Rubio says Israel's strike plan triggered US attack on IranUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses the press before briefing House and Senate leaders on US military action in IranWASHINGTON (UNITED STATES) - The United States attacked Iran only after learning that ally Israel was going to strike and fearing Tehran would retaliate against US forces, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday. Rubio, who was preparing to brief key US lawmakers, said that Iran had told field commanders to respond automatically against US forces if there was an attack. Asked if the United States faced an imminent threat from Iran -- a key threshold in the United States as Congress constitutionally has the power to declare war -- Rubio again pointed to the Israeli plans. Rubio, however, said that President Donald Trump's administration believed in the need to strike Iran, regardless of how the timing was triggered. Rubio said that the United States would like to see the overthrow of the Iran's clerical state but that that was not the goal.

Source: Bangkok Post March 03, 2026 00:21 UTC