In the early hours of February 28, 2026, the governments of the United States and Israel launched “Operation Epic Fury” with the goal to destroy Iranian offensive missiles, production facilities, their navy, and security infrastructure to eliminate any threat from the Iranian regime. The operation also killed many of Iran’s top senior officials such as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. This attack led to the Iranian government retaliating, firing missiles at US military bases in the Middle East and Israel. As this war enters its third month, it has led to many controversies and problems domestically and internationally.
Controversies
War without Congressional Approval – Article 1, Section 8 gives Congress the power to declare war on another country. Though President Trump did not receive congressional approval prior to the military action, due to the failure of passage of the War Powers Resolutions which aimed to force the withdrawal of the US from the Iran War. The failure of passage points to the fact that if there were to be a vote for approval, it would have passed.
Why Do We Need This War? – The Trump administration has alleged that there were “imminent threats” posed by the Iranian regime. This is the alleged reason why the administration started the war. This reasoning has been called into question due to the prior June 2025 strikes on the Iranian’s nuclear facilities. The Trump administration, in 2025, asserted that the attack “obliterated” the key facilities for Iran’s nuclear program.
The Strait of Hormuz – the Strait of Hormuz is controlled by several countries, including Iran. It is important to the international markets due to its strategic transit ports. It facilitates roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply and 20% of the world’s liquified natural gas. Due to the war, Iran has created a blockade, blocking all ships, military and commercial, from going through the Strait of Hormuz. This has caused the world’s oil and gas to skyrocket with Americans’ average oil price surpassing $4.00 per gallon in NJ and more than $7 in California.
Budget – The budget has been the major headlines of domestic news channels due to the Department of War requesting for an additional $200 billion dollars to help fund the war. This is controversial because lawmakers have allegedly been considering cutting more funding to other programs such as healthcare, SNAP funding, childcare, and more. These programs are vital for many Americans who cannot afford simple necessities, while the government wants to spend billions more on a war that a growing number of Americans oppose.
TruthSocialPosts – President Trump has been angering many Americans due to his posts about the war. On Tuesday April 7th, President Trump posted [excerpt of the entire post], “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen but it probably will.” This post sparked major backlash from figures across the entire political spectrum. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) responded, “Donald Trump is openly threatening war crimes against the entirety of Iranian civilization. 25th Amendment proceedings must begin immediately, but if the Cabinet is too cowardly, the House should begin the impeachment process now.”
Democrats were not the only party to condemn the tweet sent by the president. Sen. Lisa Murnoski (R-AK) blasted Trump on X, “The President’s threat that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran.” Though Sen. Murnoski is considered a more moderate Republican, breaking away from the caucus multiple times in recent years, she is not the only major conservative figure to break with Trump this time. Highly MAGA and Trump supporting commentators like Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Alex Jones also spoke out against Trump’s post with Carlson stating “Now it’s time to say no, absolutely not, and say it directly to the president, no” and Megyn affirmed, “I don’t know about you, but I am sick of this s–t! I’m sick of it. Can’t he just behave like a normal human? You don’t threaten to wipe out an entire civilization. We’re talking about civilians, just casually in a social media post.” This wave of criticism is not a one time occurrence, with New York Times’ polling showing that Trump’s approval rating is below 40%.
