Now that conjecture on your part. You're assuming to know what Trump had in mind. The reasonable deduction available here is from what he actually said and his actual reaction.
You're connecting two actions where there's no causality. Hajizadeh"s eventual confirmation, of Iran's choice of action, has no bearing on the matter because you have, once again, no idea why they chose that course of action. You're just speculating.
Trumps words were if Iran took ANY action then he would in turn retaliate severely against Iran. He did not. This what we know. Why he did not is only speculation.
The Pentagon sought to distance itself from the president’s comments, saying the US will ‘follow the laws of armed conflict’
www.theguardian.com