As he prepared to depart the NATO summit on Wednesday, President Donald Trump made a remark that stunned many: he appeared to casually confirm that he gave Iran advance approval to launch a missile strike on a U.S. military base.
“They were very nice. They gave us warning,” Trump said of Iran. “They said, ‘We’re going to shoot ’em. Is one o’clock OK?’ I said, ‘It’s fine.’”
The president’s light tone regarding a serious attack—one that saw over a dozen Iranian missiles fired at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—stood in stark contrast to the gravity expressed by his top military officials. The strike followed U.S. air raids on three Iranian nuclear sites.
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the event as possibly the largest single use of the Patriot missile defense system in American history.
“There was a lot of metal flying around,” Caine said Thursday. “Our defenders had seconds to make decisions that had strategic consequences.” He praised U.S. and Qatari forces alike, calling them “unsung heroes of the 21st-century U.S. Army.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, also speaking Thursday, bristled at news reports questioning the success of the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear program. Referring to a leaked intelligence report that cast doubt on the full effectiveness of the attacks, Hegseth accused the media of undermining the military’s accomplishments.
Asked about the apparent contradiction between Trump’s comments and the Pentagon’s portrayal of a heroic defense, Hegseth’s office deflected, instead emphasizing support for the troops.
“The safety of our service members is of the utmost importance to Secretary Hegseth,” said Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson. “He couldn’t be prouder of the troops who defend Americans every day.”
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell later added: “Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s leadership, our troops know their leaders have their back. Any suggestion otherwise is absurd.”
The White House declined to comment on Trump’s remarks Friday.
Still, Trump acknowledged the risk at the base, noting, “Everyone was emptied off the base so they couldn’t get hurt except for the gunners.”
Caine revealed the defense fell to just 44 soldiers operating two Patriot batteries. “The oldest was a 28-year-old captain. The youngest, a 21-year-old private who’d been in the military less than two years,” he said.
Privately, some Pentagon officials were left scrambling to explain the president’s comments. One official, speaking anonymously, said they did not believe Trump allowed or welcomed the strike, suggesting Iran was likely planning a limited retaliation regardless of any backchannel communications.
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers received a closed-door briefing Thursday about the strikes’ impact. Many emerged saying it was too early to determine how badly Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been hit.
Meanwhile, Secretary Hegseth cited updated intelligence from the CIA and Director of National Intelligence, claiming the three nuclear sites were destroyed. However, when pressed for details or the possibility of declassifying that information, Hegseth deflected.
“Do you have a top secret clearance, sir?” he snapped at a reporter.
