Congress members split over US attack on Iran
WASHINGTON: Republican and Democratic members of the US Congress delivered swift reactions to US bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities early on Sunday.
The following are statements from key lawmakers:
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, applauded the operation but cautioned that the United States now faced "very serious choices ahead."
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho, said, "This war is Israel's war, not our war, but Israel is one of our strongest allies and is disarming Iran for the good of the world." Risch added, "This is not the start of a forever war. There will not be American boots on the ground in Iran."
"This is not constitutional," conservative Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky said on social media. He was referring to the power of Congress to declare war on foreign countries.
US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican of Louisiana, said, "The president gave Iran's leader every opportunity to make a deal, but Iran refused to commit to a nuclear disarmament agreement."
"The president's decisive action prevents the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, which chants 'Death to America,' from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said, "I stand with President Trump."
Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, a daughter of Palestinian immigrants: "President Trump sending US troops to bomb Iran without the consent of Congress is a blatant violation of our Constitution. The American people do not want another forever war. We have seen where decades of endless war in the Middle East gets us - all based on the lie of 'weapons of mass destruction.'"
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said the US public "is overwhelmingly opposed to waging war on Iran" and said Trump displayed "horrible judgment."
Max Rose, a former Democratic member of Congress who now is a senior adviser to the progressive veterans' group "VoteVets," said, "Trump's decision to launch direct strikes against Iran without congressional authorisation is illegal." Rose added, "This conflict is his and the Republicans who have abrogated all their responsibilities." - Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Trump's Iran strikes: Tactical win or strategic gamble?
WASHINGTON, June 22 — For nearly a half-century the United States has squabbled with Iran's Islamic republic but the conflict has largely been left in the shadows, with US policymakers believing, often reluctantly, that diplomacy was preferable. With President Donald Trump's order of strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, the United States — like Israel, which encouraged him — has brought the conflict into the open, and the consequences may not be clear for some time to come. 'We will only know if it succeeded if we can get through the next three to five years without the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons, which they now have compelling reasons to want,' said Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and supporter of the 2003 Iraq war who is now vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute. US intelligence had not concluded that Iran was building a nuclear bomb, with Tehran's sensitive atomic work largely seen as a means of leverage, and Iran can be presumed to have taken precautions in anticipation of strikes. Trita Parsi, an outspoken critic of military action, said Trump 'has now made it more likely that Iran will be a nuclear weapons state in the next five to 10 years.' 'We should be careful not to confuse tactical success with strategic success,' said Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. 'The Iraq war was also successful in the first few weeks but President Bush's declaration of 'Mission Accomplished' did not age well,' he said. Weak point for Iran Yet Trump's attack — a week after Israel began a major military campaign — came as the cleric-run state is at one of its weakest points since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah. Since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, which enjoys Iran's support, Israel — besides obliterating much of Gaza — has decimated Lebanon's Hezbollah, a militant group that would once reliably strike Israel as Tehran's proxy. Iran's main ally among Arab leaders, Syria's Bashar al-Assad, was also toppled in December. Supporters of Trump's strike argued that diplomacy was not working, with Iran standing firm on its right to enrich uranium. 'Contrary to what some will say in the days to come, the US administration did not rush to war. In fact, it gave diplomacy a real chance,' said Ted Deutch, a former Democratic congressman who now heads the American Jewish Committee. 'The murderous Iranian regime refused to make a deal,' he said. Top Senate Republican John Thune pointed to Tehran's threats to Israel and language against the United States and said that the state had 'rejected all diplomatic pathways to peace.' Abrupt halt to diplomacy Trump's attack comes almost exactly a decade after former president Barack Obama sealed a deal in which Iran drastically scaled back its nuclear work — which Trump pulled out of in 2018 after coming into office for his first term. Most of Trump's Republican Party and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long seen Iran as an existential threat, attacked Obama's deal because it allowed Tehran to enrich uranium at levels well beneath weapons grade and the key clauses had an end date. But Trump, billing himself a peacemaker, just a month ago said on a visit to Gulf Arab monarchies that he was hopeful for a new deal with Iran, and his administration was preparing new talks when Netanyahu attacked Iran. This prompted an abrupt U-turn from Trump. 'Trump's decision to cut short his own efforts for diplomacy will also make it much harder to get a deal in the medium and long runs,' said Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defence Priorities, which advocates restraint. 'Iran now has no incentive to trust Trump's word or to believe that striking a compromise will advance Iran's interests.' Iran's religious rulers also face opposition internally. Major protests erupted in 2022 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for defying the regime's rules on covering hair. Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote on social media that Trump's strikes could either entrench the Islamic Republic or hasten its downfall. 'The US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities is an unprecedented event that may prove to be transformational for Iran, the Middle East, US foreign policy, global non-proliferation and potentially even the global order,' he said. 'Its impact will be measured for decades to come.' — AFP
Malaysian Reserve
an hour ago
- Malaysian Reserve
UN chief Guterres 'gravely alarmed' by US use of force against Iran
NEW YORK — UN Secretary General António Guterres on Saturday said he was 'gravely alarmed' by the United States' attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, warning of 'catastrophic consequences' for the world, reported German news agency dpa. 'I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today,' Guterres said in a post on X. 'This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.' 'There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world.' Guterres went on to call on United Nations member states to 'de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law. At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos.' 'There is no military solution,' Guterres continued. 'The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.' President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that US aircraft had attacked three nuclear sites in Iran, including Natanz, Isfahan and the Fordow uranium enrichment facility – widely believed to be one of Israel's most critical targets in its ongoing conflict with Iran. Trump said the strikes 'completely and totally obliterated' Tehran's 'key nuclear enrichment facilities.' The US president went on to say that Iran 'must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater, and a lot easier.' Israel launched a campaign on June 13, saying it is aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – a charge that Tehran has consistently denied, saying its nuclear programme only serves civilian purposes. –BERNAMA-dpa
Malaysian Reserve
an hour ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Trump says US conducted 'very successful' strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites
WASHINGTON — The United States (US) President Donald Trump said Saturday that American forces completed 'very successful' airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites amid fears of a wider conflagration in the region, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. Trump said a 'full payload of' bombs was dropped on the 'primary' Iranian nuclear site at Fordo, and additional strikes were conducted at the facilities at Natanz and Esfahan. All American warplanes departed Iranian airspace, he said. 'All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. 'NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,' it reported Trump said on social media. The Fordo nuclear facility is an underground uranium enrichment site near Qom, Iran's deepest and most fortified nuclear installation designed to withstand conventional airstrikes. Iran had strongly warned Trump against involvement in the conflict with Israel, saying if the US directly entered the hostilities, it would lead to 'irreparable consequences'. Trump has repeatedly threatened to take military action against Tehran and maintained that the US would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, something Iran has repeatedly denied that it seeks to acquire. Hostilities broke out June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes. Both sides have reported fatalities and injuries in the ongoing exchange of airstrikes. — BERNAMA-ANADOLU
