Khanna blasts risky Iran strikes, says 'Americans are not safer today'

Ro Khanna accused Republican leadership of reviving interventionist policies that many voters rejected during Donald Trump's 2016 campaign
UPDATED MAR 1, 2026
Rep Ro Khanna argued that the strikes risked widening the conflict and could endanger US troops rather than strengthen national security (Screengrab/MeetThePress/NBC News)
Rep Ro Khanna argued that the strikes risked widening the conflict and could endanger US troops rather than strengthen national security (Screengrab/MeetThePress/NBC News)

WASHINGTON, DC: Appearing on 'Meet the Press' on Sunday, March 1, Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif) delivered a sharp dissent against the ongoing military offensive in Iran, asserting that "Americans are not safer today" despite the reported elimination of the Iranian supreme leader.

Khanna characterized the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a "brutal dictator" but argued that the administration’s actions have effectively launched a new Middle Eastern war without a clear plan for the aftermath.

The congressman emphasized that at age 86, Khamenei’s succession was already a focus for the Iranian Assembly of Experts.

He warned that the sudden power vacuum risked a violent internal collapse, asking, "Is the country going to descend into civil war? Are billions of our dollars going to be spent there? Are American troops going to be at risk?"

Ro Khanna calls Lindsey Graham face of ‘wrong’ GOP policy



Khanna targeted Senator Lindsey Graham, labeling him as the current face of a Republican foreign policy that has been "consistently wrong."

He noted that while President Trump originally ran against "absolute failure" regime-change wars in 2016, the administration has now adopted the interventionist stance it once rejected.

The California Democrat argued that this shift represented a "betrayal" of the MAGA base, which historically opposed further entanglements in the Middle East.

He maintained that because the IRGC remains in power, the strikes have achieved little beyond increasing the threat to US service members.

War Powers Resolution vote looms



Khanna and Representative Thomas Massie are pushing for an immediate vote on a War Powers Resolution (WPR) to strip the president of unauthorized military authority.

Khanna admitted that the vote would be "close," estimating a 40-60 chance of passing, depending on whether "on the fence" Democrats held the line.

He asserted that the WPR was specifically designed for this moment, when a president had already launched an attack, to allow Congress to intervene and say, "No, you need to stop."

Khanna concluded that the choice for lawmakers was clear: either support a path away from endless war or side with the interventionist views of the GOP leadership.

Ro Khanna wants Trump to follow the 'Clinton rule'



Beyond the military offensive, Khanna addressed the ongoing fallout from the Epstein files, noting that former President Bill Clinton’s recent closed-door testimony had established a "new Clinton rule."

He argued that because Clinton had answered questions fully without taking the Fifth Amendment, Donald Trump and his family should be held to the same standard of transparency.

Khanna revealed plans to subpoena Howard Lutnick and expressed a desire to have Trump testify about hidden Justice Department interviews and past allegations.

He insisted that every person associated with Epstein’s mansions should be called under oath to explain what they knew.

RELATED TOPICS US STRIKES IRAN

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