‘Who Knows Better About Surprise Than Japan?’ Trump References Pearl Harbour On Iran Strikes

Last Updated:March 19, 2026, 22:29 IST

Trump said he did not inform allies about the Iran campaign as he wanted it to be a surprise, citing Japan's Pearl Harbour attack in 1941 during World War II.

In yet another display of his trademark unfiltered humour, on Thursday turned a question about keeping allies in the dark about his war on Iran to the Pearl Harbour attack by Japan during World War II, in the presence of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

While talking to reporters in the White House next to Takaichi, Trump was asked about why he did not inform his Asian allies, including Japan, about the US campaign against Iran. Trump said he wanted it to be a surprise, much like Japan’s Pearl Harbour attack over eight decades ago.

“One thing you don’t want to signal too much, you know, when we go in, we went in very hard. We didn’t tell anybody because we wanted it to be a surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbour?" he quipped.

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