Five critical realities about Trump's strikes on Iran
Some quick points to consider after Donald Trump's June 2025 airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities
#1: Politicians making the issue more about Trump bypassing Congress, and less about the actual act of bombing Iran itself, are missing the point entirely
If Trump had approval from Congress to bomb Iran, it still would not justify it. Moreover, considering much of Congress is comfortably nestled in the deep pockets of defense companies, and considering Republicans currently hold a majority in the House and Senate, the odds are high they would have given Trump approval to attack Iran anyway. The necessity of the strikes should be the first point of contention, not the legality, especially given the US is already well known for not caring about pesky little things like rule of law when it comes to waging war.
#2: Any belief that domestic "checks and balances" such as Congress, or international ones, such as the UN, can stop the US and Israel, are based on fantasy
The historical record shows Congress nearly always falls in line with neocon war plans, and the United Nations is completely absent in their ability and/or willingness to stop them. Israel has waged a genocide in Gaza for the last two years, yet the major institutions that make up the so-called "international community" have completely abandoned them. There is little to indicate these institutions will step up and challenge the US over Iran.
#3: Democrats are far from innocent in their contribution to this
The Obama administration stood by as Israel assassinated Iranian scientists, and during Obama’s first term, the US itself launched cyber attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities — an action that meets the Pentagon’s own definition of an act of war. Additionally, Obama, and later Biden, inflicted crushing economic sanctions on Iran, "justified" by claims that the country was pursuing nuclear weapons.
It's also worth noting that the Obama administration's Iran nuclear deal was constructed around the narrative that it would keep Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, despite overwhelming evidence — even at the time — that Iran had no interest in doing so. This lie has been repeated over and over by Republican and Democrat administrations alike, possibly to manufacture public support for the war now being sold to them in 2025.
#4: There is no evidence Iran has been pursuing nuclear weapons
More than a decade ago, the 2011 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), a compilation of data evaluated by America's 17 intelligence agencies, declared that there were no serious revisions to the 2007 NIE, which stated that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program in 2003. In 2022, the Pentagon's Nuclear Posture Review admitted Iran is not pursuing a nuclear weapon, writing in their report that the country "does not today possess a nuclear weapon" and is not seeking one. In March 2025, US intelligence agencies reaffirmed there was no evidence Iran was developing nuclear weapons. In June 2025, Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed his organization has "no proof" Iran decided to build a nuclear bomb.
#5: The military-industrial complex would never allow a truly anti-war politician to become president, and Donald Trump was no exception
Trump has always been a part of the neocon establishment. During his first term, he attempted a humiliating coup in Venezuela, openly assassinated a high ranking Iranian official, dropped a "MOAB" on Afghanistan, sent Javelin missiles to Ukraine, launched raids and airstrikes in Yemen, and left US troops in Syria "only for the oil".
Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has continued bombing Yemen, while also launching US airstrikes in Somalia, keeping troops in Iraq and Syria, and approving weapon sales to Ukraine, even as he ran for a second presidential term on ending that war within 24 hours of becoming president.
The last hard pill to swallow is the most important, particularly because Americans tend to forget it every four years: So long as politicians continue to adhere to the interests of defense companies and other corporate donors, no politician from either major party who is truly anti-war will ever be allowed to step foot in the White House.
Donald Trump has proven himself to be anything but an exception to the rule. Like every other president before him, he’s just another establishment warmonger.