Top U.S. lawmakers have criticized President Donald Trump for allegedly bypassing Congress in ordering coordinated U.S.–Israeli military strikes on Iran, warning that the action risks plunging the nation into another Middle East conflict.
Senator Bernie Sanders described the attacks as “illegal, premeditated, and unconstitutional,” accusing Trump of collaborating with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pursue a long-standing agenda of drawing the United States into armed confrontation with Iran.
In a statement shared on X, Sanders emphasized that the Constitution grants Congress—not the president—the authority to declare war. He called for the Senate to immediately reconvene to consider a pending War Powers Resolution.
“The U.S. Constitution is clear: Congress declares war, not a president acting unilaterally,” Sanders said, warning that the strikes could deepen global instability and set a dangerous precedent, while ordinary Americans bear the human and financial costs. Drawing parallels to past conflicts in Vietnam and Iraq, he added, “The American people are being misled again. They want jobs, healthcare, housing, and education—not another endless war.”
Senator Tammy Baldwin echoed these concerns, accusing Trump of ignoring constitutional limits and launching a “senseless and illegal” military campaign. Baldwin stressed that diplomacy, not war, should guide foreign policy and warned that such actions endanger U.S. troops while repeating past mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani condemned the strikes as a “catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression,” citing potential civilian casualties and regional instability. He assured the city’s Iranian community of their safety and instructed local authorities to enhance security measures across sensitive areas.
Mamdani added, “Americans do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace.”
