The United States Has Attacked Iran — Now What?

How did we get here, how you can raise your voice against war, and what happens next

Last night, on the first night of Summer, Donald Trump announced that the United States has carried out direct attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran—Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

Let’s be clear about what this means: The U.S. has unilaterally bombed a sovereign nation of 92 million people, with zero authorization from Congress, no declaration of war, and no legitimate justification under international law. This is not defense. This is a deliberate act of aggression—and if we’ve learned anything from history, it’s that preemptive wars waged on false pretenses lead to devastation, instability, and unimaginable human suffering. Where do we go from here and how can you raise your voice against this yet another unjust war? Let’s Address This.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Irananian Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Donald Trump

Deja Vu to Iraq

The echoes of 2003 are deafening. Back then, the lie was weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Today, it’s the myth of Iranian nuclear weapons—a myth that U.S. intelligence has repeatedly debunked, a myth contradicted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and a myth long pushed by Benjamin Netanyahu, who has demanded war with Iran since the 1990s. I wrote on this at length last week. At every turn, Netanyahu claimed that Iran was “months away” from a bomb—despite Iran being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, despite Iran permitting full IAEA inspections, and despite Iran offering to reenter the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal Trump recklessly tore up in 2018. Netanyahu did nothing but repeatedly lie.

And now, after years of compliance from Iran and lawlessness from Trump, the United States has struck first—without provocation. This is what empire in decline looks like: violence without legitimacy, escalation without reason, and cowardice parading as strength.

Trump Betrays our Constitution & the American People

Trump has no Congressional approval to attack Iran. No U.N. resolution. No imminent threat. This strike is a violation of Article I of the U.S. Constitution, which grants war powers to Congress, not the executive. Yet here we are, with a president launching missiles like it’s a campaign ad—and with a Congress too weak, too compromised, or too afraid to hold him accountable. Trump’s own DNI Secretary Tulsi Gabbard admitted that Iran is not making a nuclear weapon and Trump publicly humiliated her by stating, “I don’t care what she says.”

And let’s talk about the cost—because it’s not Trump or his billionaire cronies who will suffer. Already, early reports indicate that U.S. and Israeli strikes have killed 400 Iranian civilians and injured 3000 more. And many more are at risk. More than 40,000 U.S. troops are stationed across the Middle East. More innocent civilians in Iran now bracing for retaliation. At home, it is working-class families who will bear the burden of war, instability, and economic fallout. You notice how the same people who claim they oppose fair taxation of the super wealthy because “no one is entitled to other people’s money” are simultaneously perfectly entitled in forcing other people’s children to fight corrupt wars for oil and power? Their hoarding of wealth is more precious to them than us holding our children.

Already, Iranian state media is promising vengeance: “You started this, we will end it,” they said, directly addressing Trump. The AP reports that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says “the U.S. is fully responsible for the consequences of its strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, and diplomacy is not an option.” Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reports that the U.S. military is now briefing personnel to prepare for retaliatory strikes—on bases, embassies, and even soft targets here at home. According to internal briefings leaked to him, the Pentagon expects this strike “will likely activate Iran and other foreign terrorist organizations cells abroad including the U.S.”

Trump’s act of war hasn’t made us safer. It’s made every American more vulnerable.

Trump Lied…As Expected

Trump ran as the “pro-peace, anti-war” candidate. He lied, again. And I can only hope the people naive (arrogant?) enough to believe him then recognize now what they have enabled, and work to stop him.

And moreover, what precedent does this set? How do we now tell Russia not to attack Ukraine, or China not to attack Taiwan, when the United States has launched unprovoked attacks on Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Iran—all without consequence?

I’ve spent my career as a human rights lawyer standing against war, fascism, and disinformation. And this is a textbook example of all three.

Congress Must Act Or Democracy Dies

If Congress refuses to impeach, remove, and convict Trump for violating the Constitution and committing an act of war without authorization, then they are complicit in what follows. The bloodshed. The destabilization. The erosion of what little democratic credibility we have left. Our Constitution contemplates a corrupt power hungry Executive like Trump, who threatens the very fabric of our Republic, and in this case, world peace. Every member of Congress who refuses to call for Trump’s removal is and remains complicit in the atrocities he is committing. Here’s how you can raise your voice.

How to Take Action

As of this piece’s publication, only 51 of 538 members of Congress have signed onto the bipartisan anti-war resolution. It is spearheaded by Senator Tim Kaine (my old law school professor!), Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), and Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY). We need to get all 538 members of Congress to sign and act on this anti-war resolution.

Here’s how:

• First, visit https://1833stopwar.com/, enter your zip code, and sign the petition to ensure your member of Congress knows you oppose war with Iran.

• Next, call 1-833-STOP-WAR to be connected directly to your members of Congress. Demand verbally they act immediately and stop this war.

• Finally, share this article and the above links on your social platforms and get as many people as possible to take action.

Sign the petition, make the call, share this article, and likewise subscribe to this human rights newsletter. I will continue to keep you up to date and informed on the latest developments and what actions you can take to advocate for peace, accountability, and justice. I will also continue to provide updates as this crisis unfolds. And I ask for your support—because in moments like this, we cannot rely on corporate media to report on the best interests of the American people. We saw their complicity in Afghanistan and Iraq, their current complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and their shameless whitewashing of Trump’s injustices in this new war. We need voices that build movements rooted in human rights—not war profiteering.

Subscribe below. Share this piece. Speak out. And let’s get to work.

And above all, remember: silence is complicity. Let us make sure our voices are heard.