Trump launches Iran military operation amid congressional authority questions

President Donald Trump’s announcement Saturday that the U.S. military had launched a major combat operation in Iran immediately sparked questions about whether the president had inappropriately circumvented Congress, which has the sole power to declare war under the Constitution.

Trump has called the joint operation with Israel to eliminate Iranian leaders and eliminate Iran’s weapons supply an act of “war,” pointing to the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) of 2001. Experts say those laws and judicial precedent have given Trump the power to circumvent the legislature and attack Iran, for now.

“Courts have allowed presidents to order such attacks unilaterally. …There has always been deference to presidents exercising such judgments under the law. [War Powers Resolution’s] vague standard,” Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, wrote in an opinion piece.

“This was certainly the case during the attacks in Bosnia and Libya under Democratic presidents.”

A screenshot from a video released by the White House shows President Donald Trump making statements about combat operations against Iran, February 28, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida. (US President Trump via Truth Social/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The War Powers Resolution requires the president to consult with Congress within 48 hours of a military offensive and cease actions within 60 days if Congress has not voted in favor of the offensive. Turley noted that Congress could assert control over what the Pentagon calls Operation Epic Fury even sooner if it wanted.

“Congress may seek to ban or limit operations in the coming days,” Turley wrote. “Given the fluidity of events, many members will likely be waiting to see early results and, frankly, polling on the attacks. … As the operation continues, calls for congressional action will likely increase.”

Former State Department official Gabriel Noronha, who advised on Iran, said in a lengthy article on

Noronha said that, unlike other versions of the AUMF, the 2001 version of the law was never repealed and “expressly authorizes force against any nation, organization, or individual that planned the September 11 attacks ‘or harbored such organizations or individuals’.”

“Congress has had 25 years to limit the scope of the 2001 AUMF,” Noronha wrote. “Instead, he consciously decided to preserve the president’s rights under the law to pursue international terrorists to the ends of the earth.”

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and John Thune, R-S.D., left and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Trump said in a statement early Saturday morning that Operation Epic Fury was a “noble mission” and that service members could be killed, explicitly using the term “war.”

“The lives of courageous American heroes can be lost, and we can have casualties. That happens a lot in war,” Trump said.

Some have suggested that, in planning the operation, Israel and the United States deliberately delegated responsibilities to avoid legal landmines.

A US official told Fox News that the Israeli military is targeting Iranian leaders, while the US targets missile sites that pose an “imminent threat” rather than Iranian leaders.

Amos Yadlin, a retired Israeli Air Force general, also told Fox News that Israel carried out a strike against Iranian leaders because of decades-old U.S. laws restricting the targeting of heads of state.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his conversation with US President Donald Trump. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

The White House, meanwhile, has made clear that it has considered Congress in the planning.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed the Gang of Eight, made up of Democratic and Republican congressional leaders and top lawmakers on the intelligence committees, before the action. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Rubio called members of the Gang of Eight and gave them information about the timing and connected with all but one. Once the strikes began Saturday morning, the Pentagon also briefed the Armed Services Committees.

Republican lawmakers have largely responded by supporting Trump, while Democrats have been critical. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement that absent “exacting circumstances,” Trump needs Congress to authorize an “act of war.”

“The Trump administration must immediately explain itself to the American people and Congress, provide an ironclad justification for this act of war, clearly define the national security objective, and articulate a plan to avoid another costly and prolonged military quagmire in the Middle East,” Jeffries said.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., praised the president, citing Iran’s “relentless nuclear ambitions” and refusal to engage in diplomacy.

Some hands-off Republican lawmakers have spoken out against these actions. Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, said the Constitution gave Congress the power to authorize war “for one reason, to make war less likely.”

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Paul quoted President James Madison: “The executive branch is the branch most inclined to war, therefore the Constitution, with studied care, has delegated the power of war to the legislative branch. »

A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said they anticipate an upcoming vote on a war powers resolution that would block U.S. action in Iran without congressional approval.

Previous attempts to pass the same bill failed in Congress after Trump launched targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Jen Griffin and Efrat Lachter of Fox News contributed to this report.

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