Fury and fanboys: US, world leaders react to US-Israeli war on Iran

The reactions are already coming in following the early morning attacks on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces in what is being called “Operation Epic Fury.” The reports are fluid, but as President Trump announced on his Truth Social, the U.S. is taking aim at Iran’s military and senior leadership and hopes to raze both so that the Iranian people can take over. “When we are finished the government is yours to take. Your hour of freedom is at hand.”

For some, like U.S. Senator Jon Fetterman, a Democrat who represents the people of Pennsylvania, this is the greatest thing to happen since the last time the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in June. “President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region. God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who probably wanted this war more than anyone, weighed in shortly after the attacks. “President Trump has met the moment” he said, and “put in motion the demise of the Iranian ayatollah.”

“This operation will be massive in scope and has as its goal the elimination of the regime as demanded by the people of Iran,” he continued. “When the regime collapses, the region will spread toward a new dawn, and that normalization will take up where it left off.”

Others not surprisingly had a 180-degree opposite take. Rep. Ro Khanna, (D-Calif.) who has been fighting against members of his own party to end-run the war with a War Powers Act vote, said he wanted lawmakers to “go on record” now in the wake of attacks. “Trump has launched an illegal regime change war in Iran with American lives at risk. Congress must convene on Monday to vote on @RepThomasMassie & my WPR to stop this. Every member of Congress should go on record this weekend on how they will vote.”

Massie, a Republican, was one of the first to weigh in on X with a brief statement — “acts of war unauthorized by Congress” — quote-posting an AP story announcing the strikes.

Congressional Progressive Caucus chair, Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, also urged a vote in the House, but said they will “need millions of Americans to speak out and demand an end” to the war too.

On the Senate side, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who is leading the War Powers Act bill in his chamber, said every single senator “needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action.”

He is joined by his Republican colleague Sen. Rand Paul who invoked John Quincy Adams and James Madison in an X post criticizing the action without congressional approval as well as, quoting Adams, the impulse to go “abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.”

“As with all war, my first and purest instinct is wish Americans soldiers safety and success in their mission,” he write. “But my oath of office is to the Constitution, so with studied care, I must oppose another Presidential war.”

Democrats trying to shepherd War Powers Act bill are going to have a hard time however, with comments coming in like this one from Rep. Greg Landsale, (D-Ohio), who claims the U.S. is steering away from civilian harm (he apparently hadn’t seen that more than 50 girls are dead from a reported missile strike on an elementary school). “I hope these targeted strikes on the Iranian regime’s military assets ends the regime’s mayhem and bloodshed and makes way for this lasting peace in the region,” he said in a statement.

It remains unclear whether Democratic leadership in Congress will fall on the War Powers bill. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) urged Trump to come to Congress and provide an “ironclad justification for this act of war,” but he did not condemn the attack or demand an end to the strikes.

The Center for International Policy is updating a list of lawmakers with critical statements, here.

Meanwhile, former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has been against war with Iran from the start, came out with fulsome statement this morning.

“There are 93 million people in Iran, let them liberate themselves. But Iran is on the verge of having nuclear weapons. Yeah sure. We have been spoon fed that line for decades and Trump told us all that his bombing this past summer completely wiped it all out. It’s always a lie and it’s always America Last. But it feels like the worst betrayal this time because it comes from the very man and the admin who we all believed was different and said no more.”

World leaders and governments are pouring in with their reactions. After months of acrimony it seems there is now something the U.S. and Canada can agree on. Prime Minister Mark Carney and his foreign minister, Anita Anand, backed the strikes in a statement this morning. “Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security.”

Of course, Ukraine, which has spent the last four years decrying the Russian invasion of its own sovereignty, cheered on the U.S. and Israel this morning, citing its justifications, which including supporting Russia. “The regime in Tehran had every opportunity to prevent a violent scenario,” the Foreign Ministry said in a lengthy statement on X.

Russia on the other hand, called for an immediate halt to the actions, however futile that demand might be, and offered harsh words about the U.S.-Iran negotiations going on all week, calling them ostensible “cover” for renewed military action.

“It is particularly reprehensible that these strikes are once again being conducted under the cover of the renewed negotiation process, ostensibly intended to secure long-term normalisation of the situation around the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a long statement this morning. “This comes despite assurances conveyed to the Russian side indicating that Israel had no interest in entering into military confrontation with Iran.”

China is taking a similar tone. China is highly concerned…Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected,” said its foreign ministry spokesman. “China calls for an immediate stop of the military actions, no further escalation of the tense situation, resumption of dialogue and negotiation, and efforts to uphold peace and stability in the Middle East.

Members of Trump’s administration, especially those well-versed in MAGA media, started speaking out early too. Kari Lake who is director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (formerly Voice of America) which has been pumping out pro-freedom messages and videos in Persian all morning, pulled out all the stops. “What a glorious moment we are in the midst of —God bless our United States military and President Donald J. Trump.”

This story is developing and being updated.