Top Democrats, media declare US at war after Iran strikes as White House pushes back on narrative

Prominent Democrats, some Republicans, and a few media personalities are insisting that America is now at war with Iran following President Donald Trump’s strike on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities — but the White House is pushing back firmly against those claims.

The New York Times headlined their coverage of Trump's Iran strike in which B-2 bombers and other Air Force jets dropped "bunker buster" bombs at the Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow and Natanz as U.S. submarines fired tomahawk missiles at the enrichment site in Isfahan as "U.S. Enters War With Iran."

The Trump administration has denied that the U.S. has entered a war with Iran, and insisted that these were limited strikes, but that has not stopped pundits and politicians from claiming that the country is now at war. 

"President Trump claims the US strike on Iran was a "spectacular military success." We'll see. What we do know is that Trump has pushed the US into a new war in the Middle East with considerable risks of escalation," New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff posted on X. 

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NBC journalist Kristen Welker asked Vice President JD Vance during his appearance on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, "Is the United States now at war with Iran?" Vance swiftly denied that the U.S. is at war with anything except Iran’s nuclear program.

"No, Kristen, we’re not at war with Iran, we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program… what we’ve said to the Iranians is we do not want war with Iran. We actually want peace, but we want peace in the context of them not having a nuclear weapons program and that’s exactly what the president accomplished last night," Vance said.

On CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday, Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio urged Iran to "choose the route of peace" and that the United States was awaiting to see what their response, if any, would be.

"We’ll see what Iran decides to do. I think they should choose the route of peace. We have bent over backwards to create a deal with these people…  We’re prepared right now, if they call right now and say we want to meet, let’s talk about this, we’re prepared to do that. The president has made it clear from the very beginning… What happens next will depend on what Iran chooses to do next. If they choose the path of diplomacy, we’re ready," Rubio said. 

The Trump administration launched a series of strikes targeted at Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan on Saturday. The attacks came after attempts to negotiate an agreement regarding Iran's nuclear activity failed to bear fruit. 

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But the administration’s vehement denials that the U.S. has entered a war with Iran has not stopped top Democrats — and even some Republicans — from claiming that the country is now at war or is heading toward one, or that the act should be considered "unconstitutional" or "impeachable." 

"Trump said he would end wars. Tonight, he dragged us into one. His decision violates the Constitution, endangers American lives and risks unleashing dangerous forces we can’t control," Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said in a statement. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., slammed Trump's strike against the Islamic Republic a "horrific war of choice," and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., called for a war powers resolution vote in the Senate regarding the "Trump war on Iran," during an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., read from President Trump’s Truth Social post announcing that the U.S. had completed its strikes against Iran at a rally in Oklahoma on Saturday, to a chorus of boos and chants of "No more war."

"I agree, and I want to tell you something. Not only is this news that I’ve just heard this second alarming that all of you have just heard, but it’s so grossly unconstitutional. All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The president does not have the right," Sanders said. 

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Progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Trump's decision was "grounds for impeachment."

"The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers. He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment," Ocasio-Cortez posted on X.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., released a statement after the strike, saying the danger of a "more devastating war" has now increased. 

"No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy," Schumer said. 

"Donald Trump has failed to bring peace to the Middle East. He has failed to deliver on that promise. The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harms way," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement on X.

The Trump administration also fielded criticism from fellow Republicans. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-KY., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., both criticized the strike as a provocative act of war. 

"When two countries are bombing each other daily in a hot war, and a third country joins the bombing, that’s an act of war. I’m amazed at the mental gymnastics being undertaken by neocons in DC (and their social media bots) to say we aren’t at war… so they can make war," Massie posted on X.

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"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," Greene posted on X.

Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey also told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on Saturday that Trump's strike on Iran's nuclear program was, in many ways, a "bold and good move," and that we're "at war with Iran right now."