Why did the US strike Iran?

A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on February 28, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. | Getty Images

Editor’s note, February 28, 2026, 12:05 pm ET: This article was originally published on February 19, in the lead-up to war in Iran and updated on February 28 after airstrikes had begun.

President Donald Trump announced early Saturday morning that the US and Israel had launched an attack on Iran, saying the goal was to eliminate an “imminent threat” from Iran, “raze their missile industry to...