Trump Comments on Iran Attack

During a meeting at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, President Donald Trump made a lighthearted remark about Pearl Harbor when asked why allies, including Japan, weren’t notified before the U.S. attack on Iran. He commented that the U.S. had hoped for a surprise attack.

A reporter, expressing confusion on behalf of the Japanese, questioned Trump about the lack of communication with allies in advance of the military operation. Trump responded, “Well, one thing I don’t want to do is send too many signals. You know, we worked very hard when we went in, but we didn’t tell anyone about it because we wanted a surprise. Who knows more about surprises than Japan? Got it? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? Got it? Really?”

As the discussion progressed, Trump acknowledged the challenges faced during the early days of the operation, admitting that they perhaps didn’t achieve what they aimed for. He said, “The first two days were a huge failure. We failed probably 50 percent of what we did and a lot more than we expected. So when I go and tell everyone about it, there’s no surprise anymore, right?”

At the meeting’s start, Trump emphasized that the objective of their discussions was to create a safer world, a sentiment he claimed Takaichi shared. He underscored, “Iran is a serious threat to the world, to the Middle East, to the world. And everyone agrees with me. I think almost all countries agree with me on this point, so I wanted to put out that fire.”

Operation Epic Fury, initiated by the U.S. on February 28, continues as tensions in the region escalate.