Trump launches Iran military operation amid Congress authority questions

president Donald TrumpThe US President’s announcement on Saturday that the US military had begun a major combat operation in Iran was met with immediate questions about whether the President had inappropriately bypassed Congress, which has the sole authority to declare war under the Constitution.

Trump described the joint operation with Israel to eliminate Iranian leaders and eliminate Iranian weapons supplies as an act of “war,” highlighting the 1973 War Powers Resolution and the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force. Experts say these laws and case law have given Trump the authority to override legislative authority and attack Iran right now.

“Courts have allowed presidents to order such attacks unilaterally…. There has historically been deference to presidents exercising such judgments under international law.” [War Powers Resolution’s] Fuzzy standard,” George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley he wrote in an op-ed. “This was certainly the case for the attacks in Bosnia and Libya under Democratic presidents.”

A screenshot from a video released by the White House showing President Donald Trump making remarks regarding combat operations over Iran on February 28, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida. (US President Trump via Truth Social/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The War Powers Resolution requires the President to consult Congress within 48 hours of a military attack and to cease operations within 60 days if Congress He did not vote for them. Turley noted that Congress could still assert control over what the Pentagon calls “Operation Epic Fury” sooner if it wanted to.

“Congress could seek to ban or restrict operations in the coming days,” Turley wrote. “Given the volatile events, many members will likely wait to see preliminary results and, frankly, polls on the attacks. … As the process continues, calls for congressional action are likely to grow.”

Former official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gabriel NoronhaHe, who has advised on Iran, said in a lengthy post Noronha said that, unlike other iterations of the AUMF, the 2001 version of the law was never repealed and “explicitly authorizes the use of force against any nation, organization, or person who planned the September 11 attacks or harbored such organizations or persons.”

“Congress has 25 years to limit the scope of the 2001 AUMF,” Noronha wrote. “Instead, I consciously decided to preserve the president’s rights under the law to pursue international terrorists until the end of the world,” he added.

Congressional leaders are depicted side by side; House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., John Thune, R-S.D., left, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Trump said in a statement early Saturday morning that Operation Epic Fury was a “noble mission” and that service members could be killed, explicitly using the term “war.”

Trump said: “The lives of brave American heroes may be lost, and we may fall victim. This often happens in war.”

Some have suggested that in planning the operation, Israel and the United States deliberately delegated responsibilities to avoid legal landmines.

A US official told Fox News that the Israeli military is targeting Iranian leadership, while the US is targeting missile sites that pose an “imminent threat,” not Iranian leadership. Amos Yadlin, a retired Israeli Air Force general, told Fox News that Israel carried out a strike on the Iranian leadership because of decades-old US laws that restrict the targeting of heads of state.

America strikes Iran again – has Washington planned for what comes next?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his conversation with US President Donald Trump. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Meanwhile, the White House made clear that it took Congress into account in the planning. Minister of State Marco Rubio He briefed the “Gang of Eight,” which includes Democratic and Republican congressional leaders and top lawmakers on the intelligence committees, ahead of the action. Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt said Rubio called the eight-member gang, gave them a heads-up about the timing and reached out to all but one of them. Once the strikes began Saturday morning, the Pentagon also briefed Armed Services committees.

Republican lawmakers reacted largely by supporting Trump, while Democrats criticized. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y.He said in a statement that absent “exigent circumstances,” Trump needs Congress to approve an “act of war.”

“The Trump administration must immediately explain its position to the American people and Congress, provide a stark justification for this act of war, clearly define the national security objective, and develop a plan to avoid another costly and protracted military quagmire in the Middle East,” Jeffries said.

Republican Senator John Thune praised the president, noting Iran’s “unrelenting nuclear ambitions” and its refusal to engage in diplomacy.

Some non-interventionist GOP lawmakers spoke out against the measures. Sin. Rand PaulThe Kentucky Republican said the Constitution gives Congress the power to authorize war “for cause, to make war less likely.”

Click here to download the FOX NEWS app

Paul quoted President James Madison as saying: “The executive power is the power most vulnerable to war, and so the Constitution has, with deliberate care, delegated the power of war to the legislature.”

A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said they plan to hold an upcoming vote on a war powers resolution that would prevent U.S. action in Iran without congressional approval. Previous attempts to pass the same bill in this Congress failed after Trump launched targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Fox News’ Jane Griffin and Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.

Related article