Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) whose parents fled Iran following the rise of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, announced Monday that she will file articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, accusing him of war crimes tied to the escalating conflict in the region.
Ansari, who previously told The New York Times she felt “a rush of hope, but also unease” after Americans and Israelis killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February, has since become sharply critical of how the Trump administration has handled the aftermath.
Her announcement comes at a volatile moment. A ceasefire agreement was reached Tuesday evening, following intense fighting, but tensions quickly resurfaced after Iran again moved to close the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, raising fears of renewed economic and military escalation.
“Donald Trump’s deranged statements — including one on Easter Sunday — are further entrenching our country and our world in another devastating, never-ending war,” Ansari said in a statement announcing her plans.
She pointed specifically to Trump’s warning to Iran’s remaining leadership to “open the f—ing Strait” of Hormuz or face strikes on critical infrastructure.
Ansari accused the administration of crossing legal and moral lines, arguing that both the president and Pentagon leadership have engaged in conduct that could constitute war crimes.
“Ansari claimed Trump is threatening war crimes in violation of the Geneva Convention and has already committed ‘illegal actions and atrocities already committed at his direction — including violence that has destroyed schools, hospitals, and critical civilian infrastructure.'”
“As the daughter of Iranian immigrants who fled this regime, and as an American Congresswoman who swore an oath to the United States Constitution, I know that this cannot go on,” she said.
Her family’s history with Iran shapes much of her stance. Her father was studying medicine in the United States when the Iranian Revolution unfolded and was unable to return home, while her mother fled the country as a teenager after facing increasing restrictions on women’s rights under the Khomeini regime.
Ansari is also calling for the invocation of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, and said she will move forward with impeachment proceedings against Hegseth “next week.”
She argued the Pentagon chief has overstepped his authority and violated constitutional limits on war powers.
“Hegseth’s reckless endangerment of U.S. servicemembers and repeated war crimes, including bombing a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, and willfully targeting civilian infrastructure, are grounds for impeachment and removal from office.”
“Only Congress has the power to declare war, not a rogue president or his lackeys,” she added.
The administration has forcefully pushed back on those claims. Hegseth and Trump recently oversaw a major operation to rescue a U.S. airman shot down by Iranian forces, which the president said required a large-scale military response.
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson dismissed Ansari’s impeachment effort as political theater.
“Secretary Hegseth will continue to protect the homeland and unleash epic fury on Iran’s radical regime,” Wilson said.
“This is just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War.”
Ansari’s move adds to a growing list of Democratic efforts to challenge the administration’s conduct in the conflict, even as the fragile ceasefire and renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz underscore how quickly the situation on the ground continues to shift.
What is this Iran commie doing in our House of Representatives? ICE should grab her, put her on a plane, and drop her off in Iran. She is a Muslim traitor to the US and has no business in our government. Get rid of her.
Ya sure, that will go far….