Exaggerated, lacking evidence: Fact-checking Trump’s justifications for attacking Iran

March 1, 2026 — 12:52pm

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Washington: US President Donald Trump, in announcing a military campaign against Iran, asserted he had done so because of “imminent threats” posed by the regime.

On Saturday (Washington time), he laid out his justifications in an eight-minute video he shared on social media. But three of his key claims were inaccurate. Here’s a fact-check.

What Trump said: “In 2000, [Iran] knew and were probably involved with the attack on the USS Cole.”

This lacks evidence. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the October 2000 attack on the US destroyer Cole, and US intelligence agencies have concurred.

There is no public evidence that Iran was directly responsible for the attack. But for years, US courts have ordered Iran to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages to victims of the attack and their survivors, finding that Iran “facilitated” the attack by providing material and financial support to al-Qaeda.

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The FBI, on its website detailing the history of the attack, notes that the agency “ultimately determined that........

© Brisbane Times