The U.S. president’s remarks Sunday alarmed lawmakers who have warned that further involvement would be illegal as well as disastrous, Jake Johnson reports.
U.S. President Donald Trump arriving at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on June 10 for a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. (White House/Daniel Torok)
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Sunday that American forces “could get involved” in the intensifying military conflict that Israel started late last week with a barrage of attacks on Iran, prompting large-scale retaliatory strikes and warnings of a prolonged and catastrophic war.
Trump told ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott that the U.S. is not currently involved in the conflict, which is false. The U.S. has helped Israel shoot down Iranian missiles, and American fighter jets are reportedly “patrolling the sky in the Middle East to protect personnel and installations.”
One Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post that “there was full and complete coordination with the Americans” on Israel’s early Friday bombardment of Iran, which set off the conflict.
But Trump’s remarks Sunday signaled the potential for a deeper U.S. role in the war, setting off alarm among lawmakers who have warned that such involvement would be illegal as well as disastrous.
“If President Trump intends to get the U.S. more involved in the war between Israel and Iran by attacking Iran, he must come to the Congress, make his case, and secure an authorization before he pulls our country into yet another war in the Middle East,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) as Republican war hawks expressed support for U.S. intervention.
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser for the U.S. Program at the International Crisis Group, stressed Sunday that “any U.S. attack on Iran would almost certainly be illegal.”
“Hope President Trump realizes that letting Netanyahu drag him into an unnecessary war will make him look weak,” Finucane wrote on social media.
On Monday, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) unveiled a war powers resolution that would require congressional debate and a vote prior to any U.S. military action against Iran.
“It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States,” said Kaine. “I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict.”
Kaine in 2016. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)
“This war is bad for Israel, Iran, and the United States — which is likely to be sucked into the vortex unless it takes a decisive stand for peace.”
As Israel and Iran exchanged strikes over the weekend, Axios reported that the Netanyahu government “has asked the Trump administration… to join the war with Iran” because Israel “lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment site, which is built into a mountain and deep underground.”
“An Israeli official claimed to Axios that the U.S. might join the operation, and that President Trump even suggested he’d do so if necessary in a recent conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” the outlet added.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi addressing the U.N. Security Council in September 2024. (UN Photo/Manuel Elías)
Iranian officials have said they view the U.S. as complicit in and largely responsible for Israel’s assault, which — according to one human rights group — has killed more than 200 people so far. Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks on Israel have killed more than 20 people.
“The United States cannot play the role of an observer,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday. “It must either stop this aggression or accept the consequences of regional instability it has helped ignite.”
Israel widened its assault on Iran on Sunday, with The Washington Post reporting that Israel’s military targeted “Iranian energy production facilities, manufacturing plants, and aviation.”
“Strikes hit airports, electronics manufacturing plants, police stations, an airplane maintenance site, and an office that coordinated Tehran’s mosques,” the newspaper reported. “Tehran residents also reported a number of explosions that appeared to target single vehicles in the city, stoking suspicion that targeted killings were being carried out with car bombs or small drone attacks.”
U.S.-Iran nuclear talks that were scheduled for Sunday were called off, another indication that the ongoing Israeli attacks are sabotaging the prospect of a diplomatic agreement.
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) said Sunday that “death and destruction are mounting on both sides” and called on Trump to “use his leverage over Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the war.”
“Absent this intervention, the death toll will rise, and more of each country will be left in ruins,” the group said. “This war is bad for Israel, Iran and the United States — which is likely to be sucked into the vortex unless it takes a decisive stand for peace.”
“Israel started this war, and pressure must be on Israel to stop it,” NIAC added. “Iran’s foreign minister has also stated clearly that if Israel’s attacks stop, so will Iranian retaliation. The path is open for Trump to end this bloody conflict. Any delay will lead to more death and suffering, and put diplomatic off-ramps further out of reach.”
Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
This article is from Common Dreams.
Views expressed in this article and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.
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When you watch the videos of the hypersonic missiles getting cleanly through Israel’s missile defenses and hitting targets, remember that an American aircraft carrier group will be using very similar missile defenses. The Israelis and Americans share tech and the various merchants of death in each country produce for the other. An American carrier will be protected by very similar anti-missile defenses as are now seen in non-American news broadcasts.
We know from Ukraine and now Israel that American anti-missile defenses can not stop a missile attack. Hitting a carrier is a little more difficult than hitting the Israeli Ministry of Defense was, as the carrier moves slowly while the Israeli “Pentagon” of course lacked the ability to move. But it is not impossible, and the Americans do not have effective air defenses.
Eight decades of supplying the genocidal Israel essentially all its aircraft, bombs, missiles, fuel, air defenses, targeting, intelligence and diplomatic & political cover is the definition of “being involved.”
Delusional, denialist fantasy doth make the Empire “go ‘round.”
World War Three, what could be better than that? Clearly these bombardments are intended to go on forever, further solidifying George Orwell’s vision of the 1984 world. He explained that War Is Peace means diverting all excess resources to war and the secret police. The impoverishment and propagandization weakens the populace, fostering social stability and forestalling rebellion, preserving domestic peace.
“these bombardments are intended to go on forever, ”
The Americans have very strange ideas about war. Probably a combination of too little history and too much Hollywood. Americans always forget that there are two sides in a war, and both sides get to act. The question might be how long can Israel survive the bombardment and keep America’s plan in action?
The Americans talked a lot about how Ukraine was going to give them a similar endless war. Now the question is how much longer can Ukraine hold out at all. Given that NATO had a hard time producing enough weapons and missiles for Ukraine alone, two wars is going to be a big problem. Israel is getting hit hard, much of it censored, but the loss of their oil refinery had to be admitted to investors. Israel is already running low on expensive interceptor missiles. Remember, the typical NATO war plan consists of a sneak attack which is supposed to crush the enemy and quickly end resistance. They always use the same scriptwriter from the comic book flicks for their big, brilliant plans. Neither NATO nor Israel is ready for a long war. Israel is already begging for America to come pull its butt out of the fires.
Meanwhile, the American national debt keeps growing by leaps and bounds, with politicians adding more in their debates, while the needs of war also add more and more and more. These missile defenses are very expensive, even when they are holey and don’t work. Its a fantasy that this can go on forever. But, a fantasy that can definitely be in the heads of serial deniers of reality such as Trump, the American deep state, and Netanyahu.
“ongoing Israeli attacks are sabotaging the prospect of a diplomatic agreement.”
Basically, an incorrect statement. The author gave the other dot, then failed to connect them. Iran is serious about regarding the USA as complicit in this attack. As in, involved up to our neck. They appear to view the whole diplomatic thing as a charade, that was part of the preparation for the sneak attack. In their view, the attack confirms it as such.
The Iranians appear to see no reason for such talks when being bombed by American (made) bombs from American (made) airplanes from an American almost-as-close-as-NATO-ally in war that America fully supports and is funding and supplying. So, it is incorrect in that it acts as if it is Israel that is sabotaging the talks. Typical for American propaganda to try to shift blame off on to Israel for what America is doing in that part of the world.
And, it is also incorrect in that it assumes that the talks were ever real. When after all, we only ever had Trump’s BS to that effect. The talks never went anywhere beyond agreeing to another meeting. And even that was getting strained. This after Biden also stalled for four years when he could have simply restarted Obama’s agreement with a stroke of his (auto) pen. Trump only canceled it by Executive Order, and violated the Constitution by doing so. All Biden had to do was to sign his own order saying that America was once again abiding by the UNSC resolution as the UN Charter and thus the US Constitution require it to do.
Why is it that few, if any, articles appearing in the western press (including this one) make any mention of the damage being inflicted on Israel? All that we hear is how Iran has been hit. I expect the corporate media to carefully manage the flow of information, but I would also expect independent outlets to do better.
” I expect the corporate media to carefully manage the flow of information ”
Isn’t that what they’re doing ? Carefully managing the flow of information to hide the fact that Israel finally appears to have bitten off more than it can chew ?
Besides which, Israel itself has seemingly enforced an information crackdown – see for example :
hxxps://skwawkbox.org/2025/06/17/despite-israels-attempt-at-complete-info-lockdown-footage-of-massive-strikes-on-tel-aviv-leak-out/
‘He must come to Congress.” says said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas)
Or else, …. I’ll hold my breath until my face turns blue. Or, I might even hold another press conference.
The Dems have become used to thinking that politics is making a statement before a press conference. Its not. The logical question to ask after such a statement is “or what?” And besides, I doubt seriously if they could find 41 Dem Senators for a filibuster which tries to force Trump to follow the Constitution, which would be about the only “or what” I can think of that Congress has not long since foolishly given away to the Executive. And even that would not block Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill since the Dems ended the filibuster on such bills, apparently in the magical belief that Obama would be the eternal President.
So much for Trump being a peace candidate! Looks like the MAGA people got sold down the river for Isreal.
But But The Idiot Emperor promised to end the war in Ukraine, promised peace in Gaza and a Mediterranean Riviera, he promised to lower grocery prices, promised to blah blah blah and millions believed him. The DT faithful say he is a man of peace. (Despite the fact that he has been a bald-faced liar and all-around asshole his whole life). America loves its snake-oil and used car salesmen. Even informed and highly intelligent people can become desperate enough to WANT to believe and engage in baseless hopeful speculation. (Politics is more about emotional and psychological manipulation, perception management if you will, than rational evaluation)
The US and UK are already directly involved in the war on Iran, helping Israel with intelligence, logistics, arms, ammo, and directly intercepting Iranian missiles. Attacking Iran is LONG-TERM imperial policy, independent of Israel. Recall the UK and US overthrew the democratically-elected Mohamed Mossadegh govt in Iran in 1953. They installed the brutal Pahlavi regime until the revolution in 1979/80. We can go back even further in history and discuss the British involvement in India, Iran, Afghanistan etc.
Many apologists will simply blame Israel and The Lobby for all of this. The poor, helpless emperor didn’t want to to this, but he was forced to by the… Folk done forgot that the levels of institutional corruption are only increasing, unlimited political bribery is “legal”. The vast majority of the house and Senate (regardless of party) support Israel and US foreign policy.
All 3 branches of govt. have demonstrated deep institutional corruption, thus making the “checks and balances” principle null and void.
And the Ds say we need to “vote blue no matter who” to “save our democracy”. The D brand of genocide and war is the same as the R brand. The Ds purport to “care” about immigrants, while supporting genocide. The insanity and hypocrisy should not go unnoticed, yet it does.
It seems that Trump x Netanyahu = Stupid squared
Absolutely! Trump, regardless of his previous antiwar noises, is yet another president who will do whatever Israel wants militarily. Iran can and will close down the Straits of Hormuz if the U.S. gets into the war. That will bottle up the supply of oil to the U.S., which will cause a nasty inflationary recession. This is all so that the U.S. dog can once again be wagged by the Israeli tail. If Israel cannot get along with its neighbors, that should not be a U.S. problem.