In Oval Office Meeting, Trump Invokes Pearl Harbor to Defend Secret Iran Strikes

Overview

• Responding to a Japanese reporter, President Trump said allies were not notified of U.S. strikes on Iran because the administration wanted the operation to remain a surprise.
• The president referenced the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor while seated beside Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi, a comparison that drew visible discomfort from her.
• Trump said the element of surprise delivered early gains, claiming the U.S. achieved “probably 50% of what we had planned” in the first two days of the operation.
• He praised Japan as “really doing its part” on Iran and contrasted Tokyo’s posture with NATO, continuing his recent criticism of the alliance.
• U.S. and Japanese officials discussed potential deployment of Japanese minehunter ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, and Takaichi said Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.