Marylanders take strong stances after US and Israel launch attack on Iran

Drivers honked and pedestrians applauded as they passed protesters lining East Pratt Street on Saturday afternoon, holding signs that said “Stop U.S. Israeli War on Iran.”

More than a dozen people gathered in Baltimore to express their outrage after waking up to the news the United States had bombed Iran. Among the protesters was Laura Climb, who had planned to take her two children to the park on the first warm day in the city. Instead, she stood holding a sign made by them that read “Make Art Not War.”

“It’s more important to show disapproval for a war that we’re not supposed to be having with a president who promised peace and no forever wars,” Climb said. “Maryland isn’t spared from deployment by any means.”

Meanwhile, hours after President Donald Trump worked with Israel in a bombing attack on Iran, The Associated Press reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among the hundreds killed in the operation.

Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement Saturday afternoon he was monitoring the military action, given Maryland has a “significant concentration of active-duty service members” who could be impacted.

“I have seen who pays the price when Washington rushes into conflict without clear objectives, a defined strategy and an honest explanation to the American people,” said Moore, who served in Afghanistan. “We can stand with the Iranian people who support the cause of democracy and freedom without risking another conflict that sends another generation of American troops into combat.”

Earlier in the morning, Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks came out firmly against the strikes in Iran, both calling for the Senate to immediately vote on the War Powers Resolution, which gives Congress the power to declare war or halt conflict.

Van Hollen said in a statement that Trump has launched an “illegal, regime-change war against Iran.”

“This is endangering American lives and has already resulted in mass civilian casualties,” he said. “This is not making us safer and only damages the U.S. and our interests.”

Alsobrooks said the “American people have no reason to trust this man with the lives of our sons and daughters.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin also called for House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring lawmakers back into session for a vote on the War Powers Resolution.

The Associated Press reported chaos and fear in Tehran and cities across Iran as the bombing began. Iran has started to retaliate against Israel and nearby U.S. military bases, according to the AP. Hundreds of civilian casualties have been reported by Iran’s state media.

Maryland’s lone Republican representative, Andy Harris, said on Wednesday ahead of the bombing that Congress should “let the president have at it for 60 days,” as is allowed by the War Powers Resolution before the president needs to go to Congress before continuing armed conflict.

“These are mortal enemies,” Harris said Wednesday. “This is the largest funder of terrorism in the world. They’re people who routinely chant ‘death to America.’ They are a real enemy.”

In a post to X on Saturday morning, Harris repeated a Trump administration motto: “Peace through Strength.”

The attacks have been anticipated for weeks as the Trump administration has made comments hinting at a bombing campaign against the Iranian regime. The administration’s strikes come after nationwide anti-government protests in Iran and its regime’s subsequent crackdown that killed thousands.

During the violence and media blackouts, Iranian Americans in Maryland said they heard very little, if at all, from their loved ones there.

Although the protests opened a door for Trump to respond, the United States and Israel have long been at odds with the Iranian regime and its nuclear program.

In a video posted to Truth Social overnight, Trump promised to go beyond targeting its weaponry and said the United States would “annihilate” the country’s military capabilities. He called on Iranians to “take over” their government.

Democratic Rep. Sarah Elfreth, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement there is “no doubt that Iran’s human rights violations and nuclear ambitions must be confronted.” But she added Trump’s attacks lack “clarity, legal justification, or consultation of Congress.”

“I’m thinking of our men and women in uniform who deserve clear answers and strategy, the American people who deserve assurance that we are not entering another forever war, and the Iranian people who deserve self-determination,” Elfreth said.

Mayor Brandon Scott called Trump “a liar and a chaos agent” on X following the attacks.

“He’s never been anti-war or pro-public safety,” Scott said. “He’s choosing to cause violence in our city streets and across the globe, because he’s failing on his promises to bring down prices and invest in communities.”

Down the street from City Hall where activists were holding anti-war signs and handing out flyers, a group of people stopped their car, rolled down the window and repeatedly yelled, “That’s right!” A few passing semitruck drivers joined the chorus of honks and sounded off their loud horns.

Veterans and local activists Bobby LaPin and Buzz Grambo attended the protest. Grambo said the strikes seem like the beginning to “another endless war in the Middle East.”

LaPin, who is running to take Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson’s seat in June, said politicians “should concentrate more on making life affordable in America for Americans and concentrate less on dropping bombs on other poor people.”

Banner reporter Brenda Wintrode contributed to this article.