Lawmakers divided over bombing of Iranian sites

The United States' weekend strikes on Iran's nuclear sites have caused mixed reactions among US politicians — from calls for impeachment to support.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, was the first to call for the impeachment of US President Donald Trump over the attack.

"The president's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X on Saturday after the news broke.

"He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment."

Numerous Democratic lawmakers condemned the strikes as "unconstitutional" because only Congress can authorize action to go to war.

Illinois Representative Sean Casten called Trump's action "impeachable".

"This is not about the merits of Iran's nuclear program. No president has the authority to bomb another country that does not pose an imminent threat to the US without the approval of Congress. This is an unambiguous impeachable offense," Casten posted on X.

Texas Representative Al Green and Michigan Representative Shri Thanedar have been trying to introduce articles of impeachment against Trump, but they have not got much support within the party.

Even some Republicans opposed the move. "This is not Constitutional," Representative Thomas Massie posted on X.

Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna introduced a bipartisan War Powers Resolution bill last week to require Congress to vote for US involvement in Israel's conflict with Iran.

"When two countries are bombing each other daily in a hot war, and a third country joins the bombing, that's an act of war," Massie posted. The bill aims to "prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war", he added.

Other members of Congress also worried that Trump might get the US involved in the conflict. Senator Bernie Sanders last week introduced the No War Against Iran Act to prohibit the use of federal funds for any use of military force in or against Iran without specific Congressional authorization.

'War of choice'

"(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's reckless and illegal attacks violate international law and risk igniting a regional war. Congress must make it clear that the United States will not be dragged into Netanyahu's war of choice," Sanders said. "Another war in the Middle East could cost countless lives, waste trillions more dollars and lead to even more deaths, more conflict and more displacement."

However, some Republican lawmakers are backing Trump's decision.

"The military operations in Iran should serve as a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says," House Speaker Mike Johnson posted on X.

Republican leader in the Senate, John Thune, also commended the military operation and called it a necessary check on Iran's ambitions of developing a nuclear weapon.