Trump’s Saber Rattling Jeopardizes Everybody

his instability is a national security threat

Donald Trump’s active embrace of Israel’s strikes on Iran—and his apparent willingness to escalate U.S. involvement—marks an unprecedented and perilous turn in American foreign policy. He has gone beyond endorsement; he’s effectively positioned the U.S. as a silent partner in a campaign that risks regional—and global—conflagration.

Beginning June 13, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, battering Iran’s enrichment sites at Natanz and Fordow, targeting ballistic missile systems, nuclear scientists, and senior IRGC leaders. Iranian missile counterstrikes followed, with casualties reported in Tel Aviv and multiple Israeli cities .

Trump first distanced the United States from the action—but quickly reversed course. He praised the strikes as “excellent” and “very successful,” demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” and boasted that the U.S. now “controls the skies over Iran.” Within days, Trump confirmed U.S. military assets were being positioned defensively alongside Israel’s offensive—deploying F‑22s, F‑35s, air‑tankers, naval vessels, and even the potential use of GBU‑57 “bunker buster” bombs, as powerful as 30,000 pounds, on deep underground facilities like Fordow.

On June  17, that posture hardened. Trump convened an extended Situation Room meeting with top advisors—including VP Vance, Defense Sec. Hegseth, Sec. Rubio, and DNI Gabbard—and publicly revealed that the U.S. has pinpointed the location of Supreme Leader Khamenei, though he said targeting him “for now” isn’t on the table. He then reiterated demands for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” (to whom? Israel, the US, both?) and prepared options for direct U.S. military engagement—moving beyond defensive support to planning a possible joint strike campaign.

This trajectory is deeply alarming. Senators of both parties are objecting, yet Trump is already signaling U.S. control over Iranian airspace and planning joint operations—classic precursors to full-scale war. Legal and constitutional constraints such as the War Powers Act have been ignored. There has been no formal authorization, no public debate, no clear articulation of U.S. objectives. Instead, we see a former president leveraging influence to drag the country toward conflict without democratic accountability.

Even the intelligence community is divided. Earlier this month, the IAEA flagged Iran’s non-compliance—the first in two decades—but found no definitive evidence of active weaponization. U.S. assessments similarly indicated Iran wasn’t building a bomb; rather, its enrichment was a tactic to negotiate sanctions relief. Yet Trump chose to echo Netanyahu’s rhetoric, framing the situation as an urgent existential threat that only military force can resolve .

Now, all signs point toward escalation. Against warnings that U.S. involvement could provoke “all‑out war,” Trump has nonetheless empowered military planning for joint U.S.–Israeli strikes. Efforts at indirect negotiation are collapsing amidst bombardment and threats.

The consequences could be catastrophic. An emboldened Iran, haunted by attacks on sites like Fordow and Natanz, may resort to a renewal of terrorist acts including assassination. The region is already unraveling: tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, threats to U.S. bases, rising oil prices, and spiking volatility across global markets. All of this stems from a single decision: a former president facilitating military action by a foreign ally—without oversight, without debate, without restraint.

Congress has a duty to act now. They must demand transparency, assert war-making authority, and condition or withdraw funding for any unauthorized military support to Israel. The American people deserve clarity: is the goal to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, or simply to trigger a war that may leave the region—and U.S. forces—mired in endless escalation? Iran could attack the Gulf oil fields or block the Strait of Hormuz, plunging the world into an energy calamity and a potential worldwide recession.

Trump calls this strategy “strong.” In reality, it’s a reckless gambit masquerading as strength—one that puts all of us at risk from a spectacle for which he will not bear the consequences. Trump is dangerously unstable and the Republican Congress must begin contending with this reality. And if Congress fails to stop it, history will judge them harshly—and Iran may well respond not with diplomacy, but with more drastic and dangerous action.