Iran strikes US base after Trump bombing. Are you concerned about war? Tell us. | Opinion
Last week, we asked you if the US should go to war with Iran. It looks like President Trump decided for us. We want to know how you feel about that.
Last Thursday, on June 19, President Donald Trump said he would decide “within the next two weeks” whether the United States would engage directly in the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. Two days later, Trump announced the completion of a “successful” attack on Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. On Monday, June 23, Iran responded by striking a U.S. military base in Qatar.
And thus begins, perhaps, another U.S. “forever war” in the Middle East.
If you, like me, spent your entire life with America entrenched in Middle East conflicts – where friends and community members have laid down their lives for wars based on lies – then perhaps you, like me, are less than thrilled at this prospect. (Scroll down or click here to share your opinion with us.)
And we’re not alone.
Do you think the US should have bombed Iran?
In an Economist/YouGov poll released before the bombing, 60% of respondents said the U.S. military should not get directly involved. A majority – 56% – said that negotiations should continue. A Washington Post poll conducted June 18 found a similar pattern, with the majority of respondents opposing air strikes. And when Paste BN conducted our own reader survey, we received an overwhelming response saying the United States should not get involved and America should refrain from official intervention.
In the aftermath of the bombing, Americans – and the world – seem as divided as ever on the decision. Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, applauded the move and even encouraged it, telling The Wall Street Journal that he told the president, “This will reset our relationship with the rest of the world.” Meanwhile MAGA faithful Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, took to X on Monday to break with Trump, writing, “It feels like a complete bait and switch.”
Less than a week later, we want to know if that feeling has changed. Do you think Trump was right to bomb Iran? Do you think he should have waited for approval from Congress? What do you think Iran – and America – will do next? Are you concerned about the threat of nuclear war?
Why did Trump strike Iran? Will it change anything?
Questions have swirled in the immediate fallout from the June 21 bombing. In a speech that evening, Trump claimed Iran’s three major sites had been “obliterated.” But less than a day later, the picture was much less certain, with weapons experts, Iranian officials and even Russia contesting the true impact of the attack. These new developments beg the question: Was it worth it? And, with countries pledging to arm Iran with nuclear weapons anyway, did it even change anything?
We want to know what you think. Take our poll below, or send us an email with the subject line "Forum US Iran war" to forum@usatoday.com. We'll publish a collection of responses from all sides of the conversation in our next installment of the Opinion Forum.
Janessa Hilliard is the director of audience for Paste BN Opinion and Opinion at Gannett.