The decision by President Donald Trump to authorize a joint U.S.–Israeli strike on Iran in late February has prompted intense debate about how the choice was made and what shaped the president’s thinking. The most detailed reconstruction of events comes from reporting by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan of The New York Times, two journalists widely regarded as deeply sourced within Trump’s orbit. Their account is drawn from reporting for their forthcoming book, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump. It has not been confirmed by the White House, and administration officials have not authenticated the details. Still, their reporting offers the clearest available narrative of the internal dynamics that preceded the strike and the competing pressures that shaped the president’s judgment.

According to their reconstruction, the pivotal moment occurred on February 11, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a private briefing to Trump and his senior advisers in the White House Situation Room — a venue rarely used for in-person meetings with foreign leaders. Netanyahu had been pressing for months for the United States to agree to a major assault on Iran, and his presentation was framed as an opportunity to eliminate a long-standing adversary and reshape the strategic landscape of the Middle East. The gathering was deliberately kept small to guard against leaks; other top cabinet secretaries had no idea it was happening. Conspicuously absent was Vice President JD Vance, who was in Azerbaijan on a diplomatic visit and could not return in time for a meeting called on such short notice. Those present included Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Jared Kushner, and envoy Steve Witkoff.

Netanyahu’s presentation was described as lasting roughly an hour, delivered in what attendees called a confident monotone. His pitch had four components: Iran’s missile capabilities could be destroyed within weeks; the regime could not close the Strait of Hormuz; street protests, with covert Mossad support, would resume and could produce regime change; and Kurdish fighters could open a ground front from Iraq. At one point, the Israelis played a video montage of potential post-theocratic Iranian leaders, including........

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