1) It was definitely illegal.
Republicans claim that the War Powers Resolution gives the president the power to take military action so long as he notifies Congress within 48 hours. That is simply not true. The War Powers Resolution says a president can only send the armed forces into action against an enemy if Congress has declared a war, with a specific statutory authorization by Congress, or following an attack on our country. Only if the United States is actively under attack can the president act without Congress’s approval. This is when the 48-hour timeline becomes relevant.
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2) Iran may block access to 1/5th of the world’s oil, extending the conflict to more countries.
Earlier today, the Iranian parliament voted to close the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for 20% of the world’s oil flow. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea, and it’s one of the most important energy chokepoints in the world. The Iranian Supreme Council will make the final decision in whether to close the passage. Fortunately, this should not impact the U.S. directly. However, it could have dire consequences on some of our allies. Saudia Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar rely heavily on the Stait of Hormuz and have few alternate routes for exporting oil. Most of those exports are to Asian countries, particularly China.
The impact on those and other countries will likely put pressure on the U.S. to pursue further military action.
3) Trump is threatening a “regime change” in Iran.
Iran is home to over 90 million people, just over a quarter of the U.S. population. Imagine if China — population: 1.4 BILLION — bombed three of our facilities and then threatened to overthrow the United States government. There is no sign of these tensions easing up or the conflict slowing down, and with Donald Trump freely violating U.S. law in his command of the military, anything is possible.
We are now less safe because of this.
U.S. officials: Iran threatened terror attacks inside U.S.
NBC News has learned that Iran sent a message to President Trump at the G7 summit that if he ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, then Iran could activate sleeper cells in the U.S. to launch terror attacks, according to two U.S. officials.