Why did Trump attack Iran? He posted that he wanted “unconditional surrender!”

However, it took a few days for the messages to integrate around that list of goals, and it appears to be still evolving. Here’s what President Trump and some in his administration have said throughout this week.

• Feb. 28 video update: “Our purpose is to protect the American people by eliminating the immediate threat from the Iranian regime, which is a very tough, very frightening, and evil group of people,” President Trump said. He also said Iran had worked to rebuild after last summer’s attacks. “For these reasons, the U.S. military has embarked on a large-scale, sustained operation to prevent this deeply evil and radical dictatorship from threatening the core national security interests of the United States and our country. We intend to destroy their missiles and completely destroy their missile industry. It will be completely wiped out again… We will guarantee that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons. This is a very simple message: They will never have nuclear weapons.” President Trump also called on the Iranian people to take over the government once American rule ends.
• March 1 video update: “The Iranian regime, armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons, would pose a terrifying threat to all Americans. We cannot allow a nation that breeds a terrorist army to possess such weapons, allowing them to usurp the world to their evil will,” President Trump said.
• In remarks at the Medal of Honor ceremony on March 2, President Trump listed four goals, echoed by Levitt later that week: “An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would pose an intolerable threat not only to the Middle East, but also to the American people. Our country itself would be threatened, and it was on the verge of being threatened.”
• “This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime has certainly changed, and the world is better off because of it,” Hegseth said on March 2.
• Rubio told reporters on March 2 that Israel was planning to attack Iran first. “We knew there was going to be an Israeli move. We knew it would provoke an attack on U.S. forces. We knew there would be more casualties if we didn’t get ahead of the attack and pursue it,” Rubio said. “And we will all be here answering the question, why did we know that and not act?”
• On March 3, President Trump refuted Rubio’s statements, saying that the United States thought Iran would strike first, saying, “If we didn’t do it, they were going to attack, they were going to attack first… So, if anything, I’m not going to let Israel get away with it.” (“The bottom line is that the president decided we weren’t going to get hit first, it’s that simple, folks,” Rubio said in a press conference, according to Reuters.)
• On March 4, Mr. Levitt reiterated the four goals that President Trump outlined on March 2 at a press conference, saying, “Iran has rejected a path to peace because the terrorists in charge of this regime want to build nuclear weapons to use against Americans and our allies.” “President Trump made the courageous determination and determination that there was only one outcome for the United States to pursue with Iran: mass death and destruction at the hands of a nuclear-armed terrorist regime. That death, destruction, and blackmail against Iran.” The American people met their end with Operation Epic Fury. ”
• On March 6, President Trump posted on Truth Social: “There is no agreement with Iran other than unconditional surrender! Then we will elect a great and acceptable leader, and we and our many wonderful and very brave allies and partners will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction and make it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”