US war against Iran would 'not last very long:' Trump

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he hopes the US does not go to war with Iran but if it did, America's use of force would be overwhelming.

In an interview on Fox Business News, Trump was asked if America is going to go to war with Iran.

"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. It wouldn't last very long, I can tell you that. And I'm not talking boots on the ground," Trump said amid acute tensions between the two countries.

In the current crisis with Iran, exacerbated by its downing of an unmanned US spy drone last week, Trump has at turns sounded tough or conciliatory -- talking up US military might and saying all options are on the table, or offering Tehran talks on renegotiating the multi-party nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from last year.

That step is widely seen as the genesis of steadily declining relations between the two countries over the past year.