Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered what appears to be a bizarre conspiracy theory as a reason why President Donald Trump launched his war on Iran.
Rubio insisted that the U.S. fired first as a “preemptive” strike against Tehran.

Little Marco Goes Full Tin Foil Hat Over Reason for Iran War

CONSPIRACY FEARIST

The secretary of state said Donald Trump had no choice but to launch a “preemptive strike.”

David Gardner Chief National Correspondent
Published Mar. 2 2026 5:36PM EST
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The president had not explained why he started the war other than to claim Iran represented an “imminent threat” to the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered what appears to be a bizarre conspiracy theory as a reason why President Donald Trump launched his war on Iran.
Rubio insisted that the U.S. fired first as a “preemptive” strike against Tehran.

The president had not explained why he started the war other than to claim Iran represented an “imminent threat” to the United States.

But Rubio insisted on Monday afternoon that Trump had no choice but to attack because the U.S. believed Israel was planning to hit Iran. And that the regime was likely to respond by targeting America.

Speaking before briefing lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Rubio said:

“The imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believed they would be attacked, they would immediately come after us.”

A plume of smoke is seen rising after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 28, 2026. Getty Images

“We were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded,” Rubio added. “If we waited for them to hit us first after they were attacked by someone else, we would suffer more casualties and more deaths.”

The bonkers theory ignored the obvious contradictions. It’s widely understood that Israel would seek Trump’s blessing before going to war with Iran, especially after the huge U.S. military buildup in the region.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol before briefing leaders from the House of Representatives and the Senate, known as the 'Gang of 8.' Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

And if the U.S. blocked Israel’s military ambitions, as Rubio’s version of events suggested, there would have been no need for Trump to wage war himself.

Rubio, who spearheaded the aborted peace talks with the Ayatollah’s regime last week, maintained the bombings “needed to happen.”

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“We went proactively to prevent them from inflicting more damage,” Rubio added. “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 loss of life.”

“We were aware of Israeli intentions and understood what that would mean for us, and had to be prepared to act as a result of it.”

Rubio was in the makeshift Situation Room at Mar-a-Lago with Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to monitor the launch in the early hours on Saturday. He said on Monday that the operation, which has so far claimed the lives of six U.S. troops, would continue until Iran’s ballistic missile stocks have been destroyed.

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U.S. President Donald Trump attends a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Rubio insisted the attack had to happen now, “because Iran in about a year, or year and a half, would’ve crossed the line of immunity—meaning they would have so many short-range missiles, so many drones, that no one could do anything about it because they could hold the whole world hostage.”