WASHINGTON, D.C. February 28, 2026 – U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sharply condemned the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran on Saturday, labeling it an “illegal, premeditated and unconstitutional war” and calling on the Senate to immediately oppose further escalation.
In a post on X accompanied by a detailed statement, Sanders declared: “The U.S. Senate must be clear: no war with Iran.”
The Vermont senator accused President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “gambling with American lives and treasure to fulfill Netanyahu’s decades-long ambition of dragging the United States into armed conflict with Iran.”
Citing the U.S. Constitution, Sanders stressed that only Congress can declare war. He demanded the Senate reconvene at once to vote on a pending War Powers Resolution, which he said he will “strongly support.”
“Further, this attack against Iran is a clear violation of international law and will create increased instability in an already dangerous world,” Sanders wrote. “If the United States and Israel can launch an attack against a sovereign nation, so can any other country. Might does not make right. It creates international anarchy, death, destruction and human misery.”
He drew parallels to past U.S. conflicts, stating: “The American people were lied to about Vietnam. The American people were lied to about Iraq. The American people are being lied to again today — and once again, it is ordinary people who will pay the price.”
Sanders concluded by shifting focus to domestic needs: “The people of our country, no matter what their political persuasion, do not want endless war. They want decent paying jobs, and health care and housing that they can afford. They want their kids to have an excellent education. We must not allow Trump to force us into another senseless war. No war with Iran.”
The statement was issued hours after President Trump announced the launch of major strikes — dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” — targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, military sites, and regime infrastructure in coordination with Israel. Trump has publicly urged Iranians to overthrow their government.
Iran has responded with retaliatory missile strikes, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Sanders’ position echoes other progressive lawmakers, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who also called the action illegal and demanded Congress exercise its war powers.
The development revives long-standing debates over presidential authority to initiate military action without congressional approval. Sanders previously sponsored the “No War Against Iran Act” in 2025.
Life News Agency will continue to monitor the situation as tensions in the Middle East escalate.
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