Republican Representative Thomas Massie said that President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb three nuclear sites in Iran is “unconstitutional” as the president faces stark division within his own party.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email Saturday night for comment.
Why It Matters
The strikes on Iran’s nuclear program mark the first direct U.S. military involvement in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict that began nine days ago, and the first time in history the U.S. struck Iran directly.
“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump wrote in his initial announcement on Truth Social. “There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
The president then made the phone rounds with a number of national outlets, as has become a theme of his second-term messaging strategy. He told Axios’ Barak Ravid, “We had great success tonight. Your Israel is much safer now.” He phoned NBC News to reiterate that the operation was a “great success” before saying he had to go address the country.
On Fox News, Sean Hannity relayed what he said Trump had just told him about the mission’s particulars: B-2 stealth bombers dropped a total of six bunker-busting MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) bombs on Fordow, the mountain-fortified enrichment facility believed to be ground zero of the Iranian nuclear program.
What To Know
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, after Trump announced the strikes, Massie said, “This is not Constitutional.”
Trump announced the military move on Truth Social saying the U.S. attacked Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan in Iran. The president said all planes are now out of Iran air space and “safely on their way home.”
The operation utilized B-2 stealth bombers carrying 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles. The underground Fordow facility, built deep into a mountain near Qom, required the most sophisticated penetrating weapons in the U.S. arsenal to destroy.
It was not immediately clear what kind of damage was done at Fordow, which is built deep under a mountain to withstand the impact from bunker-busters, or the other sites. Iran said it had evacuated all three nuclear sites some time ago, according to state TV.
Some 40,000 U.S. troops remain stationed throughout the region as the world awaits a damage assessment from the airstrikes, and Iran’s response.
Trump emphasized the operation’s unprecedented scale, stating: “There’s no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight. Not even close.” The president’s reference to “many targets left” suggests extensive target lists remain available for potential future strikes.
Massie has been a staunch opponent of striking Iran, previously saying he would not back a move to get involved in a “regime change war.” Other Republican leaders like Lindsey Graham have urged Trump to go “all in” on Iran.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Saturday: “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended Trump and the U.S. for a: “Peace through strength” doctrine and for doing “what no other country could do.”
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on X: “This was the right call. The regime deserved it.”
Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan called the strikes on X: “F****** sick” and urged colleagues to support a war powers resolution.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia on X: “Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war. There would not be bombs falling on the people of Israel if Netanyahu had not dropped bombs on the people of Iran first. Israel is a nuclear armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.”
Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallan on X: “President Trump took a bold decision for the United States, for Israel, for all of humanity. The world is now a safer place.”
What Happens Next
Pentagon officials will hold a press conference at 8 a.m. Sunday, led by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Rice and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to provide operational details and assess damage to Iranian capabilities.
Update 6/21/25,11:43 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
