The United States launched pre-emptive strikes against Iran because Israel was determined to attack Tehran and American forces would have been targeted in retaliation, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said. The explanation for Washington's surprise entry into the conflict drew divided reactions from top members of Congress during a classified briefing on Monday evening.
Rubio, along with CIA director John Ratcliffe and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Dan Caine, briefed lawmakers behind closed doors ahead of a vote on a war powers resolution. '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,' Rubio told reporters at the Capitol. He added that Washington knew Israel would act, that this would provoke an attack on US forces, and that pre-emptive action would reduce casualties.
Vice-President JD Vance said on Fox News that the aim was to ensure Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, a goal President Donald Trump has emphasised. Since the conflict began, the US and Israel have conducted 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 members killed, while the Iranian Red Crescent Society reports more than 500 deaths in Iran.
Reactions split along party lines. Senate Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer called it 'Trump's war' and 'a war of choice' with no strategy or endgame, saying the briefing raised more questions than answers. Mark Warner, Democratic vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee, expressed concern about allowing Israel to force the US into a new war, stating there was no imminent threat to America. In contrast, Republicans defended the administration's actions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Iran had been building new underground sites to protect its ballistic missile and atomic bomb programmes, arguing that action had to be taken now. Trump has outlined various goals including destroying Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and navy, preventing a nuclear weapon, and cutting off Tehran's support for proxies. However, Rubio mentioned only the first two objectives. Warner said he was unsure of the president's endgame.
