US Strikes on Iran Spark Ongoing Debate

A week after President Donald Trump ordered U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, debate continues over the legality and effectiveness of the operation. Trump claims the attacks destroyed key sites and ended Iran’s nuclear ambitions, while U.S. intelligence assessments indicate the damage may have set back Iran’s program by only a few months. 

Bipartisan critics, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), argue the strikes were illegal without congressional authorization. Proponents of the strikes say that Trump did not need prior congressional approval, with some citing what they view as the imminent danger in Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.

 

Biden Launches Strikes at Iranian-Backed Militias in Syria

President Biden launched missile strikes against what the US describes as Iran-backed militias operating in Syria on Thursday. These strikes were in retaliation for an attack on US troops stationed in Erbil, Iraq earlier this month which resulted in the death of a civilian contractor. While the initial attack occurred in Iraq, the retaliatory strikes were aimed at militias in Syria to avoid a diplomatic spat with the Iraqi government, which has strong ties to Iran.

The Biden administration has said they hope to avoid a direct confrontation with Iran as they hope to renew talks to enter a nuclear deal. President Trump had exited the previous nuclear deal during his term, and Biden has promised to attempt to reenter the agreement during his term.

Trump had also directly confronted Iran through the killing of General Qassim Soleimani in January 2020 over the general’s repeated attacks on US troops over the years. Iran did launch retaliatory strikes in response which caused injuries to US servicemembers in the region; however, there was no escalation to a full-blown conflict that some had feared may have resulted from Soleimani’s killing.