General Discussion

And that would be an absolute nightmare in one of the most geographically defensible nations on earth. Iran is bigger than most of Western Europe combined. Don't let Mercator maps fool you. Donnie wants a quick win anyway. Israel, as usual, wants the blood of Americans to serve its greater political purposes. With Donnie's basic inclinations and the Pentagon telling him invasion is fucking nuts, quick win will probably win. Mission accomplished. Not. The regime is still in place with even more incentive to go nuclear at some point.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/dont-try-it-invading-iran-just-isnt-option-196883

Invasion is really off the table. It's nuts on its face. Iran is ringed by swamps, mountains and deserts. Nearly all of the populated areas are in the north of the Iranian plateau. A hell of a long way from the Persian Gulf coast or the western approaches through Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Iraq.

Eastern approaches are off limits. Afghan / Pakistan hot war currently under way, and a logistical nightmare of biblical proportions even if it wasn't. And again, a hell of a long way from the populace north.

The only really viable route is Saddam's in the Iran Iraq War but even that is difficult logistically and geographically, requiring total control the Persian Gulf, and is, once again, a hell of a long way from Tehran. Regardless, Iraq wants no part of this. Yep, there is a pattern here. Iran possesses strategic depth and formidable geography in spades.

And the populace isn't going to rise up. The regime is heavily embedded in Iranian daily life. More so than the Baath Party was in Iraq. The opposition is small and fragmented, disliking each other as much as the regime. And indiscriminate bombing does tend to make the locals put aside their differences for a while.