US Attacks Iran 2026

[Bootstrap]

I think a lot of the responses here are really about what people imagine will happen next - what Iran will look like in a few years.

I honestly don’t know. It’s possible that a good government could emerge. It may be more likely that there will be civil war. It’s also quite possible that the conflict spreads beyond Iran. A lot of people could die, or we could see a new wave of refugees in a world that is already struggling to respond to refugees. Like everyone else, though, I would love to see the most hopeful outcomes.

Regardless of how it turns out, I worry when a president starts wars without Congress, or uses the military on American soil. Going to war should involve deliberate public debate. The Constitution was written to require that.

[Ernie]

With the long amount of time the US had to plan for this war, it seems they could have planned for a good way to get US citizens out of the Mideast in a timely fashion.

https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/t ... _permalink

[Ernie]

Iran has reportedly destroyed at least $2 billion of American military equipment. If US air defense systems can be destroyed by a country being pounded by the US and Israel, it doesn't give much assurance that the US could fair very well it an escalated war.

https://www.trtworld.com/article/35eac28b7995

[Valerie]

With the long amount of time the US had to plan for this war, it seems they could have planned for a good way to get US citizens out of the Mideast in a timely fashion.

https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/t ... _permalink

You certainly don’t want to alert the country you plan on attacking- thousands of Americans have arrived safely home

[barnhart]

I think a lot of the responses here are really about what people imagine will happen next - what Iran will look like in a few years.

I honestly don’t know. It’s possible that a good government could emerge. It may be more likely that there will be civil war. It’s also quite possible that the conflict spreads beyond Iran. A lot of people could die, or we could see a new wave of refugees in a world that is already struggling to respond to refugees. Like everyone else, though, I would love to see the most hopeful outcomes.

Regardless of how it turns out, I worry when a president starts wars without Congress, or uses the military on American soil. Going to war should involve deliberate public debate. The Constitution was written to require that.

I agree. If this turns out good, I will be surprised but I'll be glad to give the Trump administration the credit they deserve.

The last president to go to Congress to authorize a military action was Obama and his line in the sand with Syria. He took a lot of heat for it but I think ultimately he was right. No war unless the people's representatives in Congress take responsibility for it.

[Valerie]

Iran has reportedly destroyed at least $2 billion of American military equipment. If US air defense systems can be destroyed by a country being pounded by the US and Israel, it doesn't give much assurance that the US could fair very well it an escalated war.

https://www.trtworld.com/article/35eac28b7995

Quite the contrary as you get the updates-
At this point Iran has no navy- their strikes have gone down over 80%. Iran doesn’t have a chance at this point-this is not going well for them.

[Valerie]

I think a lot of the responses here are really about what people imagine will happen next - what Iran will look like in a few years.

I honestly don’t know. It’s possible that a good government could emerge. It may be more likely that there will be civil war. It’s also quite possible that the conflict spreads beyond Iran. A lot of people could die, or we could see a new wave of refugees in a world that is already struggling to respond to refugees. Like everyone else, though, I would love to see the most hopeful outcomes.

Regardless of how it turns out, I worry when a president starts wars without Congress, or uses the military on American soil. Going to war should involve deliberate public debate. The Constitution was written to require that.

I agree. If this turns out good, I will be surprised but I'll be glad to give the Trump administration the credit they deserve.

The last president to go to Congress to authorize a military action was Obama and his line in the sand with Syria. He took a lot of heat for it but I think ultimately he was right. No war unless the people's representatives in Congress take responsibility for it.

During the hearing today it was brought up Obama & Biden both exercised their right without congress and they even had a video of Nancy Pelosi defending that they didn’t need approval from Congress. Of course now that it’s Trump they’re saying differently.

[JohnH]

With the long amount of time the US had to plan for this war, it seems they could have planned for a good way to get US citizens out of the Mideast in a timely fashion.

https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/t ... _permalink

Please tell us a good way to do so without tipping off the Iranian regime.

[JohnH]

The last president to go to Congress to authorize a military action was Obama and his line in the sand with Syria. He took a lot of heat for it but I think ultimately he was right. No war unless the people's representatives in Congress take responsibility for it.

Like it or not Congress has delegated its authority to the executive branch, and it's been that way since after 1936, the last formal declaration of war this country has seen.

Congress could change this anytime it wants to. It doesn't want to, and ultimately the people who elected Congress don't want it to.

Most Americans seem to prefer the idea that they elect a President who runs a campaign of various things he will do and then he does those things.

[Wesleyb]

During the hearing today it was brought up Obama & Biden both exercised their right without congress and they even had a video of Nancy Pelosi defending that they didn’t need approval from Congress. Of course now that it’s Trump they’re saying differently.

Where do you think the line should be between a conflict that requires authorization from Congress and one that doesn't?