Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania continued to throw his full support behind Israel in its war with Iran this week, saying it’s “not warmongering,” it’s “peacemongering.”
Why It Matters
Israel and Iran have been lobbing missiles and strikes at one another since Israel first attacked Iran last week, decapitating Iran’s military and intelligence chain-of-command, destroying nuclear sites and killing key nuclear scientists. The conflict entered its seventh day on Thursday, with Iran launching a strike that hit a major hospital in Israel, injuring at least 240 people and causing extensive damage.
Israel subsequently accused Iran of crossing a “red line” and violating international law, and the country’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “should not continue to exist.”
The White House, meanwhile, said President Donald Trump will decide within two weeks whether the United States will join the conflict and launch a strike at Iran.
What To Know
The rapidly escalating war has divided lawmakers and splintered President Donald Trump’s typically ironclad MAGA coalition, as isolationists warn about the U.S. getting mired in another “forever war” in the Middle East and foreign policy hawks support the United States intervening to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Fetterman, one of the most pro-Israel Democrats in Congress, weighed in on the prospect of U.S. involvement on Wednesday, telling reporters: “I’d like to point out … the polling has shown that, I think it’s effectively … 80 percent of Americans think that Iran should never acquire a nuclear weapon.”
“So, like, this isn’t shocking,” the Pennsylvania Democrat added. “You know, it’s like, this is not warmongering. This is peacemongering … I mean, that’s not controversial. It definitely shouldn’t be controversial for Democrats.”
Fetterman: This is not warmongering. This is peace mongering. pic.twitter.com/GKLMhsGIym
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 19, 2025
A recent Washington Post survey asked about 1,000 Americans whether they would support or oppose the U.S. launching airstrikes at Iran over its nuclear program. According to the poll, 45 percent of Americans oppose the move compared to 25 percent who said they would support a strike.
Among Republicans, 47 percent back a U.S. strike against Iran, while 53 percent said they are either unsure or oppose a strike. Meanwhile, just nine percent of Democrats said they would support the move, compared to 67 percent who oppose it and 24 percent who say they’re unsure.
The Post‘s survey was conducted on June 18 and had a sample size of 1,008 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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