Washington is divided after recent US-Israel strikes on Iran killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Republicans are calling it a “generational victory,” while Democrats are calling it a “war of choice” and warning that Khamenei’s replacement could be far more dangerous.
Republican senators are standing firmly behind President Trump’s administration on the strikes. Senator Tom Cotton, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said Iran had been crossing “red lines” for decades, going back to the 1979 hostage crisis. He said President Trump finally “put his foot down” to end Iran’s “47-year campaign of terror and revolutionary violence once and for all.”
According to The Guardian, Senator Lindsey Graham said the “mother ship that fuels the proxies is in sinking mode,” while Texas Senator Ted Cruz argued that diplomacy with Iran was an “abject failure.” Cotton also predicted “overwhelming Republican support” if Democrats try to force a vote through the War Powers Act, and invited some Democrats to support the president’s decision.
The strikes may have removed one threat, but the next Iranian leader could pose an even bigger one
Cotton explained that the immediate focus is not on regime change but on Iran’s missile capabilities, expecting a “methodical and systematic focus on Iran’s missiles, its missile launchers, and ultimately its missile manufacturing capability” in the coming days.
He also clarified that the administration does not plan for large-scale US ground troops in Iran, unless for search-and-rescue operations. Reports also reveal that Trump accelerated the entire Iran strike timeline for reasons that were kept from Iran’s negotiators.
Virginia Senator Mark Warner, vice-chairman of the Committee on Intelligence, said he wouldn’t “shed any tears” over Khamenei’s death, but quickly raised serious questions: “Why now? Why not make the case to the American public?” Warner said there was “no imminent threat to the United States,” making this a “war of choice” that requires President Trump to explain his actions to the American people and Congress.
Warner also warned that the US has “very little visibility” into what happens next in Iran, and fears the strikes could pull the country into a broader Middle East conflict. His biggest concern is that Khamenei’s replacement could be “even further to the right” and might “actually rush forward on their nuclear program.”
He noted that while Khamenei maintained nuclear enrichment, he never approved full weaponization. Warner admitted a “populist revolution” would be “wonderful,” but said he doesn’t “believe that will happen,” predicting Iran’s deeply embedded leadership will “fight vociferously to try to maintain their power.”
California Congressman Ro Khanna said that while Khamenei was a “brutal dictator,” Americans are not necessarily safer today. He reminded people that President Trump ran in 2016 against “regime change wars,” calling them “absolute failures,” and raised concerns about civil war, billions in US spending, and American troops being put at risk. Separately, Trump has also outlined his possible exit strategies from Operation Epic Fury, with one of them potentially ending the conflict within days.
Not all Democrats are opposed, however. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman publicly supported the strikes, saying Iran “could never be allowed to acquire a nuclear bomb.” While his support isn’t “limitless,” he acknowledged that “President Trump was the guy willing to do that, to make sure that didn’t happen.”
Published: Mar 2, 2026 05:15 pm