Dem Senator Left โBaffledโ By Lack of Support for Trumpโs Iran Strikes and Death of โEvilโ Leaders
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is expressing disbelief at fellow Democrats who have criticized President Donald Trumpโs military strikes against Iran, calling the action a decisive moment for regional peace and security.
Fetterman questioned members of his own party who voiced opposition to the strikes, arguing that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon has long been a bipartisan priority.
“Every single member of the Senate has agreed that we can never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb, and clearly they [Iran] were actually intending to do that. So, are you really committed to that?” Fetterman asked Monday on Hannity.
U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes on Iranian military and government targets on Feb. 28, deploying air, sea and missile power in what officials described as a sweeping operation. The mission, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, struck more than 1,000 military, intelligence and government sites across Iran within its first 24 hours, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior regime officials were eliminated in the strikes.
Fetterman said he was โbaffledโ that more people were not celebrating the death of what he described as โone of the most evil men everโ and the crippling of the Iranian regime.
“It’s a good thing for the region, it’s a good thing for Israel, it’s good for America, and so, for me, that’s why I stand with the country over perhaps what the base may demand,” Fetterman said.
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He also defended the legality and strategic rationale behind the operation, pushing back on critics who questioned whether the president overstepped his authority.
โImagine if people just listened to the conventional wisdom, that they could have possibly have acquired a bomb if we werenโt bombed back in June. So, yes, there is a threat. Itโs not imminent that it could happen right now. But itโs one that I think is entirely appropriate to deal with it,โ Fetterman told CNN host Dana Bash. โAnd thatโs why I support it. So, again, people keepโ describe that it was a legal war. Now read the War Powers Act. And, now, that has not been violated at this point what happened yesterday.โ
The War Powers Act requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing U.S. military forces. The Trump administration notified the โGang of Eightโ โ the bipartisan group of top congressional leaders and intelligence committee chairs โ before the strikes but did not seek formal authorization.
Fetterman noted that Trump had previously attempted diplomacy before resorting to military action.
โWell, what is true is that President Trump tried to negotiate that and tried to find a firm kinds [sic] of agreements, absolutely. And they refused to those basic, basic kinds of things: remind everybody, you are never allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. And, clearly, they was [sic]. And I absolutely supported what happened last June,โ Fetterman continued.
Fetterman is one of the few Democrats who backed Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities ordered by President Trump. While most of the Democratic caucus condemned that action, Fetterman later voted as the lone Democratic senator against a war powers resolution seeking to curb the presidentโs authority following the operation.
