The Donald Trump administration argued on the 22nd that the previous day\u2019s airstrikes targeting Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities were necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The US also tried to block domestic concerns that the US could fall into the quagmire of past Middle Eastern wars like Iraq and Afghanistan by reiterating its position that it does not want regime change in Iran and is willing to negotiate.<\/p>\n
In an interview with ABC News that day, Vice President JD Vance stated that he does not want war with Iran or regime change in Iran, and that \u201cwe are at war with Iran\u2019s nuclear program.\u201d He said he hoped Iran would take a \u201csmart path\u201d to dismantling its nuclear weapons program, warning that \u201cif Iran decides to attack our troops or continue to try to build a nuclear weapon, we will respond with overwhelming force.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addressing concerns that the U.S. could be drawn into another protracted conflict in the Middle East, he said, \u201cWe have taken a very narrow and limited approach to destroying Iran\u2019s nuclear program,\u201d adding, \u201cThe president is more concerned about a protracted military conflict than anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also emphasized in a briefing that day that the operation was not a full-scale war, but a limited strike targeting Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities, saying, \u201cWe did not target Iranian forces or Iranian people.\u201d \u201cWe are giving Iran every opportunity to come to the table by sending direct messages to Iran through multiple channels, both public and private,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cThey know exactly where the United States stands and what specific actions they need to take to allow peace, and we want them to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an interview with Fox News that day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that regime change in Iran is not the goal and that the United States is ready to negotiate tomorrow if Iran wants to. However, he made it clear that Iran will not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons under any circumstances, saying, “If Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons, I really think that will jeopardize the regime.”<\/p>\n
Secretary Rubio explained that Iran has been “trying to play President Trump” in negotiations with the United States so far and that Iran has not shown sincerity in giving up its nuclear weapons, so the United States had no choice but to strike the nuclear facilities.<\/p>\n
Senior Trump administration officials have made it clear that the strikes are intended to send a warning message not only to Iran but also to other enemies of the United States not to go against the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have shown the world that we have restored American deterrence,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cWhen this president speaks, the world should listen.\u201d Rubio said the world must have realized that they should not act like Iran, adding, \u201cPresident Trump is a president who says what he is going to do and does it, and I think that is shocking to many people, including the Iranian regime.\u201d Meanwhile, some in the political world, both Democrats and Republicans, continue to raise concerns that the United States could end up in a very expensive and long war with Iran.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe president took a huge gamble,\u201d Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in an ABC interview. \u201cIf you look at the history of our military interventions in the Middle East, it almost never ends up as the best-case scenario. In fact, it usually ends up as something closer to the worst-case scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an unusual move to criticize the airstrikes within the Republican Party, Rep. Tom Massey said in a CBS News interview that President Trump promised to put America first, but was fighting Iran, which does not directly threaten the United States, and that \u201cwe are tired of all these wars.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the 17th, Rep. Massey introduced a \u201cwar powers resolution\u201d with Democratic lawmakers to require President Trump to get congressional approval before attacking Iran, and criticized the airstrikes, which the president decided on alone, as unconstitutional.<\/p>\n
On that day, President Trump posted a long message on the social networking service (SNS) TruthSocial, fiercely criticizing Rep. Massey. \u201cHe likes to say he is MAGA (Trump\u2019s core supporters), but he is not MAGA. MAGA<\/p>\n
does not want him, does not know him, and does not respect him,\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cMAGA should avoid this pathetic loser, Tom Massey, like the plague.\u201d He continued, “Massie is weak, incompetent, and votes ‘no’ to virtually everything put in front of him, no matter how good it is. He is disrespectful to our great military and everything it stands for and does not even acknowledge the excellence and bravery our military displayed in yesterday’s attack, which was a complete and utter victory.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"