U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 3, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Many critics of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to go to war with Iran are saying that he failed to adequately explain his motivations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attempted an explanation on Monday, March 2, telling reporters that tensions between Iran and Israel played a key role in the decision — and suggesting that Trump acted because of Israel.
But now, according to The New Republic's Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, Rubio "ate his own words" and is backtracking and trying to distance himself from his own statement.
"During a visit on Capitol Hill Monday," Houghtaling explains in an article published on March 4, "Rubio suggested that the U.S. jumped to action due to intelligence that indicated Israel was going to strike Iran. U.S. involvement was, according to Rubio, necessary to thwart retaliation against U.S. interests. ... But that was apparently not the pitch that Trump approved. Responding to questions from reporters at the White House the following day, the president rejected any indication that Israel had pushed the White House to act."
On March 3, when a reporter asked Trump, "Did Israel force your hand?," he responded, "No. I might have forced their hand. We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. They were going to attack. If we didn't do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that."
Later that day, Houghtaling notes, Rubio "changed his tune" and sounded "noticeably more stressed" than on the previous day.
A reporter told Rubio, "Yesterday, you told us that Israel was going to strike Iran and that's why we needed to get involved" — to which he defensively responded, "Your statement is false…. This had to happen anyway. The president made a decision, and the decision he made was that Iran was not going to be allowed to hide behind its ballistic missile program…. That decision had been made…. That's what I said yesterday."