Nancy Mace slams Ilhan Omar over claim US ‘loves to strike Muslim countries' amid Iran strikes

Mace defends US strikes and rejects Ramadan timing criticism as Omar’s claim about attacks during the holy month draws backlash and fact checks
UPDATED MAR 1, 2026
Nancy Mace criticized Ilhan Omar after her remarks on US strikes during Ramadan sparked backlash (Getty Images)
Nancy Mace criticized Ilhan Omar after her remarks on US strikes during Ramadan sparked backlash (Getty Images)

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA: Republican Rep. Nancy Mace sharply criticized Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar after she posted a social media message accusing the United States of targeting Muslim-majority countries during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Omar’s message came amid heightened tensions following US–Israel airstrikes on Iran, intensifying debates over American foreign policy, the role of religion in political discourse, and partisan rhetoric.



Nancy Mace rebukes Ilhan Omar’s claims on US strikes

Omar accused US of targeting Muslims on social media, “Iraq was attacked by the US during Ramadan and it is sickening to know that the US is again going to attack Iran during Ramadan."

She continued, "The US apparently loves to strike Muslim countries during Ramadan and I am convinced it isn’t what these countries have done to violate international law but about who they worship.”

Her post referenced the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and alleged that the US was preparing an attack on Iran during Ramadan.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) looks on during a news conference on reintroducing the Neighbors Not Enemies Act on Capitol Hill on January 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Neighbors Not Enemies Act seeks to repeal the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which grants the President of the United States sweeping wartime powers to detain or deport immigrants from enemy nations without due process. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Ilhan Omar spoke during a news conference on reintroducing the Neighbors Not Enemies Act on Capitol Hill on January 22, 2025, in Washington, DC (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina, responded with an X post that did not mince words. Mace said she did not care if military operations took place during Ramadan and accused Omar of being a "simp for t********s who want Americans and their allies dead."

In her response, Mace also invoked past violence, criticizing Omar for what she framed as Omar’s lack of concern for Jewish victims of t****r.

CHARLESTON, SC - OCTOBER 31: Republican congressional candidate Nancy Mace speaks to the crowd at an
Nancy Mace addressed supporters at an event with Lindsey Graham at the Charleston County Victory Office on October 31, 2020, in Charleston, South Carolina (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Ilhan Omar’s statement and fact-check backlash

However, after her message gained attention, a community note was added on X that challenged the factual accuracy of Omar’s claim about past US military actions.

That note explained that the US invasion of Iraq began on March 20, 2003, and major combat operations were declared over by May 1 of that year, well before Ramadan began that year, undermining Omar’s suggestion that the US chosen Ramadan for that conflict.



The fact-check also provided additional context by noting that in Iran, fewer than half of the population identifies as Muslim, with a significant portion describing themselves as non-religious, a point likely intended to counter Omar’s framing of Iran as a uniformly Muslim country relevant to her argument about Ramadan timing.

After receiving criticism and the community note, Omar reposted commentary from columnist Wajahat Ali that accused Mace of being “fine bombing fasting families in Iran during Ramadan for Operation Epstein,” illustrating Omar’s continued pushback on the issue.

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