The U.S. Senate on Friday rejected a Democratic-led resolution aimed at blocking President Donald Trump from using further military force against Iran.
The war powers resolution failed 53-47, falling largely along party lines. Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman joined Republicans in opposing the measure, while Kentucky Republican Rand Paul voted with Democrats in support.
The vote came hours after Trump signaled he might consider additional bombing against Iran. Earlier that day, Trump sharply criticized Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, abandoned plans to lift sanctions, and warned he could order new strikes if Iran’s uranium enrichment reached concerning levels. These comments followed Khamenei’s first remarks after a 12-day conflict with Israel, which ended when the U.S. conducted airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Senator Tim Kaine, the resolution’s chief sponsor, has long sought to reclaim Congress’s constitutional authority to declare war from presidents of both parties. Kaine emphasized that the Constitution grants Congress—not the president—the exclusive power to authorize military action.
“If you believe the president should seek Congress’s approval, whether you support or oppose war with Iran, you should back Senate Joint Resolution 59,” Kaine said before the vote.
Lawmakers have demanded more details on the recent U.S. strikes and the status of Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. National security officials briefed Congress in classified sessions on Thursday and Friday, but many Democrats remained unconvinced that the nuclear facilities had been “obliterated,” as Trump claimed.
Senator Bill Hagerty, a Tennessee Republican and former U.S. ambassador to Japan, argued that the resolution could hinder the president’s ability to act swiftly in a crisis involving a longstanding adversary.
“We must not shackle our president in the middle of a crisis when lives are on the line,” Hagerty said.
Trump dismissed suggestions that the damage to Iran’s nuclear program was overstated. Iran maintains its nuclear activities are for peaceful energy purposes.
Under U.S. law, war powers resolutions receive expedited consideration in the Senate. Opponents of the resolution argued that the recent strike was a limited, authorized military action, not the start of sustained hostilities requiring congressional approval.
