Donald Trump's Republican allies in the United States have lined up to praise the strikes on Iran, as responses to the president's war have largely split along partisan lines.
Despite the rise of a noninterventionist wing within Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, Republican opposition to the war on Iran remains scant, highlighting the enduring power of foreign policy hawks within the party.
"Today, Iran is facing the severe consequences of its evil actions," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement backing the war.
Republican statements welcoming the attacks frequently claimed that Trump pursued diplomacy first before bombing Iran and emphasized Tehran's alleged threats to the US.
In fact, Trump ordered the bombing of Iran in a joint operation with Israel on Saturday while US and Iranian negotiators were still engaged in talks over Tehran's nuclear program. Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the indirect talks, believed a peace deal was closer than ever.
"Pres Trump gave IRAN PLENTY OF NEGOTIABLE OPPORTUNITY," Senator Chuck Grassley wrote on X.
Congressman Randy Fine, a Trump ally with a history of anti-Muslim statements, also expressed support for the strikes.
Many Republican members of Congress rushed to hail the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Even conservative commentators who had warned against the war, such as podcaster Tucker Carlson, were largely muted on Saturday.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who fell out with the US president and quit Congress earlier this year, shared posts arguing that war with Iran does not advance US interests.
Congressman Tom Massie, whom Trump is trying to oust by backing a primary challenge, declared himself a rare Republican critic of the war.
Many Democrats focused on the legal aspect of the attacks on Iran, arguing that Trump should have sought congressional approval. The US Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the authority to declare war.
Still, many welcomed Khamenei's death while criticizing Trump's strategy.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine cast doubt on assertions that Iran posed an imminent threat to the US, which is likely to be cited as Trump's legal justification for the attack.
Source: www.aljazeera.com