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groundloop

(13,959 posts)
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 09:15 AM Mar 2026

US strikes on Iran triggered by Israel's plan to launch attack, Rubio says

Source: The Guardian

Israel’s determination to attack Iran and the certainty that US troops would be targeted in response forced the Trump administration to take pre-emptive strikes, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said, in a new explanation for Washington’s surprise entry into the conflict.

[.....]

Rubio; the CIA director, John Ratcliffe; and joint chiefs of staff, chair Dan Caine; spoke to the lawmakers behind closed doors in the Capitol ahead of a vote expected later this week in the House of Representatives on a war powers resolution that presents an unlikely opportunity to force Trump to end hostilities against Iran.

“It was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone – the United States or Israel or anyone – they were going to respond, and respond against the United States,” Rubio told reporters at the Capitol.

“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/02/rubio-us-attack-israel-iran

30 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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US strikes on Iran triggered by Israel's plan to launch attack, Rubio says (Original Post) groundloop Mar 2026 OP
Putin isn't the only person who has a copy of the Epstein files. gab13by13 Mar 2026 #1
Or the pee-pee tapes......... Bengus81 Mar 2026 #7
So Netanyahu is now controlling our foreign policy. Lonestarblue Mar 2026 #2
He has, Israel has for decades controlled the US foreign policy LiberalArkie Mar 2026 #15
O... a NEW excuse for why we started a war with Iran. Is this the third or fourth excuse now? Multichromatic Mar 2026 #3
But wait! It gets better ...before it would've gotten worse before it did so we did underpants Mar 2026 #4
An ultimatum to Israel would have been a far more effective way to "preempt" the entire horror show. pat_k Mar 2026 #21
Israel has the ends, the US has the means. ProudMNDemocrat Mar 2026 #5
the end is neigh Whip-poor-will Mar 2026 #6
You see, our closest ally Israel, the most moral country on Earth, was going to attack preemptively Prairie Gates Mar 2026 #8
See post 21 pat_k Mar 2026 #22
hem. AllaN01Bear Mar 2026 #9
Oh Little Marco...we don't believe you! N/T tonekat Mar 2026 #10
Throwing excuses against the wall to see what sticks. DavidDvorkin Mar 2026 #11
Israel has attacked its neighbors before w/o our intervention Historic NY Mar 2026 #12
DOW down almost 1100 points right now. Or...$1100.00 in Bondi "I don't know what the hell Bengus81 Mar 2026 #13
Don't forget Poland! fujiyamasan Mar 2026 #20
Is the Dow low enough to investigate people named in the Epstein files? IronLionZion Mar 2026 #30
What a bunch of hooey Bayard Mar 2026 #14
Why does this blame game sound familiar? sarisataka Mar 2026 #16
Trump says otherwise DavidDvorkin Mar 2026 #17
Reminds me of the Iraq war. colorado_ufo Mar 2026 #18
Using this logic, ISRAEL WAS THE IMMINENT THREAT, not Iran. AZ8theist Mar 2026 #19
Rubio must have some really good weed. Uncle Joe Mar 2026 #23
I think it's more than weed. llmart Mar 2026 #24
The Real Thing? Uncle Joe Mar 2026 #25
Yep. llmart Mar 2026 #26
Trump assuredly wouldn't like Rubio saying this as it makes him look weak. David__77 Mar 2026 #27
Smart people saying stupid things makes me sick. mwb970 Mar 2026 #28
no one in tRUMP's admin. should be believed in anything they say or do. Period. tRUMP lies on everything. Everything. SWBTATTReg Mar 2026 #29

Lonestarblue

(13,578 posts)
2. So Netanyahu is now controlling our foreign policy.
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 09:27 AM
Mar 2026

I'm sure he's thrilled to finally have the US military as his personal attack dog.

underpants

(197,394 posts)
4. But wait! It gets better ...before it would've gotten worse before it did so we did
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 09:59 AM
Mar 2026

SECRETARY RUBIO: The United States conducted this operation with a very clear goal in mind. I haven�t gotten a chance to see a lot of reporting. I don�t understand what the confusion is. Let me explain it to you, and I�ll do it once again as clearly as possible. Perhaps you�ll report it that way.

QUESTION: Does Congress have to weigh in? Does Congress have to weigh in? Is the President declaring war, and does Congress have to weigh in?

SECRETARY RUBIO: No. Well, what �

QUESTION: And was there an imminent threat? Did you tell lawmakers that there was an imminent threat?

SECRETARY RUBIO: There absolutely was an imminent threat, and the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked � and we believe they would be attacked � that they would immediately come after us, and we were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded because the Department of War assessed that if we did that, if we waited for them to hit us first after they were attacked � and by someone else, Israel attacked them, they hit us first, and we waited for them to hit us � we would suffer more casualties and more deaths. We went proactively in a defensive way to prevent them from inflicting higher damage. Had we not done so, there would have been hearings on Capitol Hill about how we knew that this was going to happen and we didn�t act preemptively to prevent more casualties and more loss of life.


https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/03/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-remarks-to-press-6

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221065408

pat_k

(14,059 posts)
21. An ultimatum to Israel would have been a far more effective way to "preempt" the entire horror show.
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 04:00 PM
Mar 2026

Seems to me organizing a coalition of the willing to commit to an embargo should Israel start a war of aggression would have had a hell of a lot of takers.

ProudMNDemocrat

(21,001 posts)
5. Israel has the ends, the US has the means.
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 10:08 AM
Mar 2026

Israel is USING us being that we have the firepower. Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to sacrifice OUR troops for his ambition.

Whip-poor-will

(548 posts)
6. the end is neigh
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 10:20 AM
Mar 2026

We are one tactical nuke away from cascading to annihilation

No more posting after that

As long as someone doesn't control the tactical nukes isn't trump

Prairie Gates

(8,526 posts)
8. You see, our closest ally Israel, the most moral country on Earth, was going to attack preemptively
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 10:30 AM
Mar 2026

And there was nothing we could do to prevent them from attacking.

But if they attacked, we knew that Iran would def, def, def, def, def attack us, which is to say, some military bases we have in the Middle East.

So, because Israel was def going to attack them, and they were then def gonna attack us, attacking them first was preemptive to them attacking us because Israel was attacking them, because Israel thought they would attack Israel.

See, it all makes sense! Crystal clear. Thanks, Li'l Marco.



In Vietnam we had the Domino Theory. For Iran, we have the "Ever Play 52 Pick-Up?" theory.

Historic NY

(40,159 posts)
12. Israel has attacked its neighbors before w/o our intervention
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 12:02 PM
Mar 2026

In essence, they suckered Donald Trump into this, which seems to have inflamed the entire region.

https://acleddata.com/qa/qa-twelve-days-shook-region-inside-iran-israel-war]


Bengus81

(10,422 posts)
13. DOW down almost 1100 points right now. Or...$1100.00 in Bondi "I don't know what the hell
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 12:05 PM
Mar 2026

I'm talking about" spewing.

IronLionZion

(51,611 posts)
30. Is the Dow low enough to investigate people named in the Epstein files?
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 07:06 PM
Mar 2026

Operation Epstein Files.

Bayard

(30,445 posts)
14. What a bunch of hooey
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 01:51 PM
Mar 2026

Why now? The situation has been the same ever since he pulled us out of the nuke agreement in his first go round.

Epstein Epstein Epstein.

DavidDvorkin

(20,703 posts)
17. Trump says otherwise
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 02:05 PM
Mar 2026

During his press conference with Chancellor Merz this morning, Trump said that he could tell the Iranians weren't negotiating in good faith and were about to attack us (no specifics about that), so he ordered a preemptive attack by US forces.

SWBTATTReg

(26,466 posts)
29. no one in tRUMP's admin. should be believed in anything they say or do. Period. tRUMP lies on everything. Everything.
Tue Mar 3, 2026, 07:02 PM
Mar 2026
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