FLASH
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Democrats and Republicans unite against the president's plans...
As the crisis in the Middle East deepens and the clash between Israel and Iran heads for an escalation with global consequences, a vital debate is taking place in the United States: does President Donald Trump have the authority to involve America in war without Congressional approval?
The US president has convened the National Security Council and is considering sending military forces to Iran, while his statements on Social Truth are increasingly aggressive. But a clear legal barrier stands in the way of any unilateral decision: the US Constitution.
According to Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, it is Congress that has the “power to declare war.” The President, as Article II, Section 2 states, is Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, but his role is operational, not legislative. He has no right to initiate a new war without the consent of Congress, except in special cases of self-defense or emergency.
That is precisely the gist of the bipartisan resolution introduced in Congress to bar Trump from taking military action against Iran without specific authorization. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, along with prominent Democratic figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have emphasized that “the war between Israel and Iran is not our war” and that any American involvement must go through a legislative process.
"The Constitution does not allow the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that has not attacked the United States," Massie declared, reinforcing the argument that decision-making on such a conflict belongs solely to Congress.
Even Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders has been clear: "It is Congress that determines whether we go to war, not the president." He warned that any military action by Trump against Iran, without Congressional approval, would be not only politically dangerous, but legally illegal.
However, the political reality is more complex. In the past, US presidents have taken military action without a formal declaration of war – including airstrikes, limited operations and strikes on specific targets, relying on previous authorization for the use of force (AUMF) acts or on expedient justifications.
But in the case of Iran, there is no active authorization covering this type of intervention. Moreover, engaging in such a conflict in support of Israel and striking a sovereign state with which the United States is not at war would set a dangerous precedent and potentially violate constitutional principles.
To sum up: Trump has no constitutional authority to wage war on Iran without congressional approval. Any such action would cause severe institutional friction, domestic political risk, and fuel deep intra-partisan divisions at a time when America is facing a historic challenge on the international stage.
If Trump chooses the path of force without a parliamentary vote, then the conflict with Iran could open a new crisis, not only in the Middle East, but at the heart of American democracy. / Prepared by "Pamphlet"
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