President Donald Trump’s military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which targeted key sites such as Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, are being hailed by some as legally justified and potentially life-saving under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). According to Gregg Jarrett, the strikes were authorized under this law, which grants the president broad powers to act against nations that aided the 9/11 attacks, including Iran, which he alleges has been complicit in past terrorist activities.
Despite the legal justifications, prominent figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have denounced the strikes as unconstitutional and even grounds for impeachment. However, Jarrett contends that the AUMF has never been repealed or amended and was utilized by previous presidents for similar operations, including those of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, which were widely accepted as lawful. Jarrett further argues that the strikes were necessary to prevent Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism, from acquiring nuclear capabilities that could threaten the U.S. and its allies.