Democratic representative Yassamin Ansari has sharply condemned Donald Trump over the war in Iran, calling him an “evil human being” who “wants to be an emperor” and arguing that he should be removed from office.
Ansari, an Iranian American member of the US Congress, spoke to the Guardian after Trump threatened to wipe out Iran’s civilisation before later backing down and announcing an uncertain two-week ceasefire.
The Arizona lawmaker, whose parents fled Iran decades ago to escape the regime, said the conflict has only made the Iranian government more entrenched. She argued that the war has strengthened the very forces it was meant to confront.
Her comments add to growing political backlash over Trump’s handling of the crisis and the language he has used in public remarks about Iran. Ansari’s criticism was especially pointed because of her family’s background and her direct connection to the consequences of Iranian state repression.
In the interview, Ansari framed the conflict as both a foreign policy failure and a dangerous escalation with wider consequences. Her remarks reflect concern among some lawmakers that Trump’s approach could deepen instability rather than resolve it.
Trump’s threat to obliterate Iran’s civilisation, followed by the announcement of a two-week ceasefire whose terms remain unclear, has left the situation uncertain. Ansari said that, in her view, the president’s conduct in the crisis underscored the need for his removal from office.
The dispute comes as the war continues to dominate attention in Washington, with Democrats and critics of the administration questioning the president’s judgment and the implications of his rhetoric. For Ansari, the issue is also personal: her family history, she said, gives her a clear view of what Iranian people have already endured under the regime.
She said the war has not weakened Iran’s rulers but instead further embedded their power, a result she sees as deeply harmful for both the Iranian people and US policy goals.
Ansari’s intervention places her among the most forceful congressional critics of Trump’s handling of Iran, and her remarks are likely to fuel further debate over the administration’s strategy and the direction of the conflict.
The Guardian reported that Ansari spoke after Trump’s latest remarks and after the president’s reversal from his earlier threat. The ceasefire now leaves important questions unresolved, while political pressure in the US continues to build.
As the fallout from the war continues, Ansari’s condemnation stands out for its bluntness and for the personal history behind it. She has made clear that, in her view, Trump’s conduct in the crisis is not only reckless but disqualifying.
