‘Deeply personal:’ Central Florida leaders react to news of military strikes on Iran

ORLANDO, Fla. – Central Florida leaders offered sharply different reactions Saturday after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran’s capital, responding to the escalating conflict with a mix of praise and criticism.

During the strikes, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, throwing the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability.

Congressman Cory Mills said in part on social media that “Operation Epic Fury was a direct, deliberate action ordered by President Trump to protect American interests and send an unmistakable message to one of the world’s most dangerous regimes.”

However, Congressman Maxwell Frost said that “Congress must reconvene immediately to vote on a War Powers Resolution to stop Trump’s illegal and dangerous war.”

Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando native and UCF graduate, who became the first Iranian-American to hold any elected office in Florida in 2018 also released a statement that can be read in full below:

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a brutal and repressive regime. For 47 years, it has imprisoned, tortured, executed, silenced, and massacred its own people. I have no sympathy for the Ayatollah, regime officials, or security forces responsible for that violence, and their deaths are a celebration for so many Iranians.

As an Iranian American, this is deeply personal. I carry the stories of family, friends, and generations whose futures were stolen by this regime. Loving the country of Iran has always meant grieving what the Islamic Republic has done to it. And for many in the diaspora, myself included, this moment is layered with hope, fear, and uncertainty.

At the same time, as an elected official entrusted with serving the American people here in Florida, I am deeply concerned about the consequences of prolonged U.S. military involvement. We know from history that wars can expand quickly, destabilize entire regions, cost even more civilian lives, and put our service members at risk. At least 108 people — including children — have died in an explosion at a school in southern Iran already.

I am inspired every day by the bravery of the Iranian people. They deserve freedom and self-determination. That future must ultimately be shaped by them, not dictated by a repressive government or engineered through indefinite foreign intervention. My focus will continue to be on lifting the voices of the people in Iran, on protecting civilians who are not responsible for this regime, and on the safety of American service members who deserve clarity equal to the stakes of this moment.

Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani

And Congressman Randy Fine, a supporter of Trump, posted on X “We are with you, Mr. President. We will cut off the head of the snake of Muslim terror, Bring lasting peace to the Middle East, And save the Iranian People. Bombs away.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.