Topline
President Donald Trump’s decision to conduct a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities drew mixed reactions in Washington on Saturday night, as several Democratic lawmakers and at least one Republican condemned the military action, while prominent GOP hawks and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman praised the move and criticized Iran.
President Donald Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., criticized the president, saying he “has failed to deliver” on his promise to “bring peace to the Middle East,” and “risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East.”
In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said “President Trump must provide the American people and Congress clear answers on the actions taken tonight and their implications for the safety of Americans…No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy.”
Schumer added, “We must enforce the War Powers Act,” as he urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to put the motion on the Senate floor “immediately.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., described the strikes as a “disastrous decision” and a “grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,” adding that this was “clearly grounds for impeachment.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who tried to push a resolution in Congress last week to curb Trump’s ability to join the conflict, tweeted: “This is not Constitutional.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a vocal Trump supporter who has pushed against U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, wrote on X: “Let us join together and pray for the safety of our U.S. troops and Americans in the Middle East…Let us pray that we are not attacked by terrorists on our homeland.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said the strikes were “alarming” and “grossly unconstitutional,” while addressing a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the crowd chanted “No more wars.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., called Trump “a weak and dangerously reckless president,” and said he had been briefed on intelligence last week that said Iran “posed no imminent threat of attack to the United States” and was “not close to building a deliverable nuclear weapon.”
Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said: “As we take action tonight to ensure a nuclear weapon remains out of reach for Iran, I stand with President Trump and pray for the American troops and personnel in harm’s way.” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., reshared Trump’s announcement on X and wrote: “This was the right call. The regime deserves it. Well done, President Trump.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, commended Trump and the military for the operation and said: “As long as Iran was able to access and conduct activities at Fordow, they could still rush to build a nuclear arsenal. Tonight's actions have gone far in foreclosing that possibility, and countering the apocalyptic threat posed by an Iranian nuclear arsenal.” Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who has been a vocal supporter of Israel, wrote on X that the bombing was “the correct move” and added: “Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. I’m grateful for and salute the finest military in the world.” Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., another prominent pro-Israel voice in the Democratic Party, tweeted: “The decisive destruction of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant prevents the dangerous spread of nuclear weapons in the world’s most combustible region. No one truly committed to nuclear nonproliferation should mourn the fall of Fordow.”
In a statement on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations. The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior. In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.” In a separate statement, the Foreign Ministry said: “The world must not forget that it was the United States that, in the midst of a diplomatic process, betrayed diplomacy by supporting the genocidal and lawbreaking Israeli regime to impose a war of aggression on the Iranian nation. Now, in completion of that regime’s unlawful and criminal acts, the United States itself has launched a dangerous war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
In a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history... History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime the world's most dangerous weapons.”
In a post on X, UN Secretary-General António Guterres wrote: “I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security…I call on Member States to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law.” In a statement to the press, an Australian government spokesperson said: “We have been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security…We note the US president’s statement that now is the time for peace. The security situation in the region is highly volatile…We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.” The foreign ministries of Qatar and Saudi Arabia issued statements expressing concern about the attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and called for restraint and de-escalation. The Qatari statement noted that: “current dangerous tension in the region could lead to catastrophic consequences,” however, neither of the two statements directly criticized the U.S. military action.
Trump Says U.S. Struck Three Iran Nuclear Sites, Joining Israel (Forbes)