Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) took to social media Monday morning to distance himself from his party’s leadership, stating he is “baffled” by colleagues who refuse to support recent military strikes against Iran.
The joint U.S. and Israeli operation, carried out early Saturday, resulted in the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 other Iranian officials.
The strikes have triggered a wave of retaliation, with Iran launching attacks against Israel and several Gulf states, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Despite the escalating regional tension, Fetterman remains a rare Democratic supporter of the mission.
“Every member in the U.S. Senate agrees we cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,” Fetterman posted on X. “I’m baffled why so many are unwilling to support the only action to achieve that. Empty sloganeering vs. commitment to global security — which is it?”
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Fetterman called President Donald Trump’s decision “entirely appropriate” to address Tehran’s nuclear program.
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While he acknowledged the threat to the United States was not necessarily “imminent” or about to happen “right now,” he argued that waiting would be a mistake.
“Imagine if people just listened to the conventional wisdom, you know, that they could have possibly have acquired a bomb,” Fetterman told host Dana Bash. “It’s one that I think it’s entirely appropriate to deal with it.”
This stance puts the Pennsylvania senator in direct conflict with prominent members of his own caucus.
Some in the Democratic caucus have also questioned the legality of the operation, but Fetterman dismissed claims that the administration violated the War Powers Act. He noted that the White House notified the “Gang of Eight”—the bipartisan group of congressional and intelligence leaders—prior to the strikes. RELATED: Lawmakers Split After Gang Of Eight Briefed On U.S.-Israel Strikes In Iran
Fetterman’s support for the move follows his previous backing of “Operation Midnight Hammer” in June 2025, which also targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
He later served as the lone Democratic senator to vote against a war powers resolution aimed at curbing the president’s authority.
During his interview, Fetterman defended the decision by citing the failure of previous diplomatic efforts.
“What is true is that President Trump tried to negotiate that and tried to find a firm kind of agreement,” Fetterman said. “And they refuse to those basic kinds of things: remind everybody, you know, you are never allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. And clearly they [were].”
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