Figures from across the United States political spectrum have reacted to President Donald Trump\u2019s joint attack with Israel on Iran, with Republicans largely expressing support and Democrats failing to offer a robust and unified response.<\/p>\n
The attacks have reportedly killed at least 201 people, including more than 80 in a school in southern Iran, many of them children.<\/p>\n
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Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on Israel as well as US bases across the region, located in countries such as Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Kuwait, prompting fears that the conflict could spiral out of control and plunge the region into violence.<\/p>\n
An initial YouGov poll conducted on February 28, after the strikes, suggested that 33 percent of US adults approved of the US attacking Iran, while 45 percent disapproved. Among Democrats and Independents, approval was just 10 percent and 21 percent, respectively, while 68 percent of Republicans expressed support.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how some of the US\u2019s most prominent elected representatives and political figures have reacted.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump: \u201cA short time ago, the United States military started major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson: \u201cToday, Iran is facing the severe consequences of its evil actions. President Trump and the Administration have made every effort to pursue peaceful and diplomatic solutions in response to the Iranian regime\u2019s sustained nuclear ambitions and development, terrorism, and the murder of Americans\u2014and even their own people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune: \u201cFor years, Iran\u2019s relentless nuclear ambitions, its expanded ballistic missile inventory, and its unwavering support for terror groups in the region have posed a clear and unacceptable threat to U.S. servicemembers, citizens in the region, and many of our allies. Despite the dogged efforts of the president and his administration, the Iranian regime has refused the diplomatic off-ramps that would peacefully resolve these national security concerns. I commend President Trump for taking action to thwart these threats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: \u201cDonald Trump failed to seek Congressional authorization prior to striking Iran. Instead, the president\u2019s decision to abandon diplomacy and launch a massive military attack has left American troops vulnerable to Iran\u2019s retaliatory actions. We pray for the safety of the men and women of the US military as they have been put into harm\u2019s way in a dangerous theatre of war.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: \u201cThe administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat. Confronting Iran\u2019s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions, and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination, and strategic clarity. Unfortunately, President Trump\u2019s fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib: \u201cThe American people do not want a war with Iran. Trump is acting on the violent fantasies of the American political elite and the Israeli apartheid government, ignoring the vast majority of Americans who say loud and clear: No More Wars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: \u201cThe American people are once again dragged into a war they did not want by a president who does not care about the long-term consequences of his actions. This war is unlawful. It is unnecessary. And it will be catastrophic. Just this week, Iran and the United States were negotiating key measures that could have staved off war. The president walked away from these discussions and chose war instead.\u201d<\/p>\n
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani: \u201cToday\u2019s military strikes on Iran \u2014 carried out by the United States and Israel \u2014 mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression. Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theatre of war.\u00a0 Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders: \u201cThis Trump\u2013Netanyahu war is unconstitutional and violates international law. It endangers the lives of U.S. troops and people across the region. We\u2019ve lived through the lies of Vietnam and Iraq. No more endless wars. Congress must pass a War Powers Resolution immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen: \u201cTrump is lying to the American people as he launches an illegal, regime-change war against Iran. This is endangering American lives and has already resulted in mass civilian casualties. This is not making us safer & only damages the US and our interests. The Senate must immediately vote on the War Powers Resolution to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham: \u201cI fervently pray that the long-suffering people of Iran will have their oppression ended soon. I also fervently pray that we\u2019re on the verge of a new dawn in the Middle East, with historic opportunity for lasting peace and prosperity. As to our allies in Israel, President Trump and all under his command, your bravery has set in motion the end of evil and darkness, and the beginning of the light. Well done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna: \u201cTrump has launched an illegal regime change war in Iran with American lives at risk. Congress must convene on Monday to vote on Representative Thomas Massie and my WPR [War Powers Resolution] to stop this. Every member of Congress should go on record this weekend on how they will vote.\u201d<\/p>\n
Republican Representative Thomas Massie: \u201cI am opposed to this War. This is not \u201cAmerica First.\u201d When Congress reconvenes, I will work with Representative Ro Khanna to force a Congressional vote on war with Iran. The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.\u201d<\/p>\n
Republican Senator Tom Cotton: \u201cIran\u2019s missile program poses an imminent threat to the United States and our allies. I\u2019m thankful President Trump is taking necessary action to protect our homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff: \u201cTrump is drawing our country into yet another foreign war that Americans don\u2019t want and Congress has not authorised. The Iranian regime is a brutal and murderous dictatorship. But that does not give Trump the authority to unilaterally initiate a war of choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democratic Senator John Fetterman: \u201cOperation Epic Fury. President Trump has been willing to do what\u2019s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region. God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris: \u201cDonald Trump is dragging the United States into a war the American people do not want. Let me be clear: I am opposed to a regime-change war in Iran, and our troops are being put in harm\u2019s way for the sake of Trump\u2019s war of choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene: \u201cWe said \u201cNo More Foreign Wars, No More Regime Change!\u201d We said it on rally stage after rally stage, speech after speech. Trump, Vance, basically the entire admin campaigned on it and promised to put America FIRST and Make America Great Again. My generation has been let down, abused, and used by our government our entire adult lives and our children\u2019s generation is literally being abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Figures from across the United States political spectrum have reacted to President Donald Trump\u2019s joint attack with Israel…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":496522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,1127,12,2562,3,111,21,19,22,20,25,1209,24],"class_list":{"0":"post-496521","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-conflict","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-israel-iran-conflict","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-politics","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-united-states-of-america","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-us-canada","20":"tag-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/496522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}