Growing anger in US over Trumps war on Iran

Growing anger in US over Trump's war on Iran

TEHRAN – Anger and anxiety are growing among politicians and the public in the United States over President Donald Trump's decision to attack Iran for the second time in eight months, while the two countries were in the midst of ongoing nuclear negotiations.

Anti-war protests have been held in multiple cities, including New York and Washington D.C., where demonstrators held up placards reading, “Hands off Iran” and “Iran is the new Iraq.” The rallies broke out on the first day of the war and have been expanding over the past days.

Some of Trump's voters have also taken to social media to criticize the president's move, stating that this is not what he had promised them.

You were supposed to be the ‘president of peace’,” said an American man in a video published on TikTok, with a MAGA (Make America Great Again) cap visible on the wall behind him. He was referring to the content of Trump’s speech in January of 2024 during his swearing-in ceremony.

"Today, I had to pay $3 for every gallon of gas. What happened to 'America First'? Why are we paying for another Israeli war?" he asked.

Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, an action it had threatened to take in the event of further U.S. aggression. The closure of the strait, through which at least 20% of the world's energy passes daily, is continuously increasing global energy prices.

U.S. lawmakers not happy with Trump’s reasoning

The Trump administration held a classified briefing for U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday regarding its decision to attack Iran instead of signing a deal that Oman, the negotiations' mediator, had said was within reach. When lawmakers emerged from the meeting, they either refused to respond to reporters about what had transpired or expressed discontent.

When asked what he would say to American MAGA voters about another “forever war” in West Asia, Representative Tim Burchett responded, "I would say [to MAGA voters] stay concerned. Be concerned."

Trump and his cabinet members have cited two reasons for their decision to attack Iran: First, that the country was close to building a nuclear weapon, despite Trump's earlier claim that he had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program during last year's war. Second, that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States. Lawmakers have disagreed with these premises.

"I will give you my impression, which is that there is still no evidence, none, of an imminent threat that would justify an attack on Iran," said Senator Richard Blumenthal. "No imminent threat to the United States has been presented to me, but more importantly, to the American people."

A group of largely Democratic lawmakers have announced they will introduce a bill to limit the U.S. President's power to wage war against other countries. However, this is unlikely to pass, as Republicans hold the majority in both the Senate and the House. Furthermore, according to the U.S. Constitution, Trump should have sought permission from Congress to attack Iran in the first place.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio let it slip during earlier remarks that the U.S. attacked Iran because of Israel. He said Washington knew Israel was going to attack Iran, and then Iran would strike U.S. bases in response. When asked about this assertion after the Wednesday briefing, Rubio denied ever making those statements, which were caught on camera.

Beyond the fact that Trump's war against Iran is considered illegal and unjustifiable, U.S. lawmakers are increasingly worried about the war's consequences.

At least seven U.S. soldiers have been reported killed so far, according to figures provided by U.S. authorities, although Iran claims the number of U.S. personnel killed or injured is close to 650. Several millions, if not billions, of dollars in U.S. military assets have also been destroyed during the first five days of the war. This includes U.S. military installations in seven regional countries, three fighter jets, 26 Hermes drones, 3 MQ-9 drones, and two THAAD air defense systems.

In a post on X, Senator Chris Morphy said it is "nearly certain Trump's Iran War is going to be a massive, deadly, trillion-dollar failure," adding that the American people should be "furious he's set on this path."

Mohammad Mahdi Abbasi, a U.S. affairs analyst, stated that Trump had hoped to topple the Islamic Republic by assassinating the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war.

"He doesn't really have any plans on how he would proceed with this war. And the costs are only going to increase," Abbasi added.

The Iranian Armed Forces assert they will continue to attack the U.S. and Israel until they have paid for Ayatollah Khamenei’s assassination. Meanwhile, the Assembly of Experts is in the process of selecting the next Leader. The Iranian people have been taking to the streets across Iran every night after Iftar to voice their support for the Islamic Republic.

source: tehrantimes.com