'Kamala Harris wouldn't have done this': Ex-Biden advisor backs Trump's 'bold and courageous' Iran strike

Jamie Metzl, a former National Security Council official under President Bill Clinton and a former deputy staff director for Joe Biden in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Sunday publicly praised President Donald Trump for the US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities — calling the move bold and courageous.

"I served on the National Security Council under President Clinton. I was Joe Biden's Deputy Staff Director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I voted for Kamala Harris and have been a vocal critic of many dangerous and undemocratic actions taken by President Trump. But I'm not a blind tribalist and am perfectly comfortable praising President Trump for bold and courageous actions in support of America's core national interests, as he took last night," Metzl wrote on X.

The US military carried out coordinated strikes early Sunday on three Iranian nuclear sites — Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan — using over 75 precision-guided weapons, including 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine. He added: "Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction."

Metzl, commenting on the strike, added: "Iran has been at war with the United States for 46 years. Its regime has murdered thousands of American citizens. Its slogan 'death to America' was not window dressing but core ideology. It was racing toward a nuclear weapon with every intention of using it to threaten America, our allies, and the Middle East region as a whole."

He also made a pointed comparison with former Vice President Kamala Harris, stating: "Although I believe electing Kamala Harris would have been better for our democracy, society, and economy, as well as for helping the most vulnerable people in the United States and around the world, I also believe VP Harris would not have had the courage or fortitude to take such an essential step as the president took last night."

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike was focused solely on Iran's nuclear programme. "We devastated the Iranian nuclear programme, but it's worth noting the operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people," he said. "This mission was not, and has not, been about regime change."

The attack marks one of the most significant military escalations in the region since the start of the month, and comes amid growing concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions.