NOTE: Pelosi’s X-post at the end of the article.
In the wake of the high-profile U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites over the weekend, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has publicly condemned President Donald Trump—despite supporting nearly identical actions under the Obama administration.
The military campaign, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, unfolded Saturday night and involved a sweeping display of American firepower. According to the Pentagon, the mission deployed over 125 aircraft, including a fleet of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, in what officials say was the largest use of the aircraft since the early days of the War on Terror in 2001.
The strike package focused on three of Iran’s most critical nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—which have been long suspected of advancing the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions. In a particularly bold move, the Fordow site, buried deep within a mountain, was struck using 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, each a 30,000-pound bunker-busting bomb capable of penetrating fortified underground structures.
President Trump authorized the strikes in response to what intelligence agencies described as “rapid, destabilizing acceleration” of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities. U.S. officials have pointed to recent IAEA reports and satellite imagery as evidence that Tehran was nearing critical thresholds in weapons-grade material production.
Yet, despite the overwhelming show of force and mounting concerns over Iran’s trajectory, Pelosi wasted no time blasting Trump’s decision.
Posting to X (formerly Twitter) just hours after the strikes were confirmed, Pelosi accused the president of “reckless escalation” and criticized him for moving forward without congressional approval. Her statement triggered swift backlash from critics who were quick to point out that Pelosi vocally supported similar unilateral military actions carried out by President Obama in both Libya and Syria, many of which also proceeded without formal authorization from Congress.
The apparent double standard has reignited debates over war powers, executive authority, and political opportunism in Washington. Commentators across the spectrum are questioning whether Pelosi’s outrage is rooted in principle or party politics.
Meanwhile, national security analysts have praised the mission’s precision and scale, noting that it significantly disrupted Iran’s nuclear timetable without the loss of American lives.
As tensions with Tehran continue to escalate, the domestic political divide over U.S. foreign policy has once again taken center stage—with Pelosi and Trump serving as the latest flashpoint in a long-running battle over how, when, and why America projects its military power abroad.
