Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) sharply criticized President Trump on Sunday for authorizing large-scale strikes against Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top regime officials, warning the move risks dragging the United States into a broader Middle East war.
“There was simply no basis to go in with this massive military campaign, with the goal of regime change,” Schiff said on ABC’s This Week. “And the concern here is that we have unleashed factors in the region now that we cannot control.”
Schiff acknowledged that Khamenei led what he called a “brutal dictatorship” and “murderous regime,” but argued that Iran “posed no imminent threat of attack” to the United States at the time of the strikes.
The weekend operation, which also killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Pakpour, National Defense Council head Ali Shamkhani, and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, has triggered retaliatory missile barrages by Iran across Israel and several Arab countries. As of Sunday morning, U.S. Central Command reported that three American service members had been killed and five injured.
President Trump framed the operation as both a national security necessity and an opportunity for political change inside Iran. In remarks directed to the Iranian people, he urged them to rise once U.S. and Israeli military operations conclude.
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” Trump said. “This will be, probably, your only chance for generations.”
Schiff warned that such rhetoric could have dangerous consequences.
“If the Iranian people do rise up, as [Trump] has called upon them to do, maybe they’re successful,” Schiff said. “Maybe they get slaughtered in reliance on the president’s implicit promise that we will be there to help them.”
Sen Adam Schiff Shocks: It Wasn’t Right to Take Out Khomeini
Stephanopoulos: So was the president right to take him out?
Schiff: No…it posed no imminent threat of attack to the United States pic.twitter.com/nVoYyvQLxF
— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) March 1, 2026
Iranian state television reported that an interim leadership council — composed of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Guardian Council jurist Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i — will temporarily govern the country.
Schiff argued that the removal of Khamenei does not guarantee a more moderate successor. “An equally depraved regime” could take power, he said.
The strikes have set up a contentious debate in Congress over presidential war powers. Senate Democrats, joined by a handful of Republicans, plan to force a vote this week on a war powers resolution intended to halt further U.S. military action in Iran without explicit congressional authorization.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), the resolution’s sponsor, said he expects a vote Tuesday. Though the measure has little chance of becoming law — President Trump would almost certainly veto it — Kaine said it is critical for lawmakers to go on record.
Kaine said some Republicans may reconsider their positions given the likelihood of a prolonged engagement.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a co-sponsor of the resolution, declared Saturday, “I must oppose another presidential war.” Sens. Susan Collins (R-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have signaled openness to supporting the measure, with Collins warning that “sustained combat operations require full engagement with Congress.”
Other Republicans have taken the opposite position, arguing the strikes were necessary and that regime change should be the ultimate objective.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) said, “Regime change should be our goal.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) have also called for regime change.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), a strong supporter of Israel, said he expects to oppose the war powers resolution. “I supported the first strike on the Iranian facility,” he said, referring to Operation Midnight Hammer. “Everyone here agrees that we can’t ever allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb.”
The Trump administration has said it does not intend to deploy U.S. ground troops. Vice President JD Vance stated there is “no chance” of a prolonged war. However, Trump told the Daily Mail that the campaign was envisioned as a “four-week process.”
“It’s always been about a four-week process,” Trump said. “It’ll take four weeks — or less.”
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
