By Jake Tapper, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump told CNN in a nine-minute phone interview Monday morning that the US military is “knocking the crap” out of Iran – but the “big wave” is yet to come.
“We’re knocking the crap out of them,” Trump told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “I think it’s going very well. It’s very powerful. We’ve got the greatest military in the world and we’re using it.”
Trump addressed a wide range of topics in the interview, including the expected length of the conflict, his surprise at Iran’s widespread retaliation and the country’s expected succession plan.
On how long the war might last, the president said, “I don’t want to see it go on too long. I always thought it would be four weeks. And we’re a little ahead of schedule.”
Asked if the US is doing more beyond the military assault to help the Iranian people regain control of their country from the regime, Trump said, “Yes.”
“We are indeed. But right now we want everyone staying inside. It’s not safe out there.”
And it’s about to get even less safe, the president said.
“We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.”
The ‘biggest surprise’ so far
So far, the president said, “the biggest surprise” has been Iran’s attacks against Arab countries in the region: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates
“We were surprised,” Trump said. “We told them, ‘We’ve got this,’ and now they want to fight. And they’re aggressively fighting. They were going to be very little involved and now they insist on being involved.”
Of the Arab leaders, the president told CNN, “I know these people. They’re tough and smart.”
The Iranians, he said, “shot into a hotel, they shot into an apartment house. It just made them angry. They love us, but they were watching. There was no reason for them to be involved.”
Of Iran’s attacks on them, he said “that was probably the biggest surprise.”
Trump pointed to the Iranian nuclear threat as having been a major issue in the region for some time.
“You have to understand, they were living under that dark cloud for years. That’s why you could never have peace,” he said.
Succession in Iran
On who might emerge to lead Iran, Trump said, “We don’t know who the leadership is. We don’t know who they’ll pick. Maybe they’ll get lucky and get someone who knows what they’re doing.”
The Iranians, he said, lost “a lot in terms of leadership” because of the initial strikes.
“Forty-nine people,” Trump said. “It was an amazing strike.”
“They got a little bit arrogant” by meeting all in one place, he added. “They thought they were undetectable. They weren’t undetectable. We were shocked by it.”
Trump said it was unclear who was now leading the country.
“They don’t even know who’s leading them now,” Trump said. “We went down 49” Iranian leaders.
“Those were the leaders, and some of them were being considered,” Trump said. But with more than four dozen killed, “we don’t know who’s leading the country now. They don’t know who’s leading. It’s a little like the unemployment line.”
‘We couldn’t make a deal with these people’
The presiden