US President Donald Trump accused the House of Representatives of voting "untimely" on the War Powers Act to stop the confrontation with Iran, saying the resolution dictates a halt and extends a helping hand to the enemy.
Trump's position came in a post on the "Truth Social" platform, where he said: "Iran has been trapped in defeat, and has made it teetering on the brink of fall, until it is ready to make concessions after concessions, and for the first time in decades, it shows deep respect for the United States and its president, which is me personally."
"Yet the Senate chose to hold a vague and ill-timed vote on the War Powers Act, sending a message to the world's number one sponsor of terrorism that the United States is upset about what I am doing to it and is asking me to stop! By doing so, they have provided aid and comfort to the enemy."
Four of the losing Republicans sided with the Democrats, and the Iranians even wondered in amazement, "What does all this mean?"
Yesterday, Trump also wrote on Truth Social: "Despite their protests and false statements to the contrary, and along with the drums of fake news, which does its best to portray the American victory as small and insignificant as possible, Iran has fully and unequivocally agreed to the highest levels of nuclear inspection until the distant future (indefinitely!!."
Senate passes resolution to stop Iran's war
The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate on Tuesday backed a bill aimed at halting U.S. military actions targeting Iran, but it is not yet clear how that will affect the war as President Donald Trump's administration negotiates a peace deal with the Islamic Republic.
The Senate voted 50 to 48 in favor of the resolution passed by the House earlier this month, reflecting growing concern even among some pro-Trump Republicans about the unpopular war that erupted on Feb. 28.
The resolution is in line with bipartisan policies and goals, with all but one Democrat agreeing to it, while four Republicans joined them in supporting the resolution and two Republicans abstaining, according to US sources.
The resolution obliges Trump to withdraw U.S. armed forces from any hostilities with Iran, but the vote is likely to remain symbolic.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, such a resolution is not forwarded to the White House for Trump' s signature, but the White House insists that the bill is unconstitutional and therefore non-binding.
Legal experts say the matter is still legally disputed and is likely to be resolved in the courts, expressing conviction that the executive branch will likely ignore the decision for constitutional reasons, and it is not clear who has the right to sue to enforce it.
What is the War Powers Act?
The War Powers Resolution is a 1973 U.S. federal legislation aimed at restricting the ability of the President of the United States to engage armed forces in foreign conflicts without explicit congressional approval, in an effort to rebalance the executive and legislative branches in decisions of war and peace.
The law was passed in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, after Congress saw that presidents had used their powers as commanders of the armed forces to expand military intervention without formal authorization, and the act came to restore Congress's constitutional role in declaring war, a role that had been effectively reversed during previous decades.
The law requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of the start of any military operation or deployment overseas, emphasizing that no combat operation can continue for more than 60 days without congressional authorization or a formal declaration of war, with the president an additional month to withdraw troops if Congress does not agree to continue the mission.
Since its passage, the law has faced objections from U.S. presidents who saw it as restricting their executive powers in the National Security Administration, and President Richard Nixon vetoed it before Congress overrode it and became effective, and subsequent presidents have circumvented the law by classifying military operations as "not acts of hostilities" or "limited strikes" that do not require a time limit.
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