TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has drawn attention after commenting on Israel’s potential involvement in a conflict with Iran, suggesting that Israeli military action could trigger retaliation against US assets in the region and potentially prompt a preemptive American strike.
Rubio’s remarks come as US President Donald Trump denied claims circulating in recent days that Washington was preparing for direct military action against Tehran.
In earlier comments, Rubio indicated that Israel was planning to attack Iran and warned that Tehran could respond by targeting US interests in the Middle East. He suggested that such a scenario might compel Washington to act first.
However, when asked about the issue on Tuesday, Trump rejected the characterization. “They [Iran] were getting ready to attack Israel. They were gonna attack others,” Trump said, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump argued that the perceived threat from Iran justified joint US-Israeli action. However, the US government has provided limited public evidence that Iran was preparing attacks on American assets or that its nuclear or ballistic missile programs posed an immediate threat.
On Monday, Rubio said his earlier remarks had been taken out of context. He noted broader concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capabilities but also questioned the timing of any potential strike.
“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action,” Rubio told reporters. “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.”
Rubio’s comments have fueled debate among regional analysts, some of whom argue that escalating tensions between the US and Iran could primarily serve the political interests of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rather than Washington’s strategic priorities.
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