American Forces Hit Sites in Iran; Tehran Claims Retaliation
American military aircraft carried out strikes against multiple Iranian sites over the weekend, including targets on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the U.S. military. Iranian officials announced Monday morning that their forces had responded by launching an attack against a U.S. military base.
Despite the escalating exchange, President Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran “really wants to make a deal,” urging the American public to “just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end.”
The conflict in the region is further complicated by ongoing fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces advanced over the weekend to seize a 900-year-old hilltop castle in the country’s south — part of what analysts describe as Israel’s deepest military penetration into Lebanon in several decades. Israel says Hezbollah was using the area to launch attacks into northern Israel. Iranian officials have issued near-daily statements backing Hezbollah and are pressing for any peace framework to address both the Iran and Lebanon conflicts simultaneously. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled he intends to press forward in Lebanon regardless.
Congress Returns to Unfinished Business Over Immigration Funding
Lawmakers returned to Washington after the Memorial Day recess without having resolved a funding dispute that has stalled immigration enforcement legislation covering the remainder of President Trump’s term. The central source of conflict is a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund the administration established through a legal settlement.
The fund originated from Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. The administration says the fund would allow the Department of Justice to compensate individuals who allege they were improperly targeted by the federal government. Critics, including some Republicans, have raised concerns that the payments could flow to participants in the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach.
A key point of contention is procedural: members of both parties have argued that the president acted outside his authority by allocating the money unilaterally, given that Congress holds constitutional power over government spending. When Democratic amendments designed to put Republican lawmakers on record regarding the fund appeared poised to attract roughly 30 Republican votes, House GOP leaders delayed action on the broader immigration package rather than risk an embarrassing defection.
Courts Add Pressure to the Anti-Weaponization Fund
The fund is also facing mounting legal resistance. A federal judge in Virginia has temporarily blocked the DOJ from establishing it. Separately, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams — who originally dismissed the IRS lawsuit after the settlement was reached — has announced she will reopen her review of the case.
Adding further pressure, a coalition of 35 retired federal judges filed a motion arguing that Trump’s original lawsuit against the IRS amounted to a fraud on the court. Their reasoning: because the president oversees the IRS as the head of the executive branch, Trump effectively served as both plaintiff and defendant in his own case. Judge Williams has set a June 12 deadline for Trump’s legal team to respond.
By the Numbers
- $1.8 billion — size of the contested anti-weaponization fund
- ~30 — estimated number of Republican votes that could have supported an amendment to prohibit the fund
- 35 — retired federal judges who joined the legal motion challenging the fund’s origins
- June 12 — deadline for the Trump administration to respond to the court challenge
- 900 years old — age of the Lebanese hilltop castle seized by Israeli forces over the weekend
Broader Context
The military exchange with Iran comes amid sustained regional volatility linked to the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The administration’s simultaneous diplomatic posture — signaling openness to a deal while conducting military strikes — reflects a pattern of dual-track pressure seen in prior U.S. engagements in the Middle East.
On the domestic front, the legal and legislative battles over executive spending authority echo broader disputes about the scope of presidential power during Trump’s second term, including friction over how federal funds are allocated and overseen without explicit congressional authorization.
What’s Next
The June 12 court deadline will be a key marker for the administration’s defense of the anti-weaponization fund. Congressional leaders face continued pressure to advance immigration enforcement funding while managing internal Republican dissent over the fund. On the international front, diplomatic signals from Tehran will be closely watched following the weekend exchange of strikes.