Update: Pete Buttigieg & Robert Garcia join chorus of leaders condemning Donald Trump’s ‘war of choice’ with IranIn an 8-minute video posted to Truth Social at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that, without the approval of Congress, the United States had begun “major combat operations in Iran,” declaring that Tehran “will never have a nuclear weapon” and urging Iranians to “take over your government.”Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate’s email newsletter.Hours later, Col. Bree Fram, a retired Space Force officer now running for Congress in Virginia, sharply rebuked the escalation, warning that Trump is steering the country toward a prolonged Middle East war. Fram retired in December after more than 20 years of service when the Trump administration forced transgender people out of the armed services. She was the highest-ranking trans person in the military, having been promoted to colonel.Related: Ousted under Trump’s trans military ban, retired Space Force Col. Bree Fram launches bid for CongressRelated: Space Force colonel running for Congress slams Trump for making SOTU Medal of Honor awards ‘about himself’“These strikes on Iran aren’t America first, they are essentially America alone, without our allies at our side,” Fram said in a statement released Saturday. “Operation Epic Fury is aptly named as what happens anytime President Trump doesn’t get what he wants.” Smoke rises after Iran launched a missile attack targeting the headquarters of the U.S. Navyâs Fifth Fleet in Manama, following what it described as retaliation against U.S. and Israeli strikes, in Manama, Bahrain, on February 28, 2026. Stringer/Anadolu via Getty ImagesIn the overnight address, Trump described Iran as “the world’s number one state sponsor of terror” and said the U.S. military had launched a “massive and ongoing operation” to eliminate what he called imminent threats from the Iranian regime. He pledged to “destroy their missiles,” “annihilate their Navy,” and ensure Iran’s missile industry is “totally obliterated.”He also foreshadowed the potential human cost.“The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war,” Trump said, calling the mission “noble.”The president went further than outlining military objectives. Addressing members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he said they must “lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death.” And speaking directly to Iranian civilians, he said, “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”Related: Meet the transgender Space Force rocket scientist who’s unimpressed by Libs of TikTok’s attacksRelated: Trump administration is potentially sending two gay men to their death by preparing to deport them to IranThe rhetoric signals that the administration’s aims extend beyond deterring nuclear development and into explicit regime change, a posture that marks a dramatic departure from Trump’s previous promises to avoid “endless wars.”Fram seized on that shift.“This is a President who treats war as an opportunity to look strong, instead of as a last resort to protect our lives and values,” she said. “He always puts profits and self-interest ahead of American lives and well-being. The American people see through it as the reckless adventurism and distraction that it is from a deeply unpopular President.”The strikes, coordinated with Israel, have already prompted Iranian vows of retaliation and heightened fears of a broader regional conflict. Trump defended the operation as necessary to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its nuclear program and developing long-range missiles capable of threatening U.S. allies and potentially the American homeland.But opposition has emerged not only from Democrats but from parts of Trump’s own political coalition. Some conservative commentators and Republican lawmakers have questioned whether the administration sought congressional authorization and warned that voters did not sign on for another foreign war. A woman holds an illustration depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as others wave Iranian national flags during a demonstration in support of the government and against US and Israeli strikes outside a mosque in Tehran on February 28, 2026. ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty ImagesFram’s criticism centered in part on the troops now deployed into an uncertain escalation.“I’m deeply disturbed by the Administration’s actions. They are reckless, lack strategy, and mark a continued slide toward imperialism and authoritarianism,” she said. “Most importantly, I’m concerned about the courageous members of our military being put in harm’s way and the consequences that are already falling upon civilians in the region.”Iran retaliated by launching missiles at U.S. bases across the region, targeting the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and also firing at Israel.As explosions rocked the region, the scope of the confrontation remains unclear. What is clear is that Trump has framed the conflict not as a limited strike but as a transformative moment. He described it as “the hour of your freedom” for the Iranian people.
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