By Kenneth Tiven
The entire top leadership of the Iranian government was wiped out in a single, devastating strike. Yet as civilians die across the Middle East in the retaliatory attacks that followed, some Republicans in the US Congress still refuse to call the conflict a war. One lawmaker dismissed the label bluntly: “I don’t see any boots on the ground.”
War has always blunted language and sharpened hatred. But this Middle East conflict, launched under US President Donald Trump, raises a different question: whether the world’s most powerful nation has entered a conflict without clear justification, legal authority, or defined objectives.
Critics argue the timing of the attack has another dimension—arriving as scrutiny intensifies around the so-called Epstein Files connected to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. For them, the war looks like a political diversion as much as a strategic move.
A STRIKE THAT ERASED A GOVERNMENT
The opening attack was swift and lethal. Israeli missiles targeted a secret leadership meeting in Tehran convened by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Intelligence reportedly provided the precise time and location of the gathering. Moments after the missile barrage, US bombers struck the same compound, obliterating the site and killing what Israeli sources described as the top 50 figures in Iran’s political and military hierarchy. The message was unmistakable: this was not a warning shot, but a decapitation strike.
Five days later, the conflict expanded beyond the Middle East. A US hunter-killer submarine torpedoed an Iranian naval frigate transiting the Indian Ocean near the coast of Sri Lanka. Of the ship’s 130 sailors, only 32 reportedly survived. According to the Pentagon, it marked the first time since World War II that a US submarine had sunk an enemy warship in combat.
WAR WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION
The attacks came without authorization from Congress. That absence contrasts sharply with the historical precedent set after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when President Franklin D Roosevelt sought and received congressional approval before declaring war on Japan.
Still, Senate Republicans narrowly blocked legislation that would have limited Trump’s authority to continue military operations against Iran. The vote—53 to 47—fell largely along party lines, highlighting deep political divisions even as hostilities intensify.
CIVILIAN TOLL MOUNTS
Iran responded quickly with missiles and explosive drones targeting US installations across the Middle East. Most were intercepted, but not all.
Meanwhile, joint US and Israeli strikes have hit multiple Iranian locations. In the southern coastal city of Minab, a missile struck a school near a naval facility, killing dozens of students according to Iranian state media. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who survived the leadership purge, vowed retaliation. “Our forces are crushing the bases of the enemies,” he said on national television. “We will continue the path of the Leader with strength.”
At a Pentagon briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to confirm responsibility for the school strike, saying only that it was under investigation. He struck a far different tone regarding the broader campaign. “America is winning—decisively, devastatingly, and without mercy,” he declared, promising “more waves” of attacks.
AMERICANS TRAPPED IN THE REGION
As the conflict expands, an estimated half-million US citizens remain scattered across the Middle East. Airspace closures and missile threats have made evacuation difficult. The State Department has offered little assistance beyond vague promises of possible charter flights. Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed regional airspace shutdowns, but provided no detailed evacuation plan. Callers to the State Department’s emergency line hear a stark message: do not rely on the US government for assisted departure or evacuation. For many Americans now stranded in a war zone, that warning is deeply unsettling.
FRACTURES WITHIN TRUMP’S BASE
Opposition is emerging even among Trump’s traditional supporters. Commentator Megyn Kelly said she has “serious doubts” about the operation. Firebrand Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene lamented that the United States had entered “another war”.
Even former Trump strategist Steve Bannon warned that the president must define the conflict’s objectives and explain what sacrifices Americans will be asked to make. A recent poll reported by The New York Times showed Trump’s approval rating sliding to just 21 percent overall.
THE STAKES FOR THE WORLD
Beyond the battlefield lies a global economic risk. The narrow shipping lane known as the Strait of Hormuz carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply. If the waterway closes, energy prices could spike worldwide.
Meanwhile, the widespread availability of missiles and drones—many developed by Iran over the past decade—has made even distant targets vulnerable. Drone strikes have already hit diplomatic and transport infrastructure in Gulf cities, including airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. The message is clear: modern warfare no longer respects geography.
A WAR WITHOUT AN ENDGAME
For now, the administration offers little clarity about its long-term goals. Trump initially told a “Board of Peace” gathering that the Middle East was experiencing unprecedented stability—just days before the bombing campaign began. Later he argued Iran was on the verge of building a nuclear weapon, a claim US intelligence agencies have previously disputed.
Critics say the strategy appears to rely on the hope that removing Iran’s leadership will trigger a popular uprising against the regime. But Iran’s security forces have crushed mass protests before, killing thousands during recent student-led demonstrations.
Without a clear endgame, the conflict risks becoming exactly what many of Trump’s supporters once rejected: another open-ended American war in the Middle East.
—The writer has worked in senior positions at The Washington Post, NBC, ABC and
CNN and also consults for several Indian channels