe. In response, the Iranian government no longer abides by some clauses of the agreement.

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