Word broke over the weekend that U.S. and Israeli forces launched massive air strikes against Iran, killing the Ayatollah Khameini and several of his family members in the process.

I have been trying like the dickens to wrap my arms around what this means to patriots like you and me.

As an American patriot, I applaud Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu for ordering the strikes on Iran. The ayatollah was a seriously bad man and he needed to be taken out by whatever means necessary. Now, though, come the questions. They are plentiful and they need serious answers.

Presidents cannot declare war unilaterally. The Constitution says Congress must approve any presidential request to go to war. Trump reportedly didn’t consult with anyone on Capitol Hill before launching the attacks on Iran.

Trump won the 2024 election partly by declaring he would end “the endless wars” this nation has fought since 9/11. Have we just committed our sons and daughters in uniform to another endless conflict?

Do we intend to seek a change in regimes in Tehran? The Iranians today reportedly are in a state of confusion over the future of the Islamic Revolution.

Trump seems to have adopted a cavalier attitude about his decision to put our warriors in harm’s way. He is conducting war policy from — gulp! — his golf resort in south Florida. The Situation Room in the White House? Who needs it? Not the current president … apparently!

Iran is no cupcake pushover. It is a country of 90 million people who have lived under the repressive heels of the radicals who stormed to power in 1979 when the shah was tossed out. Khameini’s death was met with joyous celebrations in the United States and across Europe. He had killed thousands of Iranians who had protested their government’s heavy hand.

Now he’s dead and the time has arrived for the president to speak to Americans and explain what the hell he’s going to do now. I know this is a tall order for Donald Trump but — for God’s sake — tell us the truth.