Anyone who thinks Iran would even be a contender in a conflict with the US is an idiot. The US would not invade but use airstrikes to destroy Iranian military infrastructure. The US would have air superiority the moment its jets take off and would eliminate Iran's traditional fighting capacity in under two weeks, and that is a stretch. The US would have no reason to put ground forces in Iran.
If Iran hit tankers, world opinion would go decisively against it. The US would then be able to build a coalition against Iran in the region, including KSA and other Gulf countries--who fear Iran much more than the US does (remember all the leaked cables from KSA and the Emirates urging the US to bomb Iran?).
Iran's best best is not to retaliate with force against the tankers but appeal to world opinion and play the sympathy card--something that would go a long way imo.
Anyone who thinks Iran would even be a contender in a conflict with the US is an idiot. The US would not invade but use airstrikes to destroy Iranian military infrastructure. The US would have air superiority the moment its jets take off and would eliminate Iran's traditional fighting capacity in under two weeks, and that is a stretch. The US would have no reason to put ground forces in Iran.
If Iran hit tankers, world opinion would go decisively against it. The US would then be able to build a coalition against Iran in the region, including KSA and other Gulf countries--who fear Iran much more than the US does (remember all the leaked cables from KSA and the Emirates urging the US to bomb Iran?).
Iran's best best is not to retaliate with force against the tankers but appeal to world opinion and play the sympathy card--something that would go a long way imo.