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Rubio Says US Had to Strike Iran Because Iran Would Defend Itself If Attacked By Sharon Zhang This article was originally published by Truthout The conflicting explanation comes as CENTCOM is reportedly calling for troops to “Be Relentlessly Lethal.
” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday that the U.S. had to wage war against Iran now because Iran would act to defend itself if it came under attack — a circular explanation that appeared to pass the buck for the aggression to Israel, despite reports that Israeli leaders have been coordinating a joint attack with the U.S. for months. “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 said. Rubio suggested that Israel was going to act unilaterally and strike Iran regardless — despite abundant evidence that this isn’t true — so the U.S. was forced to coordinate a strike first in order to prevent U.S. casualties. “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 preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” said Rubio. Rubio said that the purpose of the strikes is to destroy Iran’s missile capability, contradicting the regime change objectives that President Donald Trump laid out at the start of the war just three days ago. Reports say that an attack by Israel wasn’t imminent without U.S. approval. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for war with Iran for decades, and in December, Netanyahu reportedly asked Trump for approval to strike Iran during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago. Israel relies heavily on U.S. military assistance to carry out its aggression, especially in its multi-front wars and genocide in Gaza. Because of this, the U.S. has long held immense sway over Israel’s actions. The U.S., on the other hand, has also been preparing for direct military action against Iran for decades, and has waged economic warfare with a huge slate of deadly sanctions against Iran for nearly 50 years, to devastating effect. The Iranian Red Crescent Society reports that 787 Iranians have been killed in the U.S. and Israel’s bombardments so far. Iranian human rights group HRANA says it has recorded 742 civilian deaths, including 176 children, and that the group is still reviewing 624 more reported deaths. Rubio’s and other similar comments seek to shirk the U.S.’s responsibility for the war, some commentators say — even as the U.S. has gathered an enormous amount of military might in the region. “Let’s not do MAGA’s work for them by letting them dodge responsibility for the hell they’ve unleashed. No one forced Trump to do anything,” said media analyst Adam Johnson. Indeed, on Tuesday, Trump said that Israel did not force the U.S.’s hand. “I think was going to attack first, and I didn’t want that to happen — so if anything, I might’ve forced Israel’s hand,” he said, despite the Trump administration telling members of Congress on Saturday that there was no evidence that Iran was going to launch a preemptive strike. The U.S. strikes are unpopular among the public: Polling has found that most Americans oppose the strikes, and even many right-wingers are voicing outrage at the operation. But the administration’s dedication to war couldn’t be more full-throated. Washington Post military affairs reporter Dan Lamothe posted a letter sent to the roughly 50,000 U.S. troops directly involved in the conflict urging them to “Be Relentlessly Lethal” in their operations. “You are the shield of the free world, and today, you are its sharpest sword,” said the letter, sent by the head of the U.S. Central Command Brad Cooper on Saturday. Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Warner , the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, noted that it would be even more remarkable if the U.S. did, indeed, start the war because of Israel’s will. “There was no imminent threat to the United States by the Iranians. There was a threat to Israel. If we equate a threat to Israel as the equivalent of an imminent threat to the United States, then we are in uncharted territory,” Warner told reporters after a briefing on the war on Monday. Crucially, however, there is no evidence that Iran was an imminent threat to Israel, and Iran has never initiated a war against Israel. The senator called it a “war of choice.” “The decision to put our service members in harm’s way, and our bases in the region in harm’s way, was entirely based upon the president’s decision, not an imminent threat to America,” he said in an interview with CNN. Indeed, Rubio, in yet more circular reasoning, said that the strikes were carried out to prevent American casualties. But Iran’s strikes came only in retaliation to the U.S. and Israel’s unprovoked strikes on Saturday. Reports say that an attack in Kuwait that killed six U.S. soldiers came without any sort of warning for troops to seek shelter, suggesting that there was a lack of preparation for the U.S.’s operations. At the same time, Trump has established an openly blasé attitude toward troop deaths. “We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen. And, sadly, there will likely be more before it ends,” Trump said on Sunday. “That’s the way it is.” This article was originally published by Truthout and is licensed under Creative Commons . Please maintain all links and credits in accordance with our republishing guidelines.Truthout is working overtime to bring you the latest on Iran. In deep opposition to Trump's militarism, we are producing media of truth and accountability in this moment of crisis. We ask for your support. Please make a tax-deductible donation today.
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