United States President Donald Trump “might have forced Israel’s hand” to strike the Iranian regime, he stated during a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday.
Trump’s comment came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday evening that Israel had already planned a preemptive strike on the Islamic Republic – a move that would have triggered retaliation against US troops in the region and prompted the US to launch Operation Epic Fury.
“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that they 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,” Rubio told reporters.
During the press conference, Trump also claimed that the US operation against the Iranian regime had knocked out Iran’s air force, navy, and air defense, echoing a claim the president posted to his Truth Social account that morning.
“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. I felt strongly about that,” he said of the strikes on Iran. “It’s something that had to be done.”
Germany on 'same page' as US on Iranian regime
Merz stated that Germany is “on the same page in getting rid of the terrible regime in Iran.” Trump said Germany was letting US forces land in “certain areas,” but that the US was not asking Germany to provide troops.
Spain, by contrast, has not cooperated with US operations regarding Iran, according to Trump. He added that he told US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to “clear off all dealings” with Spain after their response to the operation.
When asked about potential new leadership in Iran after the assassination of the previous Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump stated that the US first has to “finish off” Iran’s military, and then “we’ll see what happens.”
Reuters contributed to this report.