Washington, United States. President Donald Trump said he ordered US forces to join Israel’s attack on Iran because he believed Iran was about to strike the United States, offering his latest explanation amid conflicting administration accounts.
Trump’s explanation for US involvement
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said he believed Iran was preparing to attack first and suggested US action influenced Israel’s decision-making.
“I might have forced their [Israel’s] hand,” Trump said. “We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. If we didn’t do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that.”
Rubio’s account differs on rationale
Trump’s account differed from remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told reporters on Monday that the United States acted out of concern that Iran would retaliate against American forces after a planned Israeli action against Tehran.
“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Rubio said.
Talks in Geneva and lack of evidence cited
Trump said he believed Iran was on the brink of launching attacks after US negotiations with Iran last Thursday in Geneva, though he presented no evidence to support his view. Iran described those talks as positive and said more were planned in the days ahead.
“It’s something that had to be done,” Trump said, answering reporters’ questions in a public setting for the first time since the US attacks began. He previously discussed the attacks in two brief videos and in one-on-one interviews with select journalists over the weekend, but did not deliver a televised address to the nation.
Oil prices and conflict impacts
Trump said he could live with higher oil prices for a period of time, saying it was more important to remove what he described as an imminent threat from Iran. Gasoline prices in the United States have risen due to uncertainty about oil supplies as the conflict continues.
Military claims and Iran’s response
Trump said the war effort had been successful against Iranian naval and air targets, stating, “Just about everything has been knocked out.”
Iran has responded by firing missiles and drones at neighboring Arab states and restricting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for energy trade. Trump said Tehran would eventually lose its ability to continue launching missiles due to sustained attacks.
How do you assess the differing explanations from Trump and Rubio for the US decision to join the attacks on Iran?
