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Iran War: What happens if US President Donald Trump sends in US troops? | The Global Story

2026-04-02 News & Politics
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What happens if you simulate the different outcomes of the war in Iran? Since the beginning of the US-Israel war with Iran, people have been asking whether Donald Trump will launch a ground invasion. Roughly 10,000 additional US troops have now arrived in the Middle East, giving President Trump options ranging from an invasion of Kharg Island to an elaborate special forces operations to seize Iran’s so-called ‘nuclear dust’. For years, the Pentagon has simulated war games to try and plan for what might happen if the US went to war with Iran. Our guest, Ilan Goldenberg, was in the room during the Obama years, taking part in the games. He is a former White House Iran advisor. New episodes of The Global Story are released daily. If you’re in the UK, listen on BBC Sounds. If you live outside the UK, listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. LINK: https://app.magellan.ai/listen_links/the-global-story-ytl Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news #BBCNews #iranwar #trump 00:00 Introduction 01:00 What is wargaming? 02:35 How does a conflict between Iran and the US start? 08:51 What happens if Trump takes Kharg Island? 10:43 What happens if Trump puts forces on the ground in Iran? 14:45 What happens if there is a full scale invasion of Iran? 17:55 What happens when there's a regime change? 20:01 How do you de-escalate the war in Iran? 24:48 What will be the outcome in Iran?

Top Comments (10)

@terencechapman4349 2026-04-02

A speech by Trump... on All Fools Day?? 😂

109 4 replies
@harmony3138 2026-04-02

What happens is a lot of body bags coming back.

91 12 replies
@ar1818-l7x 2026-04-02

The bottom line is,no peace and ease for billions of common people of the world.

77 1 replies
@qizhang5042 2026-04-02

Does anyone believe TACO thinks before doing or even talking?

43 5 replies
@Hypno-phonz 2026-04-02

Trump thinks waging a reckless war will help him in the midterms more than being the notorious Taco-Man.

42 3 replies
@TheWoodstockWarrior 2026-04-02

“I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars,” declared presidential nominee Donald Trump in 2024

40 6 replies
@krg038 2026-04-02

Sadly trump doesn't care about the brave military men and women and neither does kegsbreath

38 1 replies
@topspin8294 2026-04-02

It's always the same thing. He hasn't said anything new for weeks... just the same old words. I don't even want to try to explain how true they are. In the US, we were incredibly annoyed by the constant repetition of his words and the expectation of his prime-time speech.

28 1 replies
@JensForTheWin 2026-04-02

I’m convinced these two are the same person. Just one version is with a shaved beard.

25 3 replies
@MrDanny762 2026-04-02

Why is the whole world silent on the threats given by Trump? Humanity is suffering because of an arrogant individual.

16 1 replies

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