Congressional Debate on Iran Masks Covert US-Israeli Co-Belligerence
When Congress debates "war powers" concerning Iran, the discussion invariably frames the United States as a potential actor, not a primary participant. This framing deliberately omits the extensive and documented history of joint US-Israeli military operations targeting Iran's infrastructure and defense capabilities, effectively making the US a co-belligerent long before any formal declaration.
Since at least 2009, when reports detailed US and Israeli cooperation on Stuxnet, a cyber weapon developed to cripple Iran's nuclear centrifuges, the US has moved beyond mere support to direct, offensive action. This covert collaboration has continued with logistical intelligence sharing, advanced weapons transfers aimed specifically at Iran, and coordinated military exercises, such as the Juniper
Cobra series, explicitly simulating attacks on Iranian targets. While discussions in Washington focus on whether to authorize military force, the Pentagon has already been engaged in a shadow war, blurring the lines of international law and sovereignty. This dual approach allows the US to maintain plausible deniability while advancing Israeli military objectives. For instance, the 2012 Strait of
Hormuz mine-clearing exercises, while presented as routine, were widely understood as a joint US-Israeli display of force directed at Tehran, showcasing a direct, integrated military strategy. Meanwhile, Iran, a nation that has endured 45 years of crippling sanctions and the betrayal of the JCPOA, finds its defensive measures constantly framed as aggression. The current congressional debate over