Some supporters of Donald Trump have begun criticizing him amid the US’ involvement in missile strikes on Iran.
On February 28, the US and Israel carried out multiple attacks against Iran. Reports said the strikes resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran.
Iran has since carried out retaliatory missile and drone launches, with attempts reported to reach US military bases in locations including Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai.
As tensions escalated and threats were exchanged, Iran’s ambassador addressed the US during an emergency UN Security Council meeting in New York, telling the delegation to be ‘polite’.
He said: “I have one word only. I advise to the representative of the United States to be polite.”
He added: “It will be better for yourself and the country you represented, thank you.”
US ambassador Mike Walz responded: “Frankly, I’m not going to dignify this with another response.”
In the wake of the strikes and Iran’s response, conservative commentator-turned-independent journalist Tucker Carlson sharply criticized Trump, as divisions grow within the MAGA base over whether the action should be praised or condemned.
Carlson, who previously backed Trump during his time on Fox News, told reporter Jon Karl on his show that Trump’s attacks on Iran were ‘absolutely disgusting and evil’.
The comments follow Carlson’s reported effort to discourage Trump from launching strikes during a visit to the Oval Office last week.
Others on the right have also criticized the administration’s approach. Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene issued a statement telling him: “Thousands and thousands of Americans from my generation have been killed and injured in never ending pointless foreign wars and we said no more. But we are freeing the Iranian people. Please.”
She added: “There are 93 million people in Iran, let them liberate themselves. But Iran is on the verge of having nuclear weapons. Yeah, sure.”
Republican Senator Rand Paul also posted about the issue, writing: “The Constitution conferred the power to declare or initiate war to Congress for a reason, to make war less likely… As with all war, my first and purest instinct is wish Americans soldiers safety and success in their mission. But my oath of office is to the Constitution, so with studied care, I must oppose another Presidential war.”
“As always I only support military action anywhere, in any context, if it directly serves the interests of American citizens,” Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire said. “It’s troubling that the arguments we’re hearing for this war in Iran, including from Trump himself, seem to revolve primarily around ‘bringing freedom to the Iranian people.’ As Americans, the freedom of Iranians is not our responsibility. If a single American life is lost in the service of that goal, it will be a travesty.”
The latest strikes come about a year after the US previously bombed Iran in June last year, following renewed speculation over the country’s nuclear capabilities.
That June 21 attack was described as targeting three nuclear sites — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — shortly after Israel launched a large-scale operation against Iranian military and nuclear locations.
At the time, Trump posted on Truth Social, claiming the US’s attack on Iran was huge, writing: “Monumental Damage was done to all nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!”
Even so, US action against Iran has continued to spark sharp disagreement and debate across the political spectrum.