[jacquesm]

> I have learned to never take him literally at his word.

So far his words seem to have been pretty good predictors for his future actions. Maybe not always in the same order and/or with the intended effect. But the list of stuff he said he would do compared with the list of stuff he said he would do but didn't do is changing day-by-day and for some of those things he didn't do the clock hasn't run out yet. I think you ignore these kinds of statements at your peril when means, motive and opportunity are a fact.

[Bender]

I suppose I agree with that. If he's taking out 90 million civilians that would be by far the most extreme action and this assumes people follow orders. He did recently purge a few generals. Purge as in fired, not Xi-stinguished. I don't know to what end this would accomplish anything. A strong message to China? What would be the point in removing the cost burden of the Iranian government that is their civilians? Purge Muslims? There are something like 2 billion so it can't be that. What other reasons might there be? Untrained and inexperienced civilians offer little benefit to their existing IRGC that I can see. They are all soft targets and a cost to Iran's government.

He's bluffed in the past. Some call it taco, I call it a bluff. All entirely expected from a former real-estate empire builder.

T-minus 6 and a half hours.

[Bender]

Twas a bluff. China talked him out of it.