Overview
- On Feb. 28, U.S. and Israeli forces carried out joint attacks in Iran that prompted Iranian counterstrikes, with the National Constitution Center reporting that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other leaders were killed.
- President Donald Trump initiated the large-scale operation without a congressional declaration of war, a move that commentators and scholars label unconstitutional.
- The War Powers Resolution requires notification to Congress within 48 hours and limits unauthorized hostilities to roughly 60 days, and media reports cited by the National Constitution Center say Trump submitted the required report.
- Members of Congress including Sen. Ed Markey called the action illegal for lacking prior approval, while House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected such critiques as a troubling view of presidential authority.
- Lawmakers are weighing a bipartisan Iran measure from Sens. Tim Kaine and Rand Paul after similar efforts narrowly failed, though any curb on presidential action could face a veto and the Supreme Court has not settled the core constitutional dispute.