Trump and Rubio Offer Conflicting Reasons for Iran War

White House scrambles to contain political firestorm over contradictory narratives about the unprovoked attacks.

Mar. 5, 2026 at 6:53pm

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US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have given two different explanations for Washington's attack on Iran. Trump claimed he ordered the strike because he believed Tehran was about to attack first, while Rubio said the US knew Israel was planning action and feared Iranian retaliation against American forces. The conflicting rationales have ignited fury among Trump's conservative base, with critics accusing the administration of misleading the public about being dragged into a war on Israel's behalf.

Why it matters

The contradictory reasons provided by top US officials for launching the war with Iran have raised questions about the true motivations and goals of the operation, as well as concerns that the White House may be downplaying Israel's role in precipitating the conflict.

The details

Trump said he ordered the strike because he believed Iran was about to attack first, while Rubio claimed the US knew Israel was planning action and feared Iranian retaliation against American forces. The conflicting narratives have sparked backlash from Trump's conservative supporters, who accuse the administration of misleading the public about being dragged into a war on Israel's behalf. Iranian officials have also condemned Rubio's admission that the US entered the war on Israel's behalf, with the foreign minister saying it proves there was never any 'Iranian threat'.

  • On Tuesday, Trump made his comments to reporters in the Oval Office.
  • A day earlier, on Monday, Rubio gave his account to reporters.

The players

Donald Trump

The President of the United States who ordered the attack on Iran.

Marco Rubio

The US Secretary of State who gave a different justification for the attack on Iran than Trump.

Abbas Araghchi

The Iranian Foreign Minister who condemned Rubio's comments admitting the US entered the war on Israel's behalf.

Richard Fontaine

A former adviser to the late Senator John McCain who warned that if the US doesn't know what it's fighting for, it won't know when to stop.

Mark Warner

A Democratic Senator who has received classified briefings on the operation and called on Trump to explain the real goal and exit plan.

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What they’re saying

“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.”

— Donald Trump, President of the United States

“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.”

— Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State

“he's flat out telling us that we're in a war with Iran because Israel forced our hand. This is basically the worst possible thing he could have said.”

— Matt Walsh, Conservative podcaster

“our government's job is not to look out for Iran or for Israel. It's to look out for us. And this feels very much to me like it is clearly Israel's war.”

— Megyn Kelly, Former Fox News host

“US has entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel. There was never any so-called Iranian 'threat'.”

— Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Foreign Minister

What’s next

Democratic Senator Mark Warner has called on President Trump to go before Congress and explain 'what is the real goal' of the campaign against Iran and 'what is our exit plan'.

The takeaway

The conflicting narratives from top US officials about the reasons for launching the war with Iran have raised serious doubts about the true motivations and goals of the operation, as well as concerns that the White House may be downplaying Israel's role in precipitating the conflict.