AOC Calls For Trump's Impeachment Following Iran Attack: 'Grave Violation of the Constitution'
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) called for President Donald Trump's impeachment over his decision to bomb three of Iran's nuclear sites without authorization from Congress, calling it 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 lawmaker added in a publication on X.
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
Trump announced earlier on Saturday that the U.S. had struck the targets, including Fordow, which is buried deep inside a mountain and considered the top target to destroy its program.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said the U.S. completed a "very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan."
"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. 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," Trump added.
In contrast with AOC, fellow Democrat Sen. John Fetterman lauded the attack, saying it was "the correct move."
"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," said Fetterman, who has maintained a staunch pro-Israel stance throughout the wars with Iran and Hamas, sometimes putting him at odds with members of his own party.
Originally published on Latin Times
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Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Int'l Business Times
Iran's Nuclear Programme: The Key Sites
The US military attacked three sites in Iran on Sunday -- Natanz, Isfahan and the mountain-buried Fordo, all key parts of Tehran's nuclear programme, which it maintains is purely for civilian purposes. American planes launched a "very successful attack", US President Donald Trump said, claiming Iran's main nuclear enrichment facilities had been "completely and totally obliterated". Trump has said Tehran must never get a nuclear weapon, and ally Israel has claimed its attacks on Iran have set back the country's nuclear weapons progress by several years. Iran has always denied any ambition to develop nuclear weapons and maintained its right to a civilian nuclear programme. Iran has significantly ramped up its nuclear programme in recent years, after a landmark deal with world powers curbing its nuclear activities in exchange for sanction relief began to unravel in 2018 when the United States under Trump unilaterally withdrew. As of mid-May, Iran's total enriched uranium stockpile was estimated at 9,247.6 kilograms -- or more than 45 times the limit set out in the 2015 deal -- according to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Among its stockpiles, Iran has an estimated 408.6 kilograms (901 pounds) enriched to up to 60 percent -- just a short step from the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead. The country now theoretically has enough near-weapons-grade material, if further refined, for about 10 nuclear bombs, according to the definition by the Vienna-based IAEA. Below is a list of Iran's key nuclear sites, which are subject to regular inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog: NATANZ: About 250 kilometres (150 miles) south of Tehran, Natanz is Iran's heavily bunkered main uranium enrichment site, whose existence was first revealed in 2002. Natanz operates nearly 70 cascades of centrifuges at its two enrichment plants, one of which is underground. A cascade is a series of centrifuges -- machines used in the process of enriching uranium. In April 2021, the site was damaged in an attack that Iran said was an act of sabotage by Israel. Israel said its recent strikes had hit the "heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme", targeting the atomic facility in Natanz and nuclear scientists. IAEA head Rafael Grossi confirmed the Natanz site was "among targets". FORDO: Secretly built in violation of United Nations resolutions under a mountain near the holy central city of Qom, Fordo was first publicly revealed in 2009. Initially described as an "emergency" facility built underground to protect it from potential air attacks, Iran later indicated it was an enrichment plant capable of housing about 3,000 centrifuges. In 2023, uranium particles enriched up to 83.7 percent were discovered at the Fordo plant, which Iran claimed were the product of "unintended fluctuations" during the enrichment process. Trump has called it "the primary site". ISFAHAN: At the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan in central Iran, raw mined uranium is processed into uranium tetrafluoride (UF4) and then into uranium hexafluoride (UF6), a feed gas for centrifuges. The plant was industrially tested in 2004 upon its completion. The Isfahan centre also harbours a nuclear fuel fabrication facility, which was inaugurated in 2009 and produces low-enriched fuel for use in power plants. In July 2022, Iran announced plans to construct a new research reactor there. Four of its buildings have been hit by Israel since June 13, including a uranium conversion plant. ARAK: Work on the Arak heavy-water research reactor on the outskirts of the village of Khondab began in the 2000s, but was halted under the terms of the 2015 deal. Iran has meanwhile informed the IAEA about its plans to commission the reactor by 2026. The research reactor was officially intended to produce plutonium for medical research and the site includes a production plant for heavy water. TEHRAN: The Tehran nuclear research centre houses a reactor that was supplied by the United States in 1967 for the production of medical radioisotopes. BUSHEHR: Iran's only nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr was built by Russia and began operating at a lower capacity in 2011 before being plugged into the national power grid in 2012. Russia continues to deliver nuclear fuel for the plant, which remains under IAEA control. A German company began construction on the plant with a 1,000-megawatt nominal capacity until the project was halted in the wake of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Moscow later completed it. DARKHOVIN AND SIRIK: Iran began construction in late 2022 on a 300-megawatt power plant in Darkhovin, in the country's southwest. In early 2024, it also began work in Sirik, in the Strait of Hormuz, on a new complex of four individual plants with a combined capacity of 5,000 megawatts.
DW
2 hours ago
- DW
Iran says US strikes to have 'everlasting consequences' – DW – 06/22/2025
Iran's top diplomat defended the country's right to "a legitimate response in self-defense." Trump has meanwhile warned that that the US "will go for more targets" if Tehran does not make peace. Follow DW for Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the US of violating the UN Charter and international agreements with its bombing attacks on nuclear sites in his country. "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 [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons] by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences, Araghchi said, stressing that "this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior" must alarm every UN member. "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." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The US attacks on nuclear sites in Iran have not raised radiation levels in the Gulf region, the Saudi regulatory authorities said on Sunday. "No radioactive effects were detected on the environment of the Kingdom and the Arab Gulf states as a result of the American military targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities," the kingdom's Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Iran's National Nuclear Safety System Center has also issued a statement saying that no radiation had been released to the environment through the attacks. Authorities in Iran said Sunday there are "no signs of contamination" after the US attacks on the country's key nuclear sites in Isfahan, Fordo and Natanz. "No signs of contamination have been recorded," said Iran's National Centre for the Nuclear Safety System, which operates under Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. "There is therefore no danger for the inhabitants living around the aforementioned sites." The attack on Iran's nuclear facilities marks a significant shift for US President Donald Trump, who came to office promising he would keep the US out of foreign wars and often criticized military interventions. Trump's decision to attack Iran has stirred a storm across the US political spectrum. US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican of Louisiana, came out in favor of the attack, saying it "prevents the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, which chants' Death to America,' from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet." Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, a 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." Others, including Democrats as well as hardcore Trump supporters often referred to as "MAGA," criticized the decision. US House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said: "President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East." The Israeli Airport Authority said the country's airspace will remain closed over fears of a possible Iranian retaliation to the US strikes on nuclear sites in the country. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization acknowledged the US attacks on Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz, but said they would not deter the country from carrying on its nuclear activities. It also said that the strikes by the US on its nuclear sites violated international law. The agency did not share details about the extent of the damage from the US strikes that President Donald Trump announced earlier. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was gravely alarmed by the use of force by the US against Iran, and called it a "direct threat to international peace and security. The US strikes in Iran are a "dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge," and urged for de-escalation in a statement. "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 said. "At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos," Guterres said in his statement. "There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace." President Donald Trump said the strikes carried out in three Iranian nuclear sites resulted in them being "completely and totally obliterated," labeling the operation a "spectacular military success." Trump concluded his speech by threatening Iran should it not return to the negotiation table. "There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran," Trump said, adding that the US "will go for other targets" should that not be the case. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for carrying out strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran. According to Netanyahu, Trump's decision "will change history," with the US doing "what no other country on earth could do." "History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime the world's most dangerous weapons," Netanyahu said, concluding his message by saying that "the forces of civilization" thank Trump for his decision. US broadcaster CNN reported, citing unnamed sources, that President Donald Trump hopes the airstrikes carried out by the US Air Force would lead the way to new diplomatic efforts with Iran. According to the report, the US is not planning additional strikes as of now. NBC News also reported, citing White House officials, that Trump was expected to say in his address later that no additional strikes inside Iran were planned. The Israeli army tightened restrictions across Israel as a precautionary measure following the US airstrikes in Iran. Only "essential activity" will take place, while schools and other gatherings will be prohibited. The measures are in effect as of 03:45 local time (02:45 CEST). An Iranian official confirmed that part of the nuclear site in Fordo was attacked by "enemy airstrikes," according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency and IRNA agency. Israel was kept in the loop ahead of the US airstrikes on three nuclear sites in Iran, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported. According to the report, the two countries were "in full coordination" ahead of the strikes. US President Donald Trump will hold a speech at the White House regarding the American strikes in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. The speech will take place at 10 p.m. local time (02:00 UTC/04:00 CEST). "Iran must now agree to end this war," Trump posted on his Truth Social account.
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Bombing Iran, Trump Gambles On Force Over Diplomacy
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. 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." 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 Defense 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."
