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Indian-American journalist presses Rubio on Iran strike
The CNN correspondent challenged the timing and role of Israel in the U.S. attack on Iran.
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Anushka Pathak - Thu, 05, Mar 2026
- 12:11 EST
- 24
Manu Raju / Courtesy: CNN
Indian-American CNN journalist Manu Raju pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the timing and rationale behind U.S. strikes on Iran, questioning whether anticipated Israeli military action influenced Washington’s decision.
“The U.S. attack has nothing to do with Israel,” Rubio said in response to Raju’s question during a tense press briefing, pushing back against suggestions that Israeli plans influenced the timing of the operation.
“I want to just clarify what you said,” Raju pressed, referring to Rubio’s earlier comment that the administration knew “there was going to be an Israeli action” that would lead to an attack on U.S. forces.
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Rubio tells reporters
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 2, 2026
— US attacked bc Israel was going to attack Iran and that would have prompted Iranian retaliation against US.
— That the US mission is to destroy Iranian ballistic missiles
Asked him how can he assure public next Iranian regime won’t be worse for US: pic.twitter.com/6NNSLQK5uO
Raju sought clarification on whether Washington expected Israeli action that could trigger Iranian retaliation against American forces and whether that influenced the timing of the strike.
Rubio rejected the premise of the question and pushed back during the exchange. “There's nothing to clarify,” he said, later adding, “This is my press conference,” as he defended the administration’s position.
Rubio said the president authorized the strike to prevent American casualties and ensure U.S. forces were not attacked first. “The president determined we were not going to get hit first. It's that simple,” Rubio said, adding that the United States would not “put Americans’ troops in harm’s way.”
Rubio tries to clean up comment that US acted bc “we knew there was going to be an Israeli action” that would prompt an Iranian response that would have led to casualties.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 3, 2026
Told us Trump decided to act to prevent more deaths
Trump said today he ‘might have forced’ Israel’s hand pic.twitter.com/O3Ev2wqRyp
He also denied that Israel’s plans dictated the U.S. action. “The U.S. attack has nothing to do with Israel,” Rubio said, explaining that the timing of the operation was chosen because it offered “the highest probability of success.”
Rubio said the mission is aimed at dismantling Iran’s military capabilities tied to its nuclear ambitions. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he said, adding that the United States intends to “destroy their missiles and their missile launchers,” eliminate their ability to manufacture them, and “destroy their Navy.”
The exchanges between Raju and Rubio, widely circulated after the videos were shared on X, highlighted tensions over the U.S. justification for the strikes and questions about their timing.
Raju, born in Illinois to parents who immigrated from Karnataka in the 1970s, serves as CNN’s chief congressional correspondent. He joined the network in 2015 after reporting for Politico and anchors “Inside Politics with Manu Raju,” covering Congress and national politics.
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