Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman stepped out as a rare Democratic voice of support on Sunday, calling President Donald Trump’s recent military strikes against Iran “entirely appropriate.”
The weekend operation, a joint effort between the U.S. and Israel, targeted the Islamic regime early Saturday and resulted in the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and approximately 40 other Iranian officials.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Fetterman argued that the strikes were a necessary response to Iran’s persistent nuclear and missile ambitions. While he admitted that the regime did not appear to pose a “right now” threat to American soil, he insisted that the long-term risk of a nuclear-armed Iran justified the escalation.
“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 not imminent, that can happen right now, but it’s one that I think it’s entirely appropriate to deal with it.”
READ: Operation Epic Fury: Trump Gives 36-Hour Update On Massive U.S. And Israeli Strikes Against Iran
The Senator also pushed back against critics who have labeled the mission an illegal act of war. He pointed to the War Powers Act, noting that the Trump administration followed protocol by notifying the “Gang of Eight”—a bipartisan group of top congressional and intelligence leaders—prior to the strikes. Under the Act, a president must notify Congress within 48 hours of committing military forces, though the administration did not seek a formal vote of authorization beforehand.
Fetterman’s stance places him at odds with the vast majority of the Democratic caucus, which has largely condemned the administration’s military aggression.
This isn’t the first time the Pennsylvania lawmaker has crossed the aisle on this issue; he was one of the few Democrats to support “Operation Midnight Hammer” in June 2025, which targeted Iranian nuclear sites.
He later stood as the only Democratic senator to vote against a war powers resolution intended to curb the president’s military 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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