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On March 4, the US Senate voted down a bid to restrict Donald Trump's power over the military regarding actions in Iran. Trump, who has been using the Presidential power of ‘Supreme Commander' to control the US military directly, has been criticized by human rights experts across the globe for what they call ‘illegal military actions'. The bipartisan resolution aimed to restrict Trump was voted down 52-47 in the 100-member Senate chamber. The resolution, brought forward by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va, was supported by the majority of Democrats, and just a handful of Republicans.
Resolution to restrict
The resolution was brought forward by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. Kaine, who served as the governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, has been a member of the US Senate since 2013. The resolution aimed to direct the removal of US troops from Iran. According to US law, only Congress has the right to declare the United States in a state of war, not the President. While the world is calling it the Iran war, Donald Trump has mostly avoided the word. Technically, he has not claimed to be at war with Iran, instead using terms like ‘military operations' and ‘major combat operations', though he has used the word ‘war' in multiple press scrums while on the topic of Iran. For a president known for melodrama and rambling rants, his avoidance of the word ‘war' seems surprisingly strategic.
Sen. Kaine had a spirited speech before lawmakers voted on the bill, attempting to stir his coworkers on the other side of the aisle. At the end of the speech, Kaine shouted, “Members of the Senate, this is war!” Kaine claimed that these actions were at the very least ‘pinpricks' that would inevitably lead to an all-out war. Iran, Israel, and Iranian-funded Hezbollah based in Lebanon have all claimed they are prepared for a full-scale war.
Details of the resolution
The bipartisan resolution released five findings cited as evidence for the need to remove troops from Iran. According to the US lawmakers, Trump's actions in Iran are actions of war, and Trump is unable to order the attacks unless Congress has declared a state of war. The resolution clarifies that the President only has the constitutional power to conduct military actions to defend the United States from attack, not to conduct aggressive offensive actions. The resolution tried to implement the War Measures Resolution from 1973. According to the resolution, the President is supposed to inform Congress of major military actions 48 hours before hostilities begin. Donald Trump is allowed to undertake certain military operations without a declaration of war, but US lawmakers are claiming he's crossed the line.
Donald Trump's war on Iran
On February 28, 2026, the US government and Israel undertook a joint operation in Iran, with the US subsequently declaring it was at war with the country. The attacks triggered retaliatory strikes from Iran, targeting US and Israeli military bases across the Middle East. According to Donald Trump, there is no timeline for this war, and the US will continue its operations in the country until it sees a significant regime change, as well as an end to Iran's supposed nuclear program.
US and Israeli strikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on Day One of the war. Khamenei has been using deadly violence against civilian protesters in Tehran, and his killing has been the only positive piece of Donald Trump's illegal intervention. Much like Maduro in Venezuela, Ali Khamenei was a vicious and unpopular leader, with the majority of the country wanting him ousted. That being said, being unpopular does not justify illegal international overreach, and just like in Venezuela, Donald Trump has broken international law to get what he wants.
Now Lebanon and the rest of the Gulf countries have been sucked into the conflict. Iran has struck US infrastructure in nine different nations. Donald Trump's war on Iran has threatened global trade routes and sunk the global stock markets as important Middle Eastern energy hubs are threatened.
