Trump Goes There, Striking Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Sites

President Trump announced that the United States armed forces have completed bombing missions against Iran — specifically against the nuclear enrichment facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. There had been reports earlier this weekend that our armed forces had moved B-2 bombers into position — the aircraft capable of carrying and launching the MOPs (massive ordnance penetrators) that could reach and demolish the Fordow site, which is in the mountains outside Qom, deeply underground.

The president’s announcement on social media does not even try to ground this action in American law. As I’ve argued this week (see here and here), Trump had authority under Congress’s post 9/11 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (September 18, 2001) in light of Iran’s aiding, abetting, and harboring of al-Qaeda jihadists. Moreover, with Iran’s proxies, the Houthis in Yemen, firing at U.S. military targets just a few weeks ago, the president had authority to strike at their sponsors, Iran, which has a long history of using proxies to murder Americans. That said, as Charlie, Rich, and I have discussed at length (see here and here), it would have been better for the mission and for constitutional hygiene if the president had sought congressional authorization. (My weekend column, linked above, addresses why, sadly, Congress is glad he didn’t.)

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

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President Trump announced that the United States armed forces have completed bombing missions against Iran — specifically against the nuclear enrichment facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. There had been reports earlier this weekend that our armed forces had moved B-2 bombers into position — the aircraft capable of carrying and launching the MOPs (massive ordnance penetrators) that could reach and demolish the Fordow site, which is in the mountains outside Qom, deeply underground.

The president’s announcement on social media does not even try to ground this action in American law. As I’ve argued this week (see here and here), Trump had authority under Congress’s post 9/11 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (September 18, 2001) in light of Iran’s aiding, abetting, and harboring of al-Qaeda jihadists. Moreover, with Iran’s proxies, the Houthis in Yemen, firing at U.S. military targets just a few weeks ago, the president had authority to strike at their sponsors, Iran, which has a long history of using proxies to murder Americans. That said, as Charlie, Rich, and I have discussed at length (see here and here), it would have been better for the mission and for constitutional hygiene if the president had sought congressional authorization. (My weekend column, linked above, addresses why, sadly, Congress is glad he didn’t.)

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.