Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a major military strike against Iran, calling the operation a “dangerous and unnecessary gamble” and calling on Congress to intervene before the United States is drawn deeper into what critics are calling a war of choice.
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“Donald Trump is dragging America into a war that the American people do not want,” Harris said in a statement to The Advocate Saturday afternoon. It came hours after President Trump announced on Truth Social at 2:30 a.m. that the United States had begun what he called a “large-scale combat operation in Iran.”
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In an eight-minute video address, President Trump described a “massive and ongoing operation” designed to eliminate the immediate threat posed by the Iranian regime. He vowed that Iran would “never have nuclear weapons,” acknowledged that “an American hero may be lost,” and urged Iranians to “take over the government” once the U.S. operation ends.
“Let me be clear: I oppose a regime change war in Iran, and our military is at risk because of the war President Trump has chosen,” Harris wrote.
Harris argued that such rhetoric dramatically escalates the stakes.
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“This is a dangerous and unnecessary gamble with American lives, and it also jeopardizes regional stability and our country’s standing in the world,” she said. “What we are witnessing is not strength. It is recklessness disguised as determination.”
Her statement echoed a growing number of Democratic lawmakers and military veterans who are questioning both the legality and strategic coherence of the operation, reportedly dubbed “Operation Epic Fury.”
California Rep. Robert Garcia, a gay Democrat and ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, linked expansion abroad to economic pressures at home and called for immediate action from Congress.
“Americans deserve low prices and affordable health care, not another war in the Middle East,” Garcia wrote in X. “Even without this dangerous act, which is already costing innocent lives, we can support the Iranian people and their self-determination.”
“Please end this war. We need a war powers vote now.”
The administration has defended the strikes as necessary to eliminate an immediate threat and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. But critics have noted what the White House claims has been a decisive success in previous campaigns. In June 2025, after a coordinated U.S. operation known as Operation Midnight Hammer targeted Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, the administration declared that Iran’s nuclear program had been “eliminated” and dismissed suggestions to the contrary as “fake news.”
This apparent contradiction fuels skepticism about the current justification for new military action.
“During the campaign, Donald Trump promised to end wars, not start them. That was a lie,” she said. “And last year he said, ‘We killed off’ Iran’s nuclear program. That was also a lie.”
Harris argued that military escalation is not the answer.
“I know the threat posed by Iran, and Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, but this is not the way to eliminate that threat.”
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned that the attack reportedly went beyond nuclear and missile infrastructure to “a wide range of targets, including Iran’s senior leadership,” calling the move a “significant decision” that risked drawing the United States into another protracted Middle East conflict.
“Under the U.S. Constitution, the president must get approval from Congress to go to war,” Harris said. “But even if he did, the fact remains that this action is unwise, unjust, and unsupported by the American people.”
She also cited the human cost of escalation, noting that President Trump himself has acknowledged that there could be casualties for U.S. troops.
“And let us all keep our eyes peeled for what happens next,” Harris said. “The President has already said that this conflict could result in casualties for American service members. Doug and I will pray for all our brave service members who are performing dangerous missions with extraordinary skill, discipline, and precision.”
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a Navy Reserve veteran who served in Afghanistan in 2014, called the strikes a “war of choice” conducted without Congressional approval or a plan for what would happen next.
“Our military deserves a commander-in-chief who approaches decisions on matters of war and peace with the same steadiness and discipline that our troops demonstrate every day,” Harris said.
“There is no question that I oppose the wars that Donald Trump has chosen,” Harris said. “Congress must use every power in its power to prevent him from drawing us further into this conflict. Our military, our allies, and the American people deserve no better.”
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
