AOC Says Trump's Iran Strikes 'Clearly Grounds for Impeachment'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, ripped President Donald Trump for his military attack against Iran on Saturday saying the move is "absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment."
Democrats are splintered on Trump's move to strike the Middle Eastern country amid days of back-and-forth strikes between Israel and Iran as tensions catapulted amid nuclear concerns.
Newsweek previously reached out to the White House via email for comment on the strikes.
Why It Matters
Over the past few days, the conflict between Israel and Iran has escalated dramatically, with Trump calling for the evacuation of Tehran, Iran's capital city home to over 9.5 million people.
Israel initially struck Tehran and several other cities in "Operation Rising Lion," a campaign it said was meant to preempt a planned Iranian attack and disrupt Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Iran, which has said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, has since retaliated, though Israeli defense systems—bolstered by U.S. military technology—have intercepted about 99 percent of incoming missile fire, according to Israeli officials in Saturday morning in an X, formerly Twitter, post. Iran hit a hospital in southern Israel on Thursday, and local reports noted that buildings in Tel Aviv were on fire from Iranian missiles on Friday.
The United States is Israel's closest ally, providing billions of dollars in military aid annually. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that Trump was expected to make a decision about whether to directly support Israel in its attacks against Iran within the next two weeks.
What To Know
Trump announced the military action on Truth Social on Saturday evening saying the U.S. attacked sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan in Iran. The president said all planes are now out of Iranian air space and "safely on their way home." The president addressed the nation at 10 p.m. ET regarding the strikes.
In response to the attacks, Democrats are either slamming the president for pulling the U.S. into "another endless" war or praising the commander-in-chief for the military move.
Ocasio-Cortez ripped the president's action on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote, "The President's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers. He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment."
The President's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers.
He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations.
It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment. — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 22, 2025
Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, also ripped Trump on X, writing that he "struck Iran without any authorization of Congress. We need to immediately return to DC and vote on @RepThomasMassie and my War Powers Resolution to prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war."
On the other hand, Representative John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, came to Trump's side and wrote on X, "As I've long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS. 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."
Fetterman has been a strong supporter of Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza and has recently called for the U.S. to provide the country with weaponry, intelligence and military assistance to strike Iran.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, can be seen speaking during a stop on the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour on April 12 in Los Angeles.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, can be seen speaking during a stop on the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour on April 12 in Los Angeles.
Photo byOther lawmakers like Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, have called Trump's decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities a "blatant violation of our Constitution."
Responding to a post on X that said, "Nothing unites U.S. elites & politicians more than war - especially against Muslims in the Middle East," Tlaib replied, "Yep, and it's so f**king sick."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, released a statement calling out Trump for failing to deliver peace to the Middle East and added that now "the risk of war" has "dramatically increased."
Jeffries said he is praying for the safety of U.S. troops "who have been put in harm's way." The House minority leader also warned Trump now bears "complete and total" responsibility for any consequences that may arise from the strikes.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has remained silent in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.
Newsweek reached out to his office via email for comment.
My statement on Donald Trump's unilateral military action in Iran. pic.twitter.com/2ZjZXlPbrl — Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) June 22, 2025
What People Are Saying
D. Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky, in an email to Newsweek Saturday when asked if the division over the strikes could cause additional fractures for Democrats: "The opposition party likely gains from internal division when the country faces a foreign-policy challenge. That way, no matter which way the crisis resolves, they have leaders who can say they were on the right side."
Voss added: "Immediately after a foreign-policy conflict, Americans rally around the flag, including members of the opposition party. It would be costly for them to seem unsupportive of the country's security interests. Yet if the conflict goes sour, they benefit from having party members who can flout their opposition to the engagement. Example: Democrats mostly supported the War on Terror despite, despite it being the initiative of a Republican president, yet they still had politicians like Obama able to take advantage of the war's unpopularity later on."
Political analyst and Florida Atlantic University professor Craig Agranoff to Newsweek via text message Saturday: "Their split over Iran's strikes is a symptom of deeper fault lines; exposed and widened by their 2024 election loss. On one hand, progressives are pushing for restraint, wary of escalation; on the other, moderates fear looking weak on national security."
He added: "This isn't just tactical disagreement...it risks entrenching a broader ideological divide. With the party already on shaky ground, failing to coalesce on a clear stance could erode their ability to challenge Republican narratives or rebuild voter trust ahead of the midterms."
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Iranian missiles intercepted over Jerusalem after US attacks Iran nuclear sites
Iranian missiles could be seen in the sky over Jerusalem early Sunday after the United States earlier struck three Iranian nuclear sites. Air raid sirens and explosions could be heard as the missiles flew overhead and were intercepted.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump says US airstrikes 'obliterated' Iran's key nuclear sites
STORY: The U.S. struck three key nuclear sites in Iran, President Donald Trump said on Saturday. He warned that Tehran would face more attacks if it didn't agree to peace. "Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated." Trump's decision to join Israel's military campaign against Iran represents a major escalation of the conflict. :: Tel Aviv, Israel It comes after more than a week of aerial combat between the two, with death and injuries in both countries. "There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump: "History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime the world's most dangerous weapons." While an Iranian official cited by Tasnim news agency confirmed that one of the nuclear sites was attacked by 'enemy aistrikes'. :: June 13, 2025 :: Tehran, Iran Israel launched attacks on Iran earlier this month, saying it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Diplomatic efforts by Western nations to stop the hostilities have been unsuccessful. CBS news reported that the US reached out diplomatically to Iran on Saturday... ...to say the strikes are all the U.S. plans and that it does not aim for regime change.
Hamilton Spectator
35 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
US strikes 3 Iranian nuclear sites, inserting itself into Israel's war with Iran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States attacked three sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself into Israel's war aimed at destroying the country's nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe that prompted fears of a wider regional conflict. Addressing the nation from the White House, President Donald Trump asserted that Iran's key nuclear sites were 'completely and fully obliterated.' There was no independent damage assessment. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted that its nuclear program will not be stopped. Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said there were no signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations. It was not clear whether the U.S. would continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a war with Iran for nine days. Trump acted without congressional authorization , and he warned that there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against U.S. forces. 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,' he said. Iran's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, warned in a post on X that the U.S. attacks 'will have everlasting consequences' and that Tehran 'reserves all options' to retaliate. Hours later, Iranian missiles struck areas in northern and central Israel, according to an Israeli rescue service. United Hatzalah said it was dispatching first responders, but here was no immediate word on casualties or damage. The US helped Israel strike Iran's toughest nuclear site Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, and U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Trump and Israeli leaders have claimed that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat. The decision to directly involve the U.S. in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel that significantly degraded Iran's air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities. But U.S. and Israeli officials have said American B-2 stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound (13,500-kilogram) bunker-buster bomb that only they have been configured to carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground. Trump appears to have made the calculation — at the prodding of Israeli officials and many Republican lawmakers — that Israel's operation had softened the ground and presented a perhaps unparalleled opportunity to set back Iran's nuclear program, perhaps permanently. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,' Trump said in a post on social media, using common alternate spellings for two of the sites. 'All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.' Trump added in a later post: 'This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!' Israel announced Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the U.S. attacks. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately elaborate on the operation. U.S. military leaders are scheduled to provide a briefing at 8 a.m. Eastern. The attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant that is built deep into a mountain, a U.S. official said. The weapons are designed to penetrate the ground before exploding. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. In addition, U.S. submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles, according to another U.S. official who also spoke on condition of anonymity. The International Atomic Energy Agency wrote on X that there has been 'no increase in off-site radiation levels' after the strikes. 'The IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,' it said. The 'IAEA will provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available.' Trump's turn to strikes departs from some previous statements The strikes are a perilous decision for Trump, who won the White House on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism. But Trump also vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and he had initially hoped that the threat of force would bring the country's leaders to give up its nuclear program peacefully. For months, Trump said he was dedicated to a diplomatic push to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. And he twice — in April and again in late May — persuaded Netanyahu to hold off on military action against Iran and give diplomacy more time. After Israel began striking Iran, Trump went from publicly expressing hope that the moment could be a 'second chance' for Iran to make a deal to delivering explicit threats on Khamenei and making calls for Tehran's unconditional surrender. He has bristled at criticism from some of his MAGA faithful who have suggested that further U.S. involvement would be a betrayal to supporters who were drawn to his promise to end U.S. involvement in expensive and endless wars. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's decision to attack in a video message directed at the American president. 'Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history,' he said. Netanyahu said the U.S. 'has done what no other country on earth could do.' The military showdown with Iran comes seven years after Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-administration brokered agreement in 2018, calling it the 'worst deal ever.' Fears of a broader war U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was 'gravely alarmed' by the 'dangerous escalation' of American strikes. 'There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region and the world,' he said in a statement. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they would resume attacks on U.S. vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joined Israel's military campaign. The Houthis paused such attacks in May under a deal with the U.S. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the United States on Wednesday that strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will 'result in irreparable damage for them.' And Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei declared 'any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.' The Israeli military said Saturday it was preparing for the possibility of a lengthy war, while Iran's foreign minister warned before the U.S. attack that American military involvement 'would be very, very dangerous for everyone.' Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group said of those dead, it identified 363 civilians and 215 security force personnel. Trump's decision for direct U.S. military intervention comes after his administration made an unsuccessful two-month push — including with high-level, direct negotiations with the Iranians — aimed at persuading Tehran to curb its nuclear program. ___ Madhani reported from Morristown, N.J. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Mehdi Fattahi in Iran, Lolita Baldor in Narragansett, Rhode Island, Samy Magdy in Cairo, contributed to this story. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
