'We were shocked': Donald Trump admits US did not expect Iran to attack Gulf countries

The scale of Iran’s retaliation to the military campaign led by US-Israel caught them off guard, says United States President

President Donald Trump has acknowledged that the United States did not expect Iran to respond the way it did following the military campaign led by US-Israel.

Trump told reporters that the scale of Iran’s retaliation caught them off guard, especially as it targeted the Gulf nations, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. He said the US had not anticipated that Iran would strike beyond its immediate targets, describing the response as unexpected and surprising.

"They weren't supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East. Those missiles were sent to go after them. They hit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait," Trump told reporters.

"Nobody expected that. We were shocked. You know, they fought back," he added.

Despite this, Trump defended the US decision to carry out the attacks, arguing that American involvement has helped limit Iran’s military capabilities and reduced the threat it poses to Gulf countries. He also said that even if the US had foreseen Iran’s retaliation, it would not have changed Washington’s course of action.

On the ongoing conflict, Trump indicated that the war would not end immediately but is likely to conclude "soon".

The conflict began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran. The fighting has now entered its third week. In response, Iran has continued to strike US military positions across the Gulf region, widening the scope of the conflict across West Asia.

However, a Reuters report cited US officials and sources familiar with intelligence assessments as saying that Iran’s retaliation had been considered a possible outcome before the strikes. While it was not seen as certain, it was among the scenarios on which Trump was warned about in advance.