What the Trump administration says about why it went to war with Iran

The Trump administration says it is "laser focused" and mission driven in its attacks on Iran, but messaging from President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been varied and sometimes at odds.

“What the Trump administration says about why it went to war with Iran The Trump administration says it is "laser focused" and mission driven in its attacks on Iran, but messaging from President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been varied”

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Trump threatened military action on a Jan. 2 Truth Social post if Iran "shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters."

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He later urged demonstrators to "keep protesting" and said "Help is on its way."

After launching initial strikes on Feb. 28, Trump again pointed to the number of protesters killed as a rationale for going to war, though the White House has not listed protesters among the top reasons for striking when pressed.

Administration officials have offered multiple justifications for the strikes: to stop Iran's support for proxy groups across the region, to degrade its nuclear program and to blunt a growing ballistic missile threat.

Trump said during a March 3 meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that "Something had to be done" and claimed U.S. strikes in June on three key nuclear sites, including Fordo, had rendered them "completely and totally obliterated."

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A U.S. official later said the strikes set Iran's program back "a few months," undercutting Trump's claim.

Trump also asserted Iran would have had a nuclear weapon in two weeks without U.S. action.

The president and Defense Secretary Hegseth warned of missiles capable of reaching the U.S.

The article notes that the Defense Intelligence Agency reported last spring that Iran would not be able to develop a long-range missile by 2035.

Officials disagreed about timing and broader goals.

“What the Trump administration says about why it went to war with Iran The Trump administration says it is "laser focused" and mission driven in its attacks on Iran, but messaging from President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been varied”

NPR

Secretary Rubio told reporters on March 2 that "We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action" and argued that preemptive U.S. strikes prevented higher casualties.

Rubio's comments drew criticism.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a phone call between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have impacted timing and that Trump "had a good feeling" Iran was going to strike U.S. assets.

Trump posted on March 6 that there will be "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"

Hegseth told reporters on March 2, "This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change and the world is better off for it."

The administration says its objectives include destroying Iran's ballistic missile program, preventing a nuclear weapon and stopping support for proxy networks, but its rhetoric has sometimes suggested regime change.

Senior officials said negotiations with Iran were not making headway, while Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who had been helping mediate talks, said negotiations were ongoing, said he was dismayed by the strikes and accused the U.S. of undermining serious negotiations.

These statements contradict each other on whether negotiations with Iran were making headway.