During a 4/3 press briefing at the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt faced questions about the Trump administration's inconsistent explanations for its attacks on Iran.

Leavitt asserted that previous US presidents "simply stood by, passing the buck on this direct threat to the next administration", a path President Trump refused to take.

President Trump "had a factual sense that Iran would attack the US and our regional bases", Leavitt explained, prompting his decision to launch "Operation Horrific Fury" on 28/2.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing on 4/3 in Washington D.C. *Photo: AP*

The White House spokesperson did not clarify the nature of President Trump's "factual sense", nor did she provide evidence of an imminent Iranian attack on US bases in the Middle East before 28/2.

In the days that followed, Trump administration officials offered shifting explanations for the attacks.

Initially, the airstrikes were justified as preventing Iran from reconstituting its nuclear weapons program, which President Trump had claimed was "wiped out" during the "Night Hammer" campaign in 6/2025. However, by 2/3, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained the decision as a preemptive move, intended to weaken Tehran's retaliatory capacity against US bases following an earlier Israeli strike.

"We knew Israel would act", Rubio told reporters after briefing Congress. "We anticipated an attack on US forces, and understood that failing to strike proactively before their retaliation would result in higher casualties".

However, President Trump himself contradicted Rubio's statement during a 3/3 press conference, when asked if Israel had "forced his hand".

"Based on the negotiation's trajectory, I believed they would attack first, and I didn't want that outcome", President Trump stated. "In fact, I might have even urged Israel to act. But Israel was ready, and so were we".

"They would have attacked if we hadn't. I am certain they would have struck first", he noted.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth presented yet another explanation during a 4/3 morning press conference. He accused Iran of orchestrating recent failed assassination attempts against President Trump, asserting the US acted to neutralize this threat. "Iran attempted to assassinate President Trump, but President Trump emerged as the ultimate victor", Hegseth stated.

US President Donald Trump during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on 3/3. *Photo: AP*

US officials denied intentions of regime change in Iran, yet their actions suggested otherwise. The attacks weakened the Iranian government following the deaths of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other key leaders. In his initial statement on the campaign, President Trump directly urged the Iranian people to overthrow their government.

President Trump acknowledged that Khamenei's successor could be "just as bad" as the late leader, deeming this a "worst-case" scenario. When questioned about Iran's most prominent opposition leader in the US, Reza Pahlavi, son of former Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, he remarked, "some people like him, but we haven't given it much thought".

"I believe an insider is likely more suitable", President Trump stated. He later revealed, however, that US and Israeli airstrikes had eliminated so many Iranian officials that he "didn't know if any potential candidates remained".

The conflict has now entered its 6th day, claiming over 1,100 lives across the Middle East, with no immediate end in sight for the ongoing retaliatory strikes.

By Hong Hanh (Independent, AP)