Colorado’s congressional delegation split sharply along party lines Saturday after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, triggering a fresh debate in America over presidential war powers.

Trump announced early Saturday morning that U.S and Israeli forces had begun “Operation Epic Fury” after multiple explosions were reported around Iran. Later in the day, the president said that Iran’s leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed. Iranian state media also confirmed Khamenei’s death.

Both sides of the political aisle agree that Iran — one official called the country a “terrorist state” — should never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. But Democrats and Republicans clashed over the latest operations, just as they did when U.S. pilots dropped 30,000-pound bombs on key underground uranium enrichment plants in Iran last July.

Republicans, notably U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, called Saturday’s attack a necessary move to counter Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional aggression. Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Jason Crow and U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, condemned the action as unauthorized and warned it risks drawing America into a prolonged conflict.

“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has terrorized its own people and supported terrorist groups that killed Americans and our allies,” Evans, a veteran, said in a statement. “Repeated efforts from the U.S. to negotiate in good faith and halt the expansion of Iran’s nuclear weapons program were met with deception and defiance, as the radical regime rejected every opportunity for peace.

Evans stressed that the operations are a “necessary step to eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapon capabilities, eliminate imminent threats to the United States and our allies, and defend our core national security interests.”

U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd, a Republican, echoed that message.

“Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. The regime has American blood on its hands, has oppressed its own people for decades, and continues to threaten our allies and destabilize an already dangerous region,” he said, adding a nuclear armed Iran is “not an option.”

“Preventing that outcome is a clear national security imperative for the United States. I support President Trump’s decision to take decisive action to hold the Iranian regime accountable and to degrade its ability to threaten Americans and our allies. When American lives and security are at risk, we must be clear eyed and strong,” he said, adding, “Peace is best preserved through strength and resolve.”

Upon learning of Khamenei’s death, Hurd said it means the “end of a brutal chapter in a regime that has spent decades chanting ‘Death to America,’ funding terrorist networks, murdering dissidents, spreading antisemitism, and targeting our allies. This was not a misunderstood government. It was the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.”

On X, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert said she’s praying for the “safety for our service members and wisdom for our leaders.”

Crow, a former Army Ranger, condemned the military operation.

“Trump is plunging us into another war in the Middle East,” Crow said in a statement. “He’s learned nothing from decades of failed conflicts. It’s a war of choice with no clear end game, no authorization from Congress, and little support from Americans.”

U.S. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, said Trump has launched the U.S. into a war with Iran with no authorization from Congress.

“Only Congress has the power to declare war, not the President. Iran is a terrorist state that can never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, which is why I supported tough economic and diplomatic measures that effectively constrained Tehran’s nuclear ambitions for years,” Bennet said in a statement.

“As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I have seen no new intelligence or information suggesting that Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon had become more imminent, as the administration suggested,” he added.

On X, Hickenlooper said, “By failing to consult Congress, he operates without an articulated goal, strategy, or endgame. This unilateral action ignores most Americans’ desire to avoid endless foreign wars.”

Hickenlooper suggested that Trump’s sending American troops into battle is a tactic to distract from the hotly debated immigration operations and the Epstein files at home.

Crow said Congress should” return to Washington immediately to vote on the War Powers Resolution and ensure the safety of our servicemembers.”

In a statement via X, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette also called the Trump administration’s decision “illegal.”

“During his State of the Union address earlier this week, President Trump made no attempt to explain why he felt military action was necessary at this time. This is why Congressional authorization is urgently needed,” she said.

While most Democrats criticized the attacks on Iran, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-PA, lauded Trump‘s action on X.

“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” Fetterman said on X. “God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel.”

In an eight-minute speech following the start of the military action, Trump spoke to the American people in a televised speech.

“Iran is the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror, and just recently killed tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they protested,” he said. “It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon.”

He added, “I’ll say it again, they can never have a nuclear weapon. That is why in Operation Midnight Hammer last June, we obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. After that attack, we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried. They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. Again, they wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. They didn’t know what was happening. They just wanted to practice evil. But Iran refused, just as it has for decades and decades.”

With combat operations expected to last days or longer, Trump said there is a possibility of military casualties for both the United States and Israel.

The Associated Press and Washington Examiner contributed to this report. This is a developing story.