'May the gates of hell open': MAGA lawmaker cheers Iran war escalation as bodies pile up

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) championed the United States’ most recent wave of strikes on Iran Saturday, urging the Trump administration to escalate the war further and unleash “the gates of hell” on the Middle East nation.

“I am heartbroken and overwhelmed with gratitude to the soldiers and their families who sacrificed to protect America from the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon,” Fine wrote Saturday in a social media post on X. “We must avenge them. May the gates of hell open to the evil in Iran. Bombs away.”

U.S. Central Command revealed Saturday evening that the United States had launched a new wave of strikes on Iran in retaliation for Iranian strikes on the U.S. Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, strikes that killed at least two U.S. service members.

Fine has long championed U.S. aggression toward Iran and is among the most pro-Israel lawmakers in Congress, having embraced his moniker “The Hebrew Hammer.” He’s received scrutiny for his rhetoric, with critics labeling it as “racist” and “genocidal,” particularly when directed at Palestinians.

For instance, last year Fine said Gazans should ‘starve away’ until all Israeli hostages were returned, a remark made in response to reports about rising famine deaths of Gazans amid Israel’s aid blockade. In 2021, in response to a social media user who shared a photo of what appeared to be a Gazan infant buried in rubble with the question “how do you sleep at night,” Fine responded “quite well, actually,” and “thanks for the pic!”

Amid the Iran war escalations, Trump was reportedly spotted at his golf club in New Jersey, sparking a chorus of criticism from critics.