US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the Trump administration ordered pre-emptive strikes on Iran because Israel was determined to attack Tehran, and the US believed American forces would be targeted in retaliation. Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Rubio said: “It was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone – the United States or Israel or anyone – they were going to respond, and respond against the United States.”
The explanation came during a closed-door briefing for members of Congress on Monday evening, led by Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine. The briefing precedes a House vote on a war powers resolution that could force President Donald Trump to end hostilities against Iran. Rubio added: “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 pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”
Vice-President JD Vance said in a Fox News interview that the US aim was to ensure “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon”. Since the conflict began, the US and Israel have carried out waves of airstrikes across Iran, killing several top military and political leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks against US-aligned countries. The US military has acknowledged six service member deaths, while the Iranian Red Crescent Society reports over 500 fatalities.
Reactions to the administration’s rationale split along party lines. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it “Trump’s war” and “a war of choice”, saying the briefing raised more questions than it answered. Senator Mark Warner, Democratic vice-chair of the intelligence committee, expressed concern that equating a threat to Israel with an imminent threat to the US sets a dangerous precedent. Republicans defended the strikes, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that Iran was developing underground sites for ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons that would become immune to attack within months.
