Senator Mark Kelly issued sharp criticism of President Donald Trump on Sunday for ordering airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, accusing the former president of rushing into military action without personal experience in combat.
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, the Arizona Democrat and former Navy combat pilot didn’t mince words:
“I find it interesting that the person without combat experience is often the first person to want to drop a bomb,” Kelly said. “And that’s what we see here.”
The strikes, launched Saturday night, targeted three key Iranian nuclear sites — Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan — and have drawn intense global scrutiny. Trump called the mission a “very successful attack,” celebrating the effort in a post on Truth Social.
“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump wrote. “All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”
But Sen. Kelly raised concerns that the U.S. involvement may escalate tensions and endanger American forces abroad.
“What we did last night puts those troops — 40,000 of them — at further risk,” Kelly said. “We’re going to do everything we can to protect them. We’ve got a very capable military. We’re going to do our best to defend our interests.”
Kelly Disputes Intelligence on Iran’s Nuclear Program
Kelly, who serves on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, also pushed back on the urgency suggested by Trump’s decision.
“As far as we know, the Iranians were not in the process of developing a weapon,” Kelly explained. “They were enriching uranium — more than what they need for power generation — but they weren’t actively weaponizing.”
He acknowledged Iran was engaging in activities the U.S. disapproved of, but said the situation had remained relatively transparent to the international community.
Fears of Nuclear Program Going Underground
Kelly warned that the strike may backfire by driving Iran to take its nuclear efforts out of view.
“My big fear right now is that they take this entire program underground — not physically, but under the radar,” he said. “They might now try to race toward developing a nuclear weapon. Where we tried to stop it, there is a real possibility that this could accelerate it.”
As the fallout from the strikes continues, Kelly’s remarks reflect growing concern in Washington about the long-term consequences of renewed military action in the region — and the decision-making behind it.
