Fetterman Only Dem Who Opposed Party’s Iran ‘War Powers’ Push
Sen. John Fetterman once again broke with the majority of his party on Wednesday, siding against fellow Democrats who attempted to rein in President Donald J. Trump’s military actions targeting Iran.
The Pennsylvania Democrat voted against a war powers resolution designed to force the president to limit military operations and seek congressional approval for continued action against the Iranian regime. The measure faced long odds from the outset due to overwhelming Republican support for the military campaign and GOP control of Congress.
Even so, supporters of the proposal argued that the vote was important as a test of where lawmakers stand on the administration’s joint U.S.–Israeli effort to dismantle Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
A Rare Break From Party Lines
While most Democrats backed the resolution, Fetterman rejected the effort, arguing that President Trump’s decisive action against Iran’s nuclear program was justified.
The only Republican to join Democrats in supporting the measure was Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Fetterman made his position unmistakably clear during an appearance with Kate Bolduan on CNN’s CNN News Central, where he defended the military campaign.
“Just keep killing them until they’re gone,” Fetterman said.
“I absolutely support that. I think that’s entirely appropriate until hopefully they’ll pick someone that realizes that they need to live and coexist in peace in the region and stop trying to destroy Israel and to stabilize the region,” he added.
Fallout From Iran’s Leadership Strike
The comments came after a dramatic escalation in the conflict. Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who had ruled the Islamic Republic for more than three decades, was reportedly killed in coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes early Saturday morning. The attacks targeted both Khamenei’s compound and key elements of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Reports circulating in international media claim Iran’s Assembly of Experts has chosen Mojtaba Khamenei — the late leader’s son — as his successor, though Iranian state media has not confirmed the development. According to reports cited by The Hill, an Israeli airstrike allegedly hit the building where officials were meeting to decide the succession.
Israel Signals No Safe Haven
Israeli leaders have made clear that any successor to the regime’s leadership will remain a target if the regime continues its aggression.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning Wednesday.
“It does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides,” Katz wrote on X, describing the effort as an “integral part of the objectives” of the ongoing military operation.
“We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to crush the regime’s capabilities and create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow it and replace it,” Katz continued.
While Israeli officials have openly discussed regime change as a long-term goal, leaders in Washington have been more cautious about framing the mission in those terms.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have emphasized that the operation’s primary objective is dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities rather than nation-building.
President Trump, however, has encouraged the Iranian people to rise up and reclaim their country from the ruling regime.
During a press conference on Tuesday, the president noted that many of the individuals who might have succeeded Khamenei have already been eliminated in the ongoing campaign.
“I guess the worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over who’s as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen, we don’t want that to happen, it would probably be the worst,” Trump said.
Senate Vote Highlights Divisions
Pennsylvania’s other senator, Dave McCormick, a Republican, also voted against the Democrat-led resolution, reinforcing bipartisan support for the president’s strategy within parts of Congress.
Meanwhile, new revelations about Iran’s nuclear program have heightened concerns in Washington. Iranian officials reportedly told U.S. negotiators prior to the military campaign that the regime had successfully concealed aspects of its nuclear weapons development from international inspectors while enriching enough uranium for at least 11 nuclear bombs.
Those disclosures have further strengthened the case among many lawmakers that decisive action was necessary to prevent the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining nuclear weapons.