Washington, DC [US], April 1 : The White House has released a comprehensive breakdown regarding the strategic necessity of recent military actions, asserting that the mission was a critical pre-emptive strike to neutralise a long-standing threat.
In a post shared on X, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained the rationale behind the timing of the operation, addressing concerns over why the United States initiated the attack on Iran at this juncture.
"Many Americans are asking, why did the United States have to attack Iran now? Well, let me explain. Iran wants to have nuclear weapons. Of that, there is zero doubt," Rubio stated.
The Secretary of State contrasted Iran's actions with standard international protocols for peaceful nuclear energy. He noted that while other nations import fuel and build reactors above ground, "that's not what Iran has done. They build the reactors and their facilities deep in mountains, away from the public glare, and they want to enrich that material."
Rubio further warned of the dual-use nature of the technology Iran has pursued, stating, "The same equipment that they could use to enrich material for energy, they could use to quickly enrich it to weapons grade."
He added that despite being offered opportunities for a non-weaponised programme, "every single time they have turned it down."
Detailing the immediate threat that prompted the decision to act now, Rubio described Tehran's efforts to construct a "conventional shield" composed of a massive arsenal of missiles and drones.
"We were on the verge of an Iran that had so many missiles and so many drones that no one could do anything about their nuclear weapons programme in the future. That was an intolerable risk," he remarked.
The Secretary of State emphasised that the US could not allow a regime with an "apocalyptic vision of the future" to protect its nuclear ambitions behind such a shield.
"This was our last best chance to eliminate that conventional threat, that conventional shield that they were trying to build, and the president made the right decision to wipe it out now," Rubio asserted.
Highlighting the specific objectives of the ongoing military efforts, Rubio clarified that the goal is "to destroy their conventional missiles and their drone programme so they can't hide behind it and finally have to deal with the world seriously about never ever having nuclear weapons."