Republicans back Israeli attack on Iran but some Democrats say it sabotages nuclear talks

Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington on Friday cheered Israel for carrying out long-threatened strikes on Iran, but several Democrats accused that country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of deliberately sabotaging talks to resolve the question of Tehran’s nuclear program peacefully.

Iran has few friends within the American political establishment, while Israel retains widespread support in Congress, even as some Democrats publicly condemn its conduct in the war in Gaza. Republicans lined up behind the president in praising the attack, which seems certain to put an end to weeks of thus-far fruitless negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

“For too long, the mullahs in Iran have publicly aspired to wipe the only democracy in the Middle East off the face of the map via any means possible: funding and arming terror groups on Israel’s borders, choking off international sea lanes, and multiple barrages of missiles and drones,” said John Thune, the Republican Senate majority leader.

Related: Israelis in triumphant but foreboding mood after unprecedented Iran strikes

“Iran must never gain access to a nuclear weapon. Today, Israel has determined that it must take decisive action to defend the Israeli people.”

His counterpart in the House of Representatives, speaker Mike Johnson, echoed the sentiment, saying: “Israel decided it needed to take action to defend itself. They were clearly within their right to do so.”

Democrats’ sentiments towards the strikes were more complicated. Many in the party view Iran’s nuclear ambitions as an issue to be resolved through a multiparty agreement such as the one negotiated in 2015 during Barack Obama’s presidency. Trump pulled the US out of that deal during his first term, but backed renewed negotiations with Tehran upon starting his second earlier this year. In the interim, Joe Biden also tried to reach a new deal with Iran but was unsuccessful.

The attack unfolded at a particularly tense moment in the United States. Trump has ordered federalized national guard troops and US marines on to the streets of Los Angeles, saying they were necessary to safeguard immigration authorities. On Thursday, California’s Democratic senator Alex Padilla was handcuffed by federal agents after he tried to question the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, at a press conference. Both developments, Democrats say, are signs that Trump intends to govern as an authoritarian.

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said American forces were not involved in the attack, and Trump on Friday said that Tehran has “perhaps, a second chance” to make a deal. But Democrats accused Netanyahu of ordering the strikes to ensure that the talks end for good, while simultaneously placing Americans in the Middle East at risk.

“Israel’s attack on Iran, clearly intended to scuttle the Trump administration’s negotiations with Iran, risks a regional war that will likely be catastrophic for America and is further evidence of how little respect world powers – including our own allies – have for President Trump,” said Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator who serves on the foreign relations committee.

“This is a disaster of Trump and Netanyahu’s own making, and now the region risks spiraling toward a new, deadly conflict” that he said “may be good for Netanyahu’s domestic politics, but it will likely be disastrous for both the security of Israel, the United States and the rest of the region.”

Tim Kaine, who also serves on the Senate foreign relations committee, said he “cannot understand why Israel would launch a preemptive strike at this juncture, knowing high level diplomatic discussions between the United States and Iran are scheduled for this weekend. These talks are the only viable and sustainable path to curtailing Iran’s development of nuclear weapons and protecting US national security interests in the region.”

Mark Warner, the Democratic vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee, avoided weighing in on Israel’s decision. “This is a rapidly evolving situation, and it’s critical that the United States works with our allies and avoid steps that will cause further escalation across the region. For years, Iran has threatened the safety of Israel and the region and Israel has an undeniable right to defend itself and its citizens,” he said.

Perhaps the most outspoken Democratic supporter of Israel in the Senate is Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, who said on X: “Our commitment to Israel must be absolute and I fully support this attack. Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel. We must provide whatever is necessary – military, intelligence, weaponry – to fully back Israel in striking Iran.”

Responding to a post announcing that the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Gen Hossein Salam, had been killed, Fetterman wrote: “thank u, next.”