The United States Senate has voted down a resolution aimed at restraining President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran, dealing a significant blow to lawmakers seeking to reassert Congress’s authority over matters of war.
In a procedural vote late Wednesday, the measure failed 47-52. The outcome underscores strong Republican backing for Trump’s actions and marks another setback for those attempting to limit the president’s use of force abroad.
A similar war powers resolution is expected to face a vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday, although it too appears unlikely to succeed.
Lawmakers Clash Over Constitutional Authority
Throughout the day, senators engaged in a heated debate over whether Congress should intervene to authorise, or potentially halt, the president’s military operations against Iran.
Backers of the resolution argued that Trump overstepped his constitutional bounds by launching attacks in coordination with Israel. Under Article II of the US Constitution, the president may initiate military action only in self-defence against an imminent threat. The authority to declare war, they stressed, rests solely with Congress.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Senator Tim Kaine said the administration had failed to demonstrate that the United States faced an immediate danger.
“Even in a classified setting,” Kaine said, the Trump administration could produce no evidence, none that the US was under an imminent threat of attack from Iran”.
He rejected characterisations of the military action as limited or isolated.
“You can’t stand up and say: This is a pinprick that doesn’t lead to the level that would be characterised as war,” he said. “You can’t stand up and say: This is one and done, and no troops are engaged in hostilities against Iran.”
Israel and Iran Trade Fresh Blows
As Washington debated constitutional powers, the conflict in the Middle East showed no sign of easing.
The Israel Defence Forces launched a renewed wave of strikes on Tehran late Wednesday and into Thursday morning. Multiple explosions were reported across the Iranian capital, with attacks also targeting military headquarters and political centres in other cities.
According to Iran’s Health Ministry, more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in recent strikes, with over 6,000 others injured.
Tehran responded with counterattacks, including strikes targeting Ben Gurion Airport and other key infrastructure in Israel.
In statements carried by state media, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said retaliatory operations were continuing, describing the latest assaults as the 17th and 18th waves of attacks. The force claimed it had targeted Israel’s main international airport as well as advanced radar systems.
The Israeli military said Iran had launched a new round of missile strikes. In a post on X, it stated that its Iron Dome air defence system was operating “to intercept the threat”.
