Rubio echoes Israeli role in US Iran attack despite denial | Donald Trump news

Washington, DC – On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided a looping justification for the US to launch a war against Iran: Israel is planning to strike Iran, which would prompt Tehran to strike US assets in the region, prompting Washington to launch preemptive strikes against Iran.

Even as US President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to retract the claims made by several officials in recent days, they continue to disappoint across the political spectrum.

Rubio’s statement is particularly striking given the assessment of many Iranian analysts that a US-Israeli war that led to regional retaliation by Iran would serve not Washington’s interests, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s.

Washington is seen as having outsized leverage over Israel, which has provided more than $300bn in military aid since 1948, including $21bn during Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Asked about Rubio’s remarks on Tuesday, Trump appeared to offer different characterizations, saying he started a war because he “felt we had a situation where we were under attack.”

“They (Iran) were getting ready to attack Israel. They are going to attack others,” he said.

The US president has spent the days since launching the initial strikes on Saturday arguing that the comprehensive threat posed by Iran justifies US-Israeli strikes, a position experts say violates both US and international law. The administration has provided little evidence that a planned attack on US assets or that Iran’s nuclear or ballistic programs pose an immediate threat.

Rubio tried to distance himself from his remarks on Monday, saying his words were taken out of context.

Rubio, in previous comments, pointed to the broader threat posed by Iran, including its ballistic missile and drone capabilities. But then he asked, “Why now?” He turned to the question

“We knew there was an Israeli move,” he told reporters. “We knew that would provoke attacks against American forces, and if we didn’t proactively go after them before they launched those attacks, we knew we would suffer more casualties.”

‘Awesome Entrance’

Tuesday’s shifting message is unlikely to overcome condemnation from Trump critics and supporters, including several influential figures within Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) base.

Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, told Al Jazeera that “what they basically admitted publicly was that the United States was captured by the Israelis.”

“The idea that the Israelis were going to do it anyway, and we had to do it too — if anything, there’s a really serious conversation here in the United States about U.S. and Israeli interests, and where they align and where they diverge,” Grieco said.

Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, asked in a post on X: “Why is America’s interest in arming and funding Israel to draw America into an unnecessary war?”

In an earlier post, he said Rubio’s reasoning for starting the war was “not even close to legal logic.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), meanwhile, called Rubio’s remarks on Monday a “stunning admission.”

In a statement, Rubio said “what was clear from the beginning: The United States did not attack Iran because Iran posed an imminent threat to our nation. We attacked under Israeli pressure for Israel’s benefit.”

The agency called on Congress to pass war authorization resolutions to curb Trump’s ability to wage war.

Vote for the leading war powers

Lawmakers have pledged to introduce the legislation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate this week, though it is likely to face an uphill battle amid Republican opposition.

Trump’s party maintains razor-thin majorities in both chambers, and most Republican lawmakers have rallied behind the war and reasons the administration has given for launching attacks.

War authorization resolutions require a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override a presidential veto, though advocates have long argued that gives lawmakers a chance to put their position on the record.

In a statement on Tuesday, progressive US Senator Bernie Sanders was among the lawmakers condemning the administration’s war.

“Netanyahu wanted war with Iran. Trump gave it to him,” Sanders said.

The Israeli prime minister, for more than two decades, has called for the overthrow of Iran’s government and has been a leading opponent of diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear program.

At the time, Netanyahu repeatedly maintained that Iran was on the immediate precipice of developing a nuclear weapon.

“American foreign and military policy should be decided by the American people,” Sanders wrote. “Not a far-right extremist Netanyahu government.”

Thomas Massey, the Republican representative who led the push for war powers, linked Rubio’s remarks to Trump’s “America First” pledges to prioritize domestic issues in the US.

“Before it’s over, the prices of gas, groceries, and virtually everything else are going to go up,” Massey posted on X. “The only winners in (the US) are defense company shareholders.”

“Worst thing he could say”

Several influential figures in Trump’s MAGA base said Rubio’s remarks further fueled growing discontent about the war.

Daily Wire podcaster Matt Walsh said Rubio “is saying we’re at war with Iran because Israel forced our hand. That’s basically the worst thing he could say.”

Responding to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s repetition of Rubio’s claims, former congressman and Trump attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz said: “In making these statements, it’s undeniably true, America looks like such a petitioner.”

Pro-Trump brothers Keith and Kevin Hodge, who run the Hodge Twins, an influential pro-Trump X account with 3.5 million followers, condemned the administration’s actions.

“We did not vote to send Americans to die for Israel’s wars,” he posted Tuesday. “We will not be silent about this.”

Ali Herb contributed reporting.