US-Iran tensions: What war powers does Trump have?
House Democrats are preparing a vote on a War PowersResolution to try to limit Trump's actions in Iran.
The US House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on a War Powers Resolution seeking to limit Trump's ability to act against Iran, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Sunday.
Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated dramatically last week after US President Donald Trump ordered the killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.
Iran promised to retaliate and delivered late on Wednesday with missile raids against two Iraqi bases housing US troops.
Trump had previously threatened to "fully strike back" if Iran attacked any US citizen or site belonging to the US. He has not publicly commented on Wednesday's raids, but a White House spokeswoman said he was consulting with his national security team.
"The United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner," Trump tweeted over the weekend. He also said the US had identified 52 Iranian targets the US could strike, including Iranian cultural sites, which could constitute a war crime if carried out.
Angered that they were not consulted before the killing ofSoleimani, House Democrats have planned a vote on a war powers resolution "to limit the president's military action regarding Iran" later this week.
Iranian guards outside the United Nations office in Tehran hold pictures of the late Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimaniduring a protest against his assassination with Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in an air attack at Baghdad airport.
Under the US Constitution, the authority to direct military action is divided between Congress and the president. Congress has the power to declare war while the president, as commander-in-chief, has the power to use the military to defend the US.
From the beginning, presidents and Congress have disputed over whether presidents have the constitutional authority to send forces into hostilities abroad without congressional authorization, according to a history of the law prepared by the CongressionalResearch Service.
Such disputes gave way to the War Powers Resolution - also known as the War Powers Act - which was enacted in 1973 about the veto of then-President Richard Nixon. Congress wanted to constrain Nixon's ability to further commit US forces to the unpopular Vietnam War.
The law sets out procedures for Congress and the president to follow when sending US forces into hostilities.
It requires the president to consult "in every possible instance" with Congress before sending troops into actual or imminent hostilities and then submit a report to Congress any time forces are deployed to conflicts or imminent conflict. The president must also report to Congress within 48 hours of forces being introduced to hostilities.
Once forces are committed, the resolution requires withdrawal within 60 days (90 days in some circumstances) unless Congress authorizes the use of force, or extends the time limit.
The US House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on a War Powers Resolution seeking to limit Trump's ability to act against Iran, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Sunday.
Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated dramatically last week after US President Donald Trump ordered the killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.
Iran promised to retaliate and delivered late on Wednesday with missile raids against two Iraqi bases housing US troops.
Trump had previously threatened to "fully strike back" if Iran attacked any US citizen or site belonging to the US. He has not publicly commented on Wednesday's raids, but a White House spokeswoman said he was consulting with his national security team.
"The United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner," Trump tweeted over the weekend. He also said the US had identified 52 Iranian targets the US could strike, including Iranian cultural sites, which could constitute a war crime if carried out.
Angered that they were not consulted before the killing ofSoleimani, House Democrats have planned a vote on a war powers resolution "to limit the president's military action regarding Iran" later this week.
Iranian guards outside the United Nations office in Tehran hold pictures of the late Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimaniduring a protest against his assassination with Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in an air attack at Baghdad airport.
Under the US Constitution, the authority to direct military action is divided between Congress and the president. Congress has the power to declare war while the president, as commander-in-chief, has the power to use the military to defend the US.
From the beginning, presidents and Congress have disputed over whether presidents have the constitutional authority to send forces into hostilities abroad without congressional authorization, according to a history of the law prepared by the CongressionalResearch Service.
Such disputes gave way to the War Powers Resolution - also known as the War Powers Act - which was enacted in 1973 about the veto of then-President Richard Nixon. Congress wanted to constrain Nixon's ability to further commit US forces to the unpopular Vietnam War.
The law sets out procedures for Congress and the president to follow when sending US forces into hostilities.
It requires the president to consult "in every possible instance" with Congress before sending troops into actual or imminent hostilities and then submit a report to Congress any time forces are deployed to conflicts or imminent conflict. The president must also report to Congress within 48 hours of forces being introduced to hostilities.
Once forces are committed, the resolution requires withdrawal within 60 days (90 days in some circumstances) unless Congress authorizes the use of force, or extends the time limit.
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