US Strikes Iran | 'We Were Not Going To Get Hit First': Rubio Defends Trump Decision To Strike Iran

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back during a tense exchange with reporters at the Capitol, defending President Donald Trump’s decision to launch strikes on Iran. Rubio said the president acted because the weekend presented what he described as a “unique opportunity” for the mission to succeed. “The president is determined we were not going to get hit first. It’s that simple,” Rubio said ahead of a closed-door briefing for lawmakers. He reiterated that the U.S. would not “put American troops in harm’s way,” responding to criticism over earlier remarks that Trump believed Israel was prepared to act and wanted Washington to move first with a preemptive strike to prevent retaliation on U.S. bases. Rubio also returned to the administration’s initial justification for the conflict, stating that Iran would not obtain nuclear weapons “under Donald Trump’s watch.” He added that “the world will be a safer place” when Iran’s clerical leadership no longer has access to such weapons. The comments come amid ongoing debate over the administration’s rationale for the war with Iran.