Trump Says Attack on Iran Aimed to Stop Middle East Takeover, US Leader Contradicts Previous Reasons
- President Donald Trump provided a reason for why the United States of America attacked Iran on 28 February 2026
- Israel and the US launched a joint-military operation against Iran, sparking a conflict in the Middle East as the country retaliated
- The US President has provided several different reasons for the attack, saying at one stage he 'had a feeling' Iran would attack first
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
WASHINGTON, DC – United States President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran was working on a new site for developing material for nuclear weapons, which is why he opted to attack the country.
The US and Israel launched a joint-military operation on 28 February 2026, directing numerous airstrikes at Iran. The attacks resulted in the death of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, as well as several members of his family.
Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at neighbouring countries in the Persian Gulf, as well as Israel, sparking tensions in the Middle East. Currently, there is no end in sight to the ongoing conflict, with Trump himself unable to say when the attacks would stop.
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Trump explains decision to attack Iran
While Trump has been unable to say when the war would end, he’s now explained why it started.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, 10 February 2026, the US President said the war started because Iran was starting work on a new site for developing material for nuclear weapons.
The US previously bombed Iran’s nuclear sites in June 2025, with Trump saying that it was ‘very successful’ and necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Source: Getty Images
During his latest news conference, Trump also told reporters that Iran was ‘going to take over the Middle East’ if the US hadn’t acted.
“If I didn’t hit them first, they were going to hit our allies first. I believe upon information and belief. They were going to take over the Middle East,” Trump stated.
Trump’s reasons for the attack continue to change
Trump’s latest reason for the attacks is the latest in various conflicting explanations for why the US attacked Iran. Trump has previously stated that the primary goal was to ensure that the Iranian regime never obtained a nuclear weapon. He claimed that if the US had not attacked nuclear sites before, Iran would have possessed a nuclear weapon within two weeks.
Trump also claimed that the reason for the attacks was because he ‘had a feeling’ Tehran would strike first as negotiations between the US and Iran stalled. He argued that the strikes were necessary to prevent a first strike by Iran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio contradicted this, saying that the US acted because it knew Israel was planning a strike on Iran and wanted to preempt the retaliation.
Source: Getty Images
At the beginning of the conflict, Trump stated that the purpose of the strikes was effectively to facilitate a change in leadership in the country.
He addressed the Iranian people in an eight-minute-long video, telling them that ‘the hour of freedom is at hand’, urging them to take over the government once military operations concluded.
Trump also stated that the conflict was a response to 47 years of Iranian aggression, pointing out Iran's support for ‘terrorist organisations’ like Hamas and Hezbollah as a reason for the attack.
Trump signals escalation in Iran attack
Briefly News reported that President Trump said that the US was hitting Iran hard, but warned that an even bigger military assault was coming.
In an interview with CNN, he claimed early strikes killed 49 Iranian leaders and left the country’s leadership in disarray.
Trump also defended the operation as necessary to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions, saying negotiations had failed.
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Source: Briefly News
Byron Pillay (Current Affairs Editor) Byron Pillay is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He received a Diploma in Journalism from the Caxton Cadet School. He spent 15 years covering politics, crime and current affairs. He was also the Head of Department for Sports Brief, where he covered both local and international sporting news. Email: byron.pillay@briefly.co.za
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