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Minnesotans with Middle East ties react with hope, fear over Iran strikes

How some Minnesotans are reacting to U.S. launching strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities
How some Minnesotans are reacting to U.S. launching strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities 02:41

Minnesotans with ties to the Middle East are reacting after President Trump's announcement that the United States launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. 

Pentagon officials are calling the actions "the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history." The president described the strikes as a "spectacular military success" in a televised address Saturday night.

That same evening, Gov. Tim Walz announced on social media he's placed the state's public safety teams "on heightened alert for potential threats."

"While there's no known threats at this time, we'll continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly," Walz said.

Steve Hunegs, executive director for the Jewish Community Relations Council in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, said the attacks are justified.  

cbsn-fusion-world-awaits-iran-response-us-bombs-iran-nuclear-sites-trump-regime-change-thumbnail.jpg
A B-2 Spirit bomber. CBS News

"We're hopefully headed towards a more secure and safe Middle East," said Hunegs. "Democrats and Republicans agree on this. They all are deeply concerned about the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, starting with Iran."

The airstrikes hit home for Fazy Kowsari, one of the founders of the Minnesota Committee in Support of a Democratic Iran. Kowsari said his feelings on military action are mixed.

"Mixture of hope and kind of scared the same time," said Kowsari. "We knew that it's going to happen one day, sooner or later."

Kowsari was last in Iran 20 years ago. He now lives with his wife in Maple Grove. Between the two of them, they have several family members, including Kowsari's dad Ahmad Kowsari, who live in Iran. So far, all family members are safe, Kowsari said.

Kowsari said the Islamic Republic of Iran frequently cuts the country's internet service, stifling communications with loved ones.

While Kowsari said war is not the solution, he's hoping the recent military action sparks some sort of change, remaining hopeful, someday, for an overthrow of an oppressive Islamic regime.

"We want to send this message to Iranian people to the greater community that this is not our war, we are victims of this war," said Kowsari. "We are prisoners in that country."  

Israel Attacks Iran's State Television
An interior view of the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) in Iran's state television compound, which is destroyed in Israeli strikes during the war with Iran in northern Tehran, Iran, on June 19, 2025. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Aftermath of Iran's strike on Israel
A girl carries a doll at an impact site following an Iranian missile attack on Israel, in Haifa, Israel, June 22, 2025. Florion Goga/REUTERS

Reactions from Minnesota leaders fall along party lines

Minnesota's two Democratic U.S. senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, are in agreement on both the dire threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, and that Mr. Trump violated the Constitution by not consulting Congress before the attacks.

"For the moment, our first priority must be to protect our troops and other Americans in the region whose safety may now be in jeopardy," Klobuchar said on social media.

Smith said the president must re-open diplomatic channels with Iran.

"[The president's] actions risk escalating this conflict in dangerous ways, and it is his responsibility to protect the tens of thousands of U.S. troops in the region and the United States' vital interests," Smith said on social media.

U.S. Congressman Pete Stauber, R-Duluth, summed up Mr. Trump's offensive as "peace through strength."

"Iran has been wanting to eliminate the United States and Israel for decades. President Trump's decision to surgically remove this threat was decisive leadership with the power of our extraordinary military force!" Stauber said on social media.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Delano, said Mr. Trump "has been consistent" on Iran's nuclear threat.

"[The president] was right then, and he is right today: NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE," Emmer said in a social media post.  

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Anti-war protesters gather in downtown Minneapolis on June 19, 2025. WCCO

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, D-Minneapolis, said in a social media post Americans are "tired of endless war," and the president's strikes "mark a dangerous and reckless escalation of an already volatile conflict in the Middle East."

Congresswoman Betty McCollum, D-St. Paul, said she was "shocked" by Mr. Trump's unauthorized strikes, calling on him to give "an immediate explanation to the American people."

Congresswoman Kelly Morrison, D-Wayzata, echoed McCollum in her outage over Mr. Trump's executive overreach.

"The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to declare war," Morrison wrote on social media. "This was unauthorized, unconstitutional, and puts our service members and the American people at risk. We need answers."

Congresswoman Angie Craig, D-Prior Lake, says the country's top priority must now be protecting its citizens and allies abroad.

"Like many Minnesotans, I believe we must avoid another costly war in the Middle East that will risk American lives," Craig wrote on social media. 

Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach, R-Regal, and Congressman Brad Finstad, R-New Ulm, had not made public statements on the bombings as of Monday morning.

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