Santa Barbara’s Congressional representative Salud Carbajal denounced President Donald Trump’s decision to launch multiple bombing runs targeting three of the four underground sites in Iran where United States, Israeli, and international intelligence agencies contend the Iranian government is producing weapons-grade uranium. According to multiple intelligence agencies, Iran is just a few months, if not weeks, away from weapons grade uranium — though not everyone believes Iran was on the precipice.
“I condemn President Trump’s extremely dangerous decision to launch a military strike on Iran without congressional approval,” Carbajal said in a prepared statement released Sunday afternoon. “His actions threaten to drag our nation into another war in the Middle East — endangering the lives of countless civilians and service members. The Administration must immediately brief Congress in a classified setting on the details of this operation. President Trump must be held accountable for his unilateral decision to use force.”
Israel began bombing Iran on June 13, trying to decapitate these sites, but because these locations are so deeply embedded deep underground, reportedly only U.S. bunker-busting bombs — each weighing 30,000 pounds — have the capacity to take these targets out. And only the U.S. B-2 aircraft have the capacity to deliver these bombs.
Trump acted this weekend after having announced that the U.S. has the capacity to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, now 86, without having consulted with Congress, as the Constitution calls for regarding acts of war. Iran’s government has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel, regarded as a puppet and lesser Satan to the Great Satan of the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, still reeling from last year’s October 7 invasion that claimed the lives of 1,200 Israelis — and 55,000 Gazans in the aftermath since — has long been preoccupied with stopping Iran from achieving the ability of making its own atomic weapons. Though it has not publicly admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, it’s believed Israel has long been a member of the world’s nuclear bomb club.
Trump has stressed that his action does not constitute an act of war, arguing that neither regime change nor nation building are the objective. “Trump is trying to pretend that his recent action to bomb Iran does not mean we are now at war with Iran. But anyone with a brain knows he just got the US into a war,” Carbajal stated in a text to the Independent. “Not to mention it’s another one of his distractions to shield that he and his administration are taking health care and food assistance from millions of Americans. And all while deporting hard working immigrants who are helping the economy, as well as profiling and violating the civil rights of many US residents.”
