Are the US and Israel at war with Iran if Congress hasn't declared it?
USA TODAY
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war, but since 1973, every president has used the War Powers Act.
The United States and Israel carried out military strikes against Iran on Saturday, Feb. 28 targeting the country's top leaders and plunging the Middle East into a conflict that President Donald Trump said would end a security threat to the U.S. and give Iranians a chance to topple their rulers.
While the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war, a power last officially exercised in 1942 for World War Two, presidents often act under the War Powers Act of 1973 or their authority as Commander in Chief to engage in military actions without formal Congressional approval.
Every president since Gerald Ford has used the resolution to initiate or justify military actions in conflicts including Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Libya, Iraq and drone strikes in the Middle East.
More: Iran hit by 'massive' US attack; supreme leader targeted: Updates
Even though the U.S. carried out major military strikes against Iran on Saturday alongside Israel, the United States has not formally declared war.
Trump pushes countries to help secure the Strait of Hormuz amid rising Middle East tensions and stalled international commitments.
The U.S. Postal Service faces massive losses and may run out of money next year, prompting a congressional hearing and debate over its priorities.
Illinois voters go to polls on March 17.
The Israeli military said the brother of the man who attacked a Michigan synagogue was a Hezbollah commander and was recently killed in an airstrike.
President Donald Trump encouraged TSA agents to \
As the war against Iran enters its third week, the White House says ground troops are 'not part of the plan.' Seasoned Kurdish fighters disagree.
Videos on social media showed a large fire and people throwing rocks through the windows of a building as voices shouted \
A law passed in 2025 making it tougher to claim Italian citizenship was upheld by the country's Constitutional Court.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr said news broadcasters coverage of Iran war could impact their license renewal.
The design was finalized in 2024, before Trump took office. The artist and U.S. Mint say it symbolizes the early U.S. quest for freedom from Britain.
The overnight strikes did not impact the islands oil infrastructure, U.S. and Iranian officials said.
Trump's recent executive order to increase the production of glyphosate might derail MAHA voters' support for the GOP, the movement’s leaders say.