Washington, Feb 28, (IANS) President Donald Trump’s decision to launch military strikes in Iran has sparked intense political debate in the US. Senior Democrats have called the action unauthorised and reckless, while Republican lawmakers defend it as decisive and necessary.
Lawmakers have described the strikes as expansive and pre-emptive, reigniting debate over war powers, strategy, and the risk of broader conflict in the Middle East.
“Overnight, the president conducted expansive U.S. strikes – not limited to nuclear or missile infrastructure but extending to a broad set of targets, including senior Iranian leadership – marking a deeply consequential decision that risks pulling the United States into another broad conflict in the Middle East,” said Senate Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner.
Warner added that “launching large-scale military operations – particularly in the absence of an imminent threat to the United States – raises serious legal and constitutional concerns.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren was more blunt. “Donald Trump’s single-handedly starting another war with Iran is dangerous and illegal,” she said. “‘America first’ doesn’t mean dragging the United States into another forever war built on lies while ignoring the needs of Americans here at home.”
Representative Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the strikes “a reckless abuse of the president’s power, threatening to pull the United States into yet another open-ended Middle East war without clear justifications or a defined strategic end state.”
He said, “The president has launched an unauthorised war, and Congress must now decide whether to sanction it.”
Senator Bernie Sanders declared that “President Trump, along with his right-wing extremist Israeli ally Benjamin Netanyahu, has begun an illegal, premeditated and unconstitutional war.”
He added, “The American people were lied to about Vietnam. The American people were lied to about Iraq. The American people are being lied to again today.”
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “Overnight, Donald Trump announced the start of massive and ongoing military operations against Iran.” He warned that “absent exigent circumstances, the Trump administration must seek authorisation for the preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war.”
Senator Jeanne Shaheen expressed concern about escalation, saying, “I am deeply concerned about the President’s lack of a clear strategy for yet another open-ended war and particularly for the safety of our troops, American citizens and U.S. interests in the Middle East region.”
House Intelligence Ranking Member Jim Himes said, “Everything I have heard from the Administration before and after these strikes on Iran confirms this is a war of choice with no strategic endgame.”
Representative Adam Smith stated, “This offensive use of military force against Iran, absent congressional authorisation, is contrary to domestic and international law.”
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said the President is “risking the lives of Americans in an unauthorised war with no end in sight.”
While Democrats unified in support of a War Powers Resolution, Republicans continued to back the President.
Senator Roger Wicker, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the operation “a pivotal and necessary operation to protect Americans and American interests.”
He said the President’s goals were to “thwart permanently the ayatollahs’ desire to create a nuclear weapon, degrade their ballistic missile force and their production capacity, and destroy their naval and terrorism capabilities.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast said, “Today’s strikes are the inescapable response to 47 years of continuous and calculated aggression by the Ayatollah of Iran and all his generals against the United States, our allies, and the Iranian people.” He added, “The days of America waiting to be attacked by Iran are over.”
Representative Buddy Carter said, “President Trump acted squarely within his constitutional authority to strike Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.” Congressman Mike Rogers commended the President “for taking decisive action to confront the serious threat posed by the Iranian terrorist regime.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced security measures at home, saying he had directed state authorities “to ramp up surveillance and patrols at key sites—including our vital energy facilities, ports, and southern border.”
The Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Trump “initiated major combat operations against Iran” and warned that the President “has ordered strikes on seven foreign nations and plunged our country into more open-ended conThe State Department has established a task force to assist American citizens and support diplomatic efforts, according to an official.
Another U.S. official said Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed the Gang of Eight and “made calls to all its members to give them a heads up ahead of time.”
The confrontation comes amid heightened tensioThis confrontation occurs amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran regarding Iran’s nuclear program and regional activities. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action aimed to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief. The United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018, and recent diplomatic efforts have stalled.
–IANS
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