US Senate Blocks Effort to Restrict Trump’s Military Action Against Iran

WASHINGTON — In a sharp political divide, the US Senate on Friday voted to reject a Democratic proposal that aimed to restrict President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further military operations against Iran without congressional consent.

In a 53–47 vote, senators largely split along party lines, defeating the war powers measure that would have required Trump to secure congressional approval before escalating hostilities with Iran. Only two lawmakers crossed party lines: Democrat John Fetterman voted with Republicans against the resolution, while Republican Rand Paul sided with Democrats in favor.

Senator Tim Kaine, who introduced the measure, argued that the US Constitution grants Congress — not the president — the sole power to declare war. He emphasized that any new conflict with Iran must be explicitly authorized.

The debate followed a tense week in Washington, where Trump, reacting to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s recent remarks, refused to ease sanctions and threatened more strikes after the recent 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel. That conflict ended when the US launched air raids on Iranian nuclear facilities.

On Thursday and Friday, Trump’s national security team briefed lawmakers in closed-door sessions about the raids. Many Democrats left the briefings expressing doubt that Iran’s nuclear program had been “obliterated,” as Trump claimed.

Opponents of Kaine’s resolution argued that the airstrike campaign was a limited action within the president’s authority as commander-in-chief, not a declaration of war.

Trump has repeatedly rejected claims that Iran’s nuclear capabilities remain largely intact, insisting the strikes severely damaged Tehran’s program. Iran maintains its nuclear program is solely for civilian energy.

Under US law, Kaine’s resolution was considered a privileged measure, obliging the Senate to bring it to a swift vote. But its defeat leaves Trump free to act without further congressional oversight as tensions over Iran’s nuclear ambitions continue to rise.

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