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The U.S. Senate moved Tuesday to advance a war powers resolution that would require congressional approval for continued military action against Iran. At the same time, President Donald Trump reiterated that the war could end "very quickly" through a potential agreement with Tehran.
The measure cleared a procedural hurdle in a 50-47 vote, with four Republicans breaking ranks to support opening debate on the resolution, exposing growing unease in Congress over how the Iran conflict is unfolding.
The resolution, introduced by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, seeks to block further military escalation without lawmakers signing off first, reviving a long-running constitutional clash over presidential war powers.
Speaking before the vote, Kaine argued the Senate faced a narrow opening to reassess Washington’s military involvement with Iran during a "fragile ceasefire."
The Virginia senator also accused Trump of brushing aside diplomatic efforts related to Iran without consulting Congress and urged lawmakers to allow a full public debate on the conflict.
Several members of the House of Representatives separately told U.S. media outlets they expected lawmakers to take up a similar war powers measure later Tuesday, potentially widening the debate beyond the Senate.
Attention has now shifted to the Republican-controlled House, where the proposal faces steeper political resistance. Even so, momentum behind the effort has fueled fresh discussion in Washington over how far Trump can go militarily without congressional backing.
If the legislation passes both chambers, it will head to the White House. Trump is widely expected to veto the measure. Still, the vote itself has already exposed fractures within Republican ranks over fears that the Iran conflict could drag on longer than anticipated.
The renewed debate has also put the spotlight back on the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a law designed to limit unilateral military action by U.S. presidents after the Vietnam War era.
The legislation requires presidents to notify Congress before sending American forces into hostilities and bars extended military engagement without congressional approval. It also mandates the withdrawal of U.S. troops within 60 days if Congress does not authorize the conflict.
Hours after the Senate vote, Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S. was moving rapidly toward ending the war with Iran.
"We're going to end that war very quickly. They want to make a deal so badly, they're tired of this," Trump said. He added that Washington would not allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon and suggested negotiations could soon wrap up.
"I think we're going to be finished with that very quickly, and they won't have a nuclear weapon, and hopefully we're going to get it done in a very nice manner," the president remarked.
Trump also contended that recent U.S. military operations against Iran had severely weakened Tehran’s military infrastructure. "Our military is the greatest in the world… We wiped out their navy. Their air force is gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone," he said.
However, he again left the door open to further military action. "I hope we don't have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit. I'm not sure yet."
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