Like all his other claims of victory, this has proved nothing more than the deluded wishful thinking from the US president. Rezaei pointed out that the duplicity and bad faith in the Trump administration had been clear from the beginning. Rezaei said: ‘Trump demanded heavier strikes from the (US military’s Central Command) CENTCOM commanders because conditions for a ground operation had not been created.’ Rezaei warned that the Trump administration was already pursuing a fourth round of war by attempting to drag other countries into the conflict. He warned that America’s desperate manoeuvres risk igniting the sparks of a third world war, and that West Asia today holds far greater potential for escalation than Europe on the eve of World War II.