Opinion: The Iran mess just got messier and the world got deadlier
President Donald Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025, after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites, directly joining Israel’s effort to decapitate the country’s nuclear program. (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP)
In a disgusting and surprising show of force, Donald Trump showed he’d lied. Last week, he said he’d decide on a plan for Iran in two weeks, presumably to allow for peaceful negotiations to take place. After all, it wasn’t clear even to international monitors that Iran had any nuclear capability.
But then on Saturday night, Trump announced his big gamble, that the US had entered the fray by bombing three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites.
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That’s Trump’s idea of how to start peace talks. Send them a violent message to come talk or else.
And he calls Iran the bullies?
If you were Iran, hoping for a credible diplomatic attempt in the upcoming two weeks how do you trust someone who bombs you first then asks for peace?
In his speech to the nation following the bombings, Trump took the time to gloat about his actions.
”There’s no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight, not even close,” Trump said in the nationally televised speech.
But as he admired his military might, he also sent a message to Iran.
“This cannot continue,” Trump said. “There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.”
The situation room photos show Trump in his red MAGA hat, with a handful of advisors, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Two sycophants cheering on a mad bomber?
And where is Congress?
Nowhere to be seen.
The US is now in a war, whether you like it or not, as Trump is fond of saying. But that’s the language of an autocrat, not of the leader of a democracy.
Indeed, as I watched the news for two hours before the president talked to the nation, I don’t recall hearing anyone question the US bombing of Iran until at least a full hour after the speech.
And then I got a note from Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), the only part-Filipino American member of Congress who didn’t mince words.
”The President has attacked another nation without congressional authorization,” Scott said in a release. “There was no apparent imminent Iranian threat against the United States. Furthermore, the President’s own Director of National Intelligence testified before Congress earlier this year that the U.S. intelligence community assessed Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.”
Other reports said that the Israelis had different information. So the president took intel advice from the Israelis over the testimony of Tulsi Gabbard, his own intel head. It shouldn’t have been enough to act unilaterally without Congress. But he did so anyway, sending bombers in to make a first strike against three Iranian targets.
He can’t do that, can he?
Not unless Congress lets him. And except for some brave reps like Scott, Congress was mostly silent Saturday night.
“Our nation cannot again go to war with faulty intelligence,” said Scott. “We saw what happened in Iraq in 2003, which dragged the United States into a protracted war in the Middle East for 8 years. That is why it is imperative that we pass the War Powers Resolution…to terminate any ongoing military action by the United States against Iran unless authorized by Congress.”
By Congress, Scott means the people.
Is this what you wanted Trump to do when you voted for him? And if you didn’t vote for him, it’s infuriating to see Trump gracelessly acting as the leader of the free world, recklessly entering a war that may be unjustified. But that’s Trump wielding his power. He’s president who readily admits he doesn’t know what he’s going to do next.
And so we wait until Iran makes a move. Are we in a stronger position now? Did Trump just give cover to Iran’s nuclear allies to provide them with nuclear capability?
Surely, support of Israel is important, but a smart diplomatic effort could have avoided the bombings of Saturday night.
Instead the US and Israel are more vulnerable than ever.
Remember, we had a diplomatic solution back in 2015 that was working for some three years. But Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018. Why? Because it was seen as Obama’s plan and not Trump’s?
We need Trump to be way smarter than that. Because Trump is the reason we are in this mess today. His withdrawal in 2018 created this situation.
The mess just got messier and the world got deadlier on Saturday night. And peace? Was that ever even given a serious thought?
Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist, news analyst, stage monologuist and a poet laureate in Northern California. He writes for the Inquirer.net’s US Channel. He has written a weekly “Amok” column on Asian American issues since 1995. Find him on YouTube, patreon and substack.
