Donald Trump: We did not start the war against Iran
Donald Trump said at a rally in Corinth, Mississippi, on October 26 that he did not start the war with Iran and that Iran started the war with the United States. He also said Iranian missiles could strike American West Coast cities, and said the previous ceasefire was a waste of time, adding that military action was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
The rally took place before the midterm elections, and Trump linked this statement to Iran’s hostile actions since 1979, while mentioning Qasem Soleimani’s killing. The United States and Israel carried out a joint airstrike on Iran on 2026-02-28, the conflict has lasted for months, and indirect ceasefire talks have stalled.
Original sources:
Title: Trump on Iran war: We had no choice, we didn’t start the war
Publisher: Israel National News
Publication date: 2026-10-26
URL: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/435207
Nature of source: media report
Verification status: Relevant passages were actually read in this round; verification date 2026-10-26
Supporting content: Supports Trump’s quoted remarks at the Mississippi rally and his statements about missile threats, the ceasefire and nuclear weapons; does not prove that the war was actually started first by Iran.Title: Desperate Trump tries to claim Iran started war as GOP midterm hopes fade
Publisher: The Mirror US
Publication date: 2026-10-26
URL: https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/desperate-trump-tries-claim-iran-2085491
Nature of source: media report
Verification status: Relevant passages were actually read in this round; verification date 2026-10-26
Supporting content: Supports the rally location as Corinth, Mississippi, the quoted remarks, and the background of the February 28 joint U.S.-Israel airstrike; does not prove any causal link between election prospects or energy prices.
ABAB AI Insight
Trump framed the U.S.-Israel joint airstrike on Iran on 2026-02-28 as a response to Iran’s continued hostile actions since 1979, rather than as a new war initiated by the United States. This statement is consistent with similar remarks made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in early March, which said that the United States did not start the war but, under President Trump, was finishing it, and traces the conflict back to the hostage crisis after the Islamic Revolution, proxy attacks and the Soleimani incident.
On the capital and market side, the war has lasted more than half a year, and energy-price volatility has become a visible variable ahead of the midterm elections. At the rally, Trump predicted that oil prices could rise sharply and said he was prepared, while stressing that the necessity of action took priority over price consequences. The dispute over war characterization at the state and federal levels, like the earlier jurisdiction dispute over prediction market platforms in several states, still centers on who acted first and how historical cumulative behavior should be defined.
Compared with the various official explanations for the cause of the war in early March 2026, this rally statement focuses more narrowly on a single narrative that Iran started the war. The actual military timeline shows that the U.S.-Israel airstrike took place on February 28, and Iran said the action was unprovoked. Whether the war is a continuation of an existing hostile state or a new act of aggression depends on legal and factual determinations of historical proxy actions and direct military strikes.
This public statement fixes responsibility for the war on Iran and may affect the public narrative on energy costs and military action ahead of the midterm elections. The eventual duration of the war, the progress of negotiations and the impact on prices will still depend on the results of subsequent military and diplomatic actions.
ABAB News · Laws of cognition
Describing a joint airstrike as a response to historical hostility does not change the timeline of the February 28 action.
The public narrative over responsibility for the war appears alongside energy prices and election variables.