Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne speaks at her election watch party to accept her reelection in the House of Representatives at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
Chris Torres
ctorres@star-telegram.com
As the American-led military intervention in Iran heads into its fourth week, U.S. congressional members from Fort Worth disagree on the length and economic impacts of the war.
On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel launched dozens of strikes into Iran to begin an effort to overthrow the Iranian government. American missiles killed the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in those strikes.
Republican Reps. Craig Goldman and Beth Van Duyne said they were in complete support of the military attacks. Goldman said he thinks Iran is the only country not in support of America’s attack.
Van Duyne said President Donald Trump’s decision to attack will cause a significant generational change in the world comparable to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
She said American troops are decimating a violent and radical regime that was “obsessed” with creating nuclear weapons in order to act on their deadly threats to Israel and the United States.
Iran has dubbed the United States “the Great Satan” since the 1979 Islamic Revolution when Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, an American ally, was overthrown. In the revolution, the Iranian monarchy was abolished and replaced with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Whether or not we’d like it, the United States has actually been at war for nearly 50 years,” Van Duyne said. “Iran has been at war with the United States for at least 50 years, and I’m grateful that we finally had a president with the courage to do what’s necessary to end that threat for global peace and security.”
Democrat Rep. Marc Veasey said while he loathes the Iranian theocracy and the human rights violations that have resulted from it, he doesn’t believe Trump has thoroughly planned beyond the initial decision to attack.
“I don’t think that they’ve thought any of this really out at all,” Veasey said. “I think that he wanted to do this before the midterms, thinking that he could stick a feather in his hat.”
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How long will the war in Iran last?
Veasey said is concerned the war will last far longer than Republicans are letting on and about what Iran will look like once the U.S. pulls out of the country. He said he hopes Iran is left with stable leadership instead of being left vulnerable to radical terrorist groups.
“I don’t know how long Trump will be there, but I also don’t think that he’s going to dethrone the theocracy with just an air campaign,” Veasey said. “If he is committed to actually getting rid of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, then I think that the only way you do that is with boots on the ground.”
That process, Veasey said, would be lengthy and cost American lives.
Veasey estimates that Americans can “absolutely anticipate” a strike back from the Iranians as the war continues. If Iran didn’t strike back, “it would go against their MO,” he said.
Since America’s military involvement in Iran, Veasey said he has received more queries from constituents asking about military aircraft flying at lower altitudes, but he didn’t know why or where they were from.
“In Fort Worth, we call that the sound of freedom,” Goldman said, “and I enjoy hearing it every single day.”
Both Van Duyne and Goldman said they are receiving regular updates from the administration about how the war is progressing. Veasey said there has been one briefing for Congress, and it equated to what you might hear on CNN.
“I think this administration is taking transparency very seriously, and they’re releasing as much information as possible without threatening the mission and the lives of the American military,” Van Duyne said.
Fort Worth gas prices spike
As a result of the war and the instability it has caused in energy markets, gas prices across the nation have spiked. Fort Worth gas prices have risen a dollar in one month from $2.63 to $3.64 for a gallon of regular unleaded gas, according to AAA fuel prices.
Goldman and Van Duyne pointed out the spike in prices doesn’t come close to the highest recorded price in Fort Worth under former President Joe Biden. On June 16, 2022, gas prices were the most expensive in history at $4.84 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel.
Veasey said he doesn’t see how things will get better any time soon from an economic standpoint.
“Even the President said in his comments, that we may have to suffer financially for what he sees as gain sometime in the future,” Veasey said. “I don’t think that there’s going to be any relief in sight for U.S. consumers.”
Goldman said prices may lower due to Trump releasing 172 million gallons of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves.
The may lower further once the Iranian threat to the Strait of Hormuz is eliminated.
“And remember too that we are producing oil and natural gas at record levels now, which is a vast difference from the Biden administration,” Van Duyne said.
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 4:25 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Rachel Royster is a news and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, specifically focused on Tarrant County. She joined the newsroom after interning at the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald and Capital Community News in DC. A Houston native and Baylor grad, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading and being outside. She welcomes any and all news tips to her email.