By Bella Mitchell, Kade Thomas and Morgan Huizar
As headlines flash across screens, many Americans are trying to piece together what is happening between the United States and Iran.
The United States launched military offensive strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, bombing over 1,000 targets.
President Donald Trump stated on Truth Social Iran’s “menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world.”
The University of Incarnate Word’s Head of the Department of Political Science Dr. Lydia Andrade explains how it may look like we are at war, but nothing is official yet.
“Were not technically at war because Congress has not declared war,” she explained.
The last time the US formally declared war was World War II, despite conflicts with Vietnam and Iraq.
“The president is not authorized to engage us in war without congressional approval,” Andrade said. “The president is permitted to, as commander in chief, to send troops places. He has conducted military strikes, and so we’re waiting for congressional approval. He has not asked for it, so whether we’re gonna go through that formal process or not is unclear.”
Carlos Acosta Castro is a doctoral student at UIW and an army veteran with over 17 years of service. He says it’s technically not a war yet, but once boots touch ground in the Middle East, things could escalate.
“Once we have boots on the ground, then it’s going to be a war,” Castro said. “For a strategic strike, the president does not need Congress’s approval for that. President Clinton did it, George Bush did it [and] Barack Obama did it. So it’s always a precedent that for strategic strikes, you don’t need Congressional approval.”
One of Andrade’s most pressing concerns is not just military actions, but the lack of direct communication from the administration.
“The president has yet to speak to the American public and tell us why this military action was necessary and particularly why at this moment,” Andrade said.
Hours after Andrade spoke to The Logos, Trump addressed his reasoning for attacking Iran on March 2. He states their plan was to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities and prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Trump claims the conflict will last about four to five weeks.
UIW students express major concerns with the conflicts in the Middle East. Communication Arts senior McKenna Moczygemba, 21, said much of what she has seen online feels emotionally charged and difficult to fully understand.
“I see a lot of rage bait about it, so I feel like my understanding is very surface level,” Moczygemba said. “I know about the bombings and everything that’s happening, but I wouldn’t say I know the cause of it specifically.”
Cardinal football defensive back Patrick Bastiste, 20, said he has struggled to determine what information to believe.
“I’ve heard very conflicting stories on both sides about what people believe, and I think it’s kind of like a personal preference of what you believe in,” he said.
Despite the uncertainty, Bastiste said he is not personally fearful of the conflict escalating.
“I’m not scared because at the end of the day we all have to die someday, so you might as well just think of the positives and not the negatives,” he said.
Beyond the lack of explanation, Andrade stressed the importance of defining the mission itself.
“The other question that we need to think about is what’s our objective? What are we hoping to accomplish?” Andrade said. “Knowing what we hope to accomplish dramatically affects how long we might be engaged in this conflict.”
Andrade remembers a time during Trump’s presidential campaign when he stated there wouldn’t be any more forever wars. “He was referring to Iraq and Afghanistan, both of those conflicts became very long wars because we were attempting to rebuild a nation, not just eliminate a political leader, or not just blow up ammunition.”
Andrade believes the conflict could escalate significantly soon because of the bomb strikes, but states Iran doesn’t have the military capabilities to attack US land.
“Iran does not have the capability to send a missile from Iran all the way to the United States, but what they do have the ability to do is hit US military bases in all the countries surrounding Iran,” Andrade said.
The first US casualties came from a civilian port in Kuwait on March 1, following the US-Israel missile strike that killed the Supreme Leader of Iran for 36 years, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Six US soldiers were killed by Iranian drone strikes, with the youngest being 20-year-old Sgt. Declan Coady.
General Business student Chase Odell, 21, doesn’t support a full scale war, but belives its needed to protect other countries, including the United States.
“I’m very supportive of precision strikes on Iran,” Odell said. “I think it’s more defensive to prevent something bigger because [Iran] can never have nukes.”
Other than military implications, Andrade stressed the economic stakes the US may feel.
“The Middle East is the largest deposit of oil reserves on the globe,” Andrade said. “If something were to happen that reduces the oil supply coming out of the Middle East, every economy on the planet is dramatically and negatively affected.”
As the situation evolves, her message to the American public is one of awareness and critical questioning.
“We need to know what’s happening… and we need to know why,” Andrade said.
