On Saturday, February 28th, the United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran, called Operation Epic Fury, targeting Iranian military installations and sparking anxious conversations among lawmakers.
On the day of the attack, President Donald Trump announced the strikes in an early-morning video, calling the Iranian regime "a vicious group of very hard, terrible people" and saying the goal was to eliminate threats to American national security, destroy Iran's missile program, and prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons.
The announcement came after weeks of failed negotiations. U.S. and Iranian officials met in Geneva to discuss Iran's nuclear program, but talks broke down after Iran rejected what it called "excessive demands" from the U.S., though the specifics of those demands were never publicly disclosed.
Representative Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), the first Iranian-American Democrat ever elected to Congress, issued a personal statement, making clear she has no love for the Iranian government. "The Islamic Republic is a brutal, corrupt regime that has murdered and imprisoned its own people for decades," she said.
As the daughter of Iranian immigrants who fled the regime, she added, "Members of our family and friends were brutalized and murdered by the Islamic Republic. I carry that history with me every day."
However, Ansari drew a firm line on how the strikes were carried out. Her core concern: Trump acted without congressional approval, which she argues is unconstitutional.
"Under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, the power to declare war rests solely with Congress," she noted, adding that "no president—Republican or Democrat—has the authority to launch military strikes of this magnitude without Congressional approval."
Ansari also raised concerns about the lack of a clear plan. "Military action carries profound and deadly consequences for American servicemembers, Iranian civilians, regional stability, and the future of an entire nation," she warned.
She added that she supports a free and democratic Iran, but believes that goal requires a real strategy, not rushed military action.
Ansari announced she will vote in favor of the bipartisan War Powers Resolution when it reaches the House floor, a measure that would reassert Congress's role in deciding whether the U.S. stays at war.
