Rubio tells Congress White House knew Iran would retaliate before strike

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a House committee Tuesday the administration anticipated Iranian retaliation but judged a nuclear-armed Iran the greater threat.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before a House committee on the administration's decision to strike Iran.
Rubio acknowledged the administration knew Iran would respond to U.S. military action.
He argued a nuclear-capable Iran posed a worse danger than any retaliatory consequences.
The testimony marks one of the most direct admissions yet that retaliation was treated as an acceptable risk.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a House committee Tuesday that the president and his administration went into their Iran operation with full knowledge Tehran would hit back.

“Everyone knew what Iran would do in response,” Rubio said in testimony, according to reports reviewed by the Wail.

Rubio defended the calculation directly: the consequences of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, he argued, outweighed whatever retaliation the U.S. would face for moving against it.

The admission is among the clearest on-record statements that White House decision-makers priced in Iranian strikes as an acceptable cost before ordering action.

It lands as Congress presses the administration for a full accounting of the intelligence and deliberations behind the operation — and as both chambers weigh whether the White House acted within its war powers authority.

Further committee questioning is expected this week as lawmakers push for classified briefings on the strike's planning and aftermath.