Trump reveals who backed Iran strike first
As the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran enters its fourth week, Donald Trump has offered a new account of how the war began, suggesting that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was among the first senior officials to support military action.
Speaking at a roundtable in Tennessee, Trump recalled discussions with top military and security officials before the conflict escalated.
“Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up, and you said, ‘Let’s do it because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,’” Trump said, with Hegseth seated beside him.
Recounting internal deliberations, Trump said he consulted several senior figures before deciding on military action.
“I called Pete, I called General Caine, I called a lot of our great people… and I said, ‘Let’s talk. We got a problem in the Middle East… they’re very close to having a nuclear weapon.’ We can keep going and get that 50,000 up to 55 and 60, there’s no end… or we can take a stop and make a little journey into the Middle East, and eliminate a big problem,” he said.
BREAKING: TRUMP BLAMES PETE HEGSETH FOR THE IRAN WAR:
“Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up. You said, ‘Let’s do it.'”
…. Show more pic.twitter.com/1Hga29Ltqc
— 🇺🇲 USA ARMY NEWS (@USAArmyNews) March 23, 2026
Conflicting narratives on how the war began
Different accounts have emerged about how the conflict started. Some reports suggest Israel had already prepared plans for strikes that eventually drew in the United States, while others indicate that concerns over Iran’s alleged proximity to developing a nuclear weapon played a major role in triggering the escalation.
Trump himself has previously offered varying explanations, at times saying the strikes were aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, while on other occasions describing them as pre-emptive attacks to prevent a wider regional war.
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