Written by Betsalel Shafa

On June 21, former President Donald Trump ordered and publicly confirmed unauthorized airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. In a series of tweets, Trump hailed the operation as a “spectacular military success” that destroyed Iran’s key enrichment sites and said all aircraft returned safely. These strikes were launched without Congressional approval, thus causing some members of the government to provide backlash to Trump. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Trump for bypassing Congress and warned that the president alone bears responsibility for any adverse consequences. Furthermore, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) labeled this attack as “disastrous” and stated they met the constitutional threshold for impeachment due to bypassing Congress. She had said that “He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely grounds for impeachment.”. House democrats are citing the violation of the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which requires congressional authorization for sustained military action, as grounds for impeachment. The White House has yet to respond to these calls for impeachment, with legal scholars and former officials debating the constitutionality of the strike, drawing comparisons to past conflicts (e.g., Libya in 2011, and Syria in 2018). Finally, bipartisan concern over a potential for broader conflict and nuclear deal with Iran seeming out of sight has caused a few on the right to view the strikes unfavorably, while some democrats stand with Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.