House Votes to Limit Trump's Iran War Powers as Senate Backs President

The US House of Representatives voted to curb President Donald Trump's ability to launch military action against Iran without congressional approval, setting up a sharp constitutional clash between the two chambers over war-making authority. The measure reflects growing unease among lawmakers — including some Republicans — over the prospect of a unilateral executive strike on Iran as diplomatic tensions with Tehran remain elevated.

The Senate, however, lined up behind the president, rejecting the effort to constrain his war powers and signaling that the upper chamber views the commander-in-chief's executive authority over military decisions as intact. The split between the two chambers means the restriction is unlikely to become law in its current form, leaving Trump with broad latitude to act.

Read more US Senate Blocks Bid to Limit Trump's Iran War Powers →

The dueling votes reignite a long-running debate in Washington over the limits of presidential war powers — a debate that has intensified under multiple administrations since Congress last formally declared war decades ago. Critics of unchecked executive authority argue that the Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war, while the White House and its Senate allies maintain that the president requires flexibility to respond swiftly to national security threats.

The House action underscores bipartisan anxiety about the potential for military escalation with Iran at a moment when both countries are engaged in sensitive nuclear diplomacy. Whether the House will pursue further legislative avenues to assert oversight — or whether the Senate's backing of Trump effectively closes the door on this particular effort — remains to be seen in the coming weeks.

Continue reading at Reuters.