Elizabeth Warren slams Trump’s 'illegal' Iran strikes: 'Betrayal of president’s constitutional duty'

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen Elizabeth Warren sharply criticized President Donald Trump after the United States launched 'Operation Epic Fury,' carrying out joint strikes with Israeli forces across Iran.

The attacks triggered retaliatory Iranian strikes on nearby Gulf Arab countries and multiple cities in the Middle East, including Jerusalem. Several Iranian state media outlets also confirmed the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting a 40-day mourning period and a week of public holidays in Iran.

Elizabeth Warren condemns Trump’s war decision

Warren accused Trump of "taking the United States into war on his own with no authorization from Congress.” She further said, questioning whether he was willing "to sacrifice American lives for what? For regime change? For a war that the President's own top military advisor has warned will be incredibly dangerous?"

She also asked whether the conflict was “built on lies” and would fail to make the country safer.

Warren pointed to what she described as a missed diplomatic opportunity, referencing the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran. “The United States had a deal that could have prevented Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,” she said.

“That was Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. And Trump blew that deal up and got nothing, nothing in return.” She called the strikes "reckless and dangerous," labeling them a betrayal of the president’s constitutional duty and of the American people.

Highlighting the domestic impact, she said, "Your tax dollars are being used to b**b Iran while Donald Trump ignores the struggles of working people who can't afford health care and are struggling to pay for groceries here at home."

Trump defends 'Operation Epic' fury

Warren continued, "That is not America first. All three of my brothers served in the military, so this is personal for me. I'm thinking of and praying for our troops that the President has put in harm's way without justification."

She urged, "We cannot let Donald Trump drag yet another generation into a forever war. The Senate must come back in session immediately to vote up or down on a war powers resolution and block this war. No more with Iran."

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump said in a video message. The strikes came after Iran refused US demands to reduce its nuclear program.

Following Khamenei’s death, Trump told CBS News’ Robert Costa that a diplomatic solution is “easily” possible and “much easier now than it was a day ago, obviously, because they are getting beat up badly.”

He added that he knows who is running Iran but declined to specify, saying, “There are some good candidates.”