At the White House on Thursday, June 12, President Donald Trump downplayed the likelihood of an imminent Israeli attack on Iran. Strikes “could very well happen,” Trump said, but probably not while negotiators were close to reaching an agreement to restrict Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Now Iranian — and Israeli — officials suggest Trump’s remarks were a ruse, one that threatens to draw the United States into an escalating Mideast conflict.
However, U.S. officials deny any involvement, and they pointedly stopped short of pledging to back Israel if its assault on Iran turns into all-out war.
Israel: ‘Full and complete coordination’
Hours after Trump’s remarks, Israel launched attacks on a key Iranian nuclear facility, missile-launch sites, air defense installations and other targets. Top military officials and scientists working on Iran’s nuclear program were among the 78 fatalities cited by the FARS News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
Iran fired about 100 drones at Israel in retaliation, apparently causing little harm, according to the Israeli military.
The attacks took place as Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, was preparing to meet on Sunday, June 15, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi in Oman for a sixth round of talks aimed at restricting Iran’s development of nuclear capabilities. Iran says it is not trying to build nuclear weapons, but Israel and the United States dispute that assertion.
Israeli media reports say the United States knew about the attacks in advance, and that its recent diplomatic efforts helped lull Iran into complacency.
“We presented the American administration with evidence of Iran’s breakthrough toward a nuclear bomb,” an unidentified Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post. “There was full and complete coordination with the Americans.”
Iran warns of ‘dangerous consequences’
The conflict seems likely to escalate quickly.
“We must brace for a lengthy operation,” said Israel’s chief military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin. “We will continue to act until the objectives of the operation have been achieved.”
In Tehran, Aragchi, the foreign minister, pledged his country would defend itself “decisively and without hesitation, using whatever methods they consider necessary.”
He strongly suggested Israel won’t be Iran’s only target.
“The aggressive actions of the Zionist regime against Iran could not have happened without the coordination and approval of the United States,” he said, according to the FARS News Agency. “Therefore, the American government, as the main supporter of this regime, is also responsible for the dangerous consequences of these actions.”
Rubio: ‘We are not involved’
On Thursday evening, the White House issued a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that tried to distance the United States from Israel’s attacks.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran,” Rubio said. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners.”
A day before the attacks, the State Department had begun moving some diplomatic personnel out of the Middle East amid rising tensions over the Iranian nuclear talks.
Rubio’s statement concluded with a warning.
“Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel,” he said.
Trump weighs in
On social media, Trump used the attacks to pressure Iran to complete a deal to restrict its nuclear program “before there is nothing left.” In his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 agreement under which Iran pledged to restrict nuclear development for more than a decade.
“I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told,” he wrote on Truth Social. He warned that “the next already planned attacks” will be “even more brutal.”
“Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to ‘make a deal,’” Trump wrote in a second post. “They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!”
