Trump claims Iran was preparing imminent attack on US, offers no evidence

President Trump claimed that Iran was preparing to attack the United States within a week, stating "Within a week, they were going to attack us, 100 percent. They were ready." This assertion was used to justify Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran that began on February 28, 2026. However, neither Trump nor his administration has provided evidence to support this claim of imminent threat. According to TIME, in private congressional briefings, Trump Administration officials acknowledged that U.S. intelligence did not show Iran was preparing to strike before the U.S.-Israeli attacks. The Washington Post reported that U.S. officials with access to intelligence reports said they saw no sign Iran had posed an imminent threat. The administration has offered shifting and contradictory rationales for the war, with different officials providing varying explanations ranging from nuclear threats to preemptive defense of Israeli strikes. This pattern mirrors previ...

"Within a week, they were going to attack us, 100 percent. They were ready." — Statement made by President Trump to justify Operation Epic Fury military strikes against Iran, contradicted by U.S. intelligence officials in congressional briefings