Merve Berker
04 March 2026•Update: 05 March 2026
ANKARA
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back against growing questions over differing public explanations about why the US joined Israeli strikes on Iran, media reports said Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that it was his opinion that Iran was preparing to strike US interests in the region and that he “might” have forced Israel’s hand to launch strikes last Saturday morning, according to The Hill.
That appeared to contrast with Rubio’s remarks a day earlier, when he said the US “knew there was going to be an Israeli action” and chose to join from an offensive position rather than wait to respond defensively.
The White House rejected suggestions of any contradiction, and Rubio sought to clarify his position during a briefing on Capitol Hill.
“Let me answer because this is my press conference,” Rubio said during a tense exchange.
“I was asked very specifically … did we go in because of Israel? I said no, this had to happen anyway,” he stressed.
His previous remarks stated: “We knew there was going to be an Israeli action … and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”
‘Did US delegate decision to go to war to another country?’
At least six US troops have been killed since attacks on Iran by Israel and the US began last weekend.
Senator Angus King, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, called Rubio’s remarks “breathtaking.”
“Have we now delegated the most solemn decision that can be made in our society, the decision to go to war, to another country?” King asked during a Senate Armed Services hearing.
US critics and commentators have faulted Trump for failing to make the public case for going to war with Iran as well as for not seeking congressional approval, as the US Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war.
Asked whether evacuation plans were in place before the strikes for thousands of travelers stranded in the Mideast due to restricted airspace and airport closures, Rubio said, “That’s the plan we’re trying to carry out,” adding that airspace closures pose a “challenge.”
The State Department said Tuesday it was examining options including chartered flights and military evacuations.
Since Saturday, joint US-Israeli strikes have killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tehran has responded with drone and missile attacks targeting US-linked sites in Gulf countries.
According to the Iranian Red Crescent, the death toll from US and Israeli airstrikes since Saturday rose to 555.
