On February 28, almost two weeks ago, President Donald Trump began strikes against the country of Iran. President Trump and Israel’s IDF (Israel Defense Force) sent targeted strikes to a number of different locations in Iran. The strikes caused the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was located in the city of Tehran. Shortly after these strikes were carried out Iran retaliated by firing there own missiles at Israel and US facilities located in the region.

After these attacks were carried out many Americans and politicians were asking why President Trump carried out this attack. Questions have been asked as to whether or not he had the authority to carry these out, if the attack was legal, what events led to this decision, and what these attacks will lead to. Since these attacks were carried out it is said that we are now ar war with Iran. This has also raised questions since Congress is the only one who can declare the US is at war with another country.

Using Military Action On Iran

A President is only allowed to use military action under certain circumstances. Either the UN Security Council has to authorize a country to use to military force or if a country knows about an “imminent threat” against them. In this situation military force is used as self defense against the threat. The argument being made is that neither of these applied to the US. Therefore President Trump was not allowed to authorize the attack that was carried out on February 28.

A resolution that would have restricted Donald Trump’s authority in the war with Iran was brought in front of the Senate and the House. Both voted against the resolution, allowing Trump to continue his actions against Iran. Most Republicans agree with this decision and most democrats don’t. Democrats are making claims about why Trump shouldn’t have been allowed to do this in the first place but also about the harm it will do.

Democrats and Republicans disagree on almost every decision each one makes. It is hard to determine what decision is the best for our country based on what our party leaders tell us. Even support for the war with Iran is different based on what political party you part off. Polls done by mostly democrat media sites say most people are against the war but republican run polls say the opposite.

The fact that the House and Senate voted against the resolution to restrict Trump tells me there is a reason for this war. The Trump administration had to explain its reasoning for attacking Iran during the vote. His reasons were enough for the Senate and the House to continue to allow Trump to make decisions about the war with Iran. Iran has always been a terrorist country who has repeatedly made threats against America. Both parties do make a point about America entering into a war with Iran. A country never wants to go to war and there will always be sacrifices but we need to determine whether or not it is the best option.

Events that Led to Use of Military Action

The biggest argument against the use of military action is that Trump did not have the authority. There has been no evidence that Iran was preparing to attack the US and Trump did not have permission from the UN Security Council. That does not mean that Iran wasn’t a problem and that some type of action was needed against Iran. Iran, which is a terrorist state, has been acting in ways that called for some type of intervention.

One of the biggest problems with Iran is regarding Israel. Ever since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023 there has been a conflict between Israel and Iran. Iran is an ally and supporter of Hamas, who committed that attack on Israel in 2023. Israel has attacked other countries where Hamas leaders were located. In an attempt to assassinate a Hamas leader Israel led air strikes against an Iranian building located in Syria in 2024. This led to an escalation in the conflict with Iran, with both countries directly attacking each other.

Many people feel that we were forced into this war because of our support and help we have given to Israel. Iran has threatened the US because of the help we have given to Israel. It is hard to argue that this isn’t a big reason why we attacked Iran. The escalation between Iran and Israel and the threats Iran has made against the US does seem like Iran was going to take some type of action against the US.

I think the way Israel has fought this war is a reason for a lot of the escalation of conflicts between countries in the middle east. I don’t agree with a lot of the decisions Israel has made in this war (my views on this war can be read here). The way Benjamin Netanyahu has handled this war has put America in a hard position because of our outspoken support of the country. Their decisions have also caused other countries to become united against Israel and is the reason why the war has escalated.

Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program also need to be considered when debating whether or not we should be at war with them. As a terrorist state the US and the United Nations have put sanctions on Iran. These sanctions limit the amount of uranium, which is needed for nuclear weapons, Iran is allowed to obtain. The sanctions also allow inspections to be done to make sure they are following the guidelines and not building any nuclear weapons.

It has been reported that Iran does not currently have the capabilities to build nuclear weapons. The problem is that Iran has not followed the sanctions that were imposed. They have not allowed other countries to do inspections on their facilities. They have also made claims that their missile program has the capability to accurately hit any target in the middle east and Europe and possible even as far as the US.

Trump has said that they could have built nuclear weapons within a couple of weeks, a claim I do not think is accurate. Even if they didn’t have the capability to build them right now we do know they are actively trying to build them. They are continue to try and build weapons that will destroy other countries and as a terrorist state this should be put to a stop before they are able to build them. Their disregard for sanctions against building these weapons should be reason enough to take action against them.

Not all of the problems with Iran are harmful to other countries. Some of Iran’s actions are against its own people. During the last few months citizens of Iran have been protesting. The Iranian government responded to these protests by committing mass killings. The people in Iran live in fear because of the human rights violations their government is willing to carry out. Reports of the amount killed in these protests have ranged anywhere from 3,000 up to 20,000. Even at the lowest estimate is a shocking amount of people killed, for the crime of speaking out against their government.

The people in Iran are forced to live in harsh conditions in constant fear of what their government will do. These atrocities are not something new for Iran. The women in Iran are forced to live under strict conditions, violation of these conditions could mean death. Iran is responsible for executing a shocking amount of women, almost all of these executions for failing to live under Iran’s strict rules.

The United Nations and the rest of the world know about these human rights violations Iran has been committing and the harsh conditions of the people of Iran. The problem is nobody has done anything about it. The Iranian people are in desperate need of help and nobody has been there to help them. The amount of mass killings carried out in Iran should be another reason for action to be taken. No leader of any nation should be able to commit these crimes against humanity without any consequence.

What Has Happened Since War Began

It has been almost two weeks since the US and Israel attacked Iran. Seven Americans have died in those two weeks. The war has escalated and Iran has attacked Israel and many US allies and facilities inside countries throughout the middle east. Iran has shown they are willing to go after anyone by attacking areas with civilians. This war has not only caused Iran to increase their attacks but has increased the conflict in the Israel and Hamas war with other countries now becoming involved.

The February 28 attack on Iran killed their supreme leader. Since then Iran has appointed the son of the killed leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have expressed they are not happy with this choice. Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated that he will do what it takes to assassinate this new leader. Iran’s choice in picking a new supreme leader has not brought this war any closer to an end.

This war has had economic impacts, the biggest one being the rise in the price of oil. The price of a barrel of oil has almost doubled in price, reaching $100. The noticeable rise in gas prices has had an impact on support for the war. The rise in oil prices is a result of Iran blocking shipping vessels from crossing the Strait of Hormuz. This Strait is a major trading route for about 20% of the world’s oil. Iran blocking this route has caused many vessels not to be able to cross making it harder for oil to reach its destination.

During the attacks in Iran there was a civilian school that hit, causing the death of almost 200 people, mostly civilians attending this school for girls. This attack has been blamed on the US who have said they will investigate the incident. The Trump administration has come out and said that the US does not attack civilians and would not intentionally attack a school. This incident is still under investigation and it has not been determined if the US is responsible for this attack or not, although many people believe they are. Trump has publicly said that he believes Iran committed this attack so they could blame it on the US. Iran has shown they are willing to attack civilians, even their own civilians, but there is no evidence that they committed this attack. Iran has used this incident as an excuse to attack other civilian facilities throughout the middle east.

Bringing War to an End

Donald Trump attacked Iran on February 28 without having a plan on what would happen after the attack. The retaliation of Iran has been met with just more retaliation, no plan on how to stop the attacks from happening. There was no plan on what would need to be done to bring this war to an end. Trump has stated that the war is close to coming to an end but has not said what that would look like.

Trump has stated that the only way for the war to end would be in “ultimate victory” for the US. He did not clarify what ultimate victory meant and what it would take to reach this victory. Even though he stated the war was close to an end it was been said that Iran must have a change in leadership. Iran does not look willing to accept a change in leadership, especially with their new pick for supreme leader.

Iran has stated that they are not willing to negotiate or to have a ceasefire. They have said that the US and Israel are the aggressors and the aggressors need to be taught a lesson. With their continued attacks on Israel and US facilities, their willingness to attack civilians, they do not look willing to accept any time of surrender. It is hard to see how this war could be close to an end. Iran’s response to the attack against them seems to have only escalated the conflict in the Middle East. This war seems to be getting worse and further away from a conclusion.

The other problem with bringing this war to an end is the involvement of Israel. What the end of this war looks like to the US is most likely very different then what Israel sees. The way Israel has handled the war with Hamas and their statements about assassinating Iran’s new supreme leader does not seem like they want the war to end. Israel has said the only way they would end the war with Hamas is through their complete annihilation. Many people called for a two state solution with the Palestinian people living in the West Bank and Gaza strip, a solution that Benjamin Netanyahu was not willing to accept.

The escalation of the conflict in the Middle East now involves other countries which makes a conclusion harder to reach. This war has only been getting worse and has had an impact on the world. It has had an economic impact, displaced many civilians, especially in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and it has become a real humanitarian crisis. With all the problems this conflict has caused it is hard to see how the end could be close and what needs to be done to bring this war to an end.

Conclusion: Should We Support This War

Most of the issues we have in this country cause division and this war is no different. This war affects not only Americans but the rest of the world. The problem I have in this country is that nobody can seem to work together. Since Donald Trump was elected the Democrats have attacked every decision and policy that he has made. They are constantly telling the American people that his decisions are going to harm this country, that he will be the reason this country collapses. They are not willing to look at every aspect of issues we have and work with the President.

This war with Iran is something I think was needed, Iran’s actions have hurt their enemies as well as their own people. Something needed to be done. They have committed crimes against humanity and they need to be stopped. The problem I have is that responsibility has seemed to fall on America. It seems we are always involving ourselves in conflicts that do not affect us. Once we are involved it becomes impossible to get out and we have to involve ourselves even more.

Our support of Israel is a big reason we were led into this war with Iran. Attacks between Israel and Iran have escalated since the beginning of the Israel Hamas war. Iran has threatened the US because of our support and we had to respond to these threats. Many people did not agree with how Israel how handled the war with Hamas. The way they have handled the war is a big reason why is has escalated. Even though countries were against what Israel has done in the war nobody did anything about the situation. I have my opinions about the support we have given Israel but our support has led to our war with Iran.

Israel is not the only reason for the war with Iran. The US and Iran have had issues for a long time. There have been many sanctions made against Iran which they have violated. If nothing was done about them violating the sanctions then they would continue to do so, eventually leading to them obtaining the weapons they wanted. The world has seen the atrocities committed by Iran and the UN has done nothing to help the Iranian people. Many countries haven’t openly supported the US entering a war with Iran but behind closed doors they are happy we did. Our involvement means they don’t have to.

Most don’t think Donald Trump had the authority to attack Iran based on International Law. The problem I have with this is that the UN Security Council should have authorized action to be taken against Iran. The human rights violations they were committing was enough for action to be taken, yet the UN did nothing. The UN is responsible for protecting the people in countries where human rights are being violated. The US should not have had to involve themselves and attack Iran.

It is hard to say whether we should support this war or not. I do think something needed to be done against Iran and they should not have been allowed to continue operating the way they were. I don’t think the US should have to involve themselves with every conflict that happens. We were one of the only countries to send support to Ukraine with their war with Russia. Then when the Israel Hamas war began we sent support to Israel. Most other countries do not involve themselves, even if the outcome will affect their country. They just hope some other country will send support and hope for the best outcome. Most of the time it is the US to be the one sending support and aid.

We have enough issues in our country and it isn’t the responsibility of the US to police the world and interfere. Global agencies have been set up to resolve these issues and send aid when needed and it is time they start getting involved. During WW1 and WW2 we didn’t get involved until the wars started to affect the US and we had no choice. Now we are the first ones to get involved. I don’t think we should have get involved at all but once we did we need to support our leaders to make the best decision. Iran was a country that needed to be stopped and even though it shouldn’t have been our responsibility it is now and we have to see it through and support the decisions we have made.