One word did the heavy lifting in Marco Rubio’s statement: unilateral.
The US secretary of state was keen to emphasise that strikes on Iran were Israel’s decision alone.
Israel-Iran latest: Iran retaliates after airstrikes
But that was not enough for Iran’s foreign minister, who claimed Israel could not have carried out the attack without support from America.
President Donald Trump had urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iran.
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The two leaders had what was described as a heated 40-minute exchange by telephone last Monday.
Speaking just hours before the attack, Trump said he feared such action would destroy US hopes of agreement with Iran.
Time and time again, the US president has insisted that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
But the Americans and Iranians have been engaged in negotiations for months as the US president sought a diplomatic solution. At one point, he even appeared to concede slightly on enrichment.
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But Israel claimed the weaponisation of enriched uranium posed “a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival”.
Netanyahu values his relationship with Trump, but the timing of this action was on Israel’s terms.
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Washington was informed in advance – the president’s national security team watched the strikes in real time in the situation room at the White House.
Afterwards, they said their number one priority was the safety of US personnel.
America had already restricted the movement of its staff in Israel and begun evacuating non-essential staff from its embassy in Baghdad.
Marco Rubio sent a clear warning: “Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”
They don’t want to be dragged into this, but have stated that they will protect Israel, if necessary.
America didn’t choose this moment, but knows the threat this escalation poses for US staff in the region.
