At Least 75 Orgs Urge Senators To Support Iran War Powers Resolution

The signatories say that senators must vote to approve Sen. Tim Kaine's resolution to prevent Trump from launching another unauthorized strike on Iran.

More than 75 organizations signed a letter Thursday urging senators to publicly support and vote for the upper chamber’s War Powers Resolution, in order to prevent President Donald Trump from using the United States military to attack Iran again without prior congressional approval.

The Trump administration launched airstrikes against key Iranian nuclear sites on June 21, an attack widely considered an act of war made without the constitutionally-required approval of Congress. The White House dropped the bombs after facing pressure from Israel, which launched its own war against Iran earlier this month by making the unsubstantiated claim that the country was actively building a nuclear weapon and putting the world in imminent danger.

Before the attack, the U.S. and Iran were making progress in diplomatic talks about limiting the latter country’s nuclear program in a safe, transparent way. Experts, including those in Thursday’s letter, say that Trump’s attack on uranium enrichment facilities has now all but shattered diplomatic talks and endangered Americans.

“Israeli officials have shown that this is not about Iran’s nuclear program, it is about sabotaging the possibility of diplomacy and a peaceful resolution with Iran. There was no imminent threat from Iran’s nuclear program. It is in fact a war of choice,” states the letter, whose signatories include progressive groups, civil and human rights institutions, and foreign policy organizations.

The unauthorized attack resulted in bipartisan backlash from Congress. Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced the War Powers Resolution in the House, while Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced it in the Senate. Some Democratic leaders in the House drafted an Iran bill separate from Khanna and Massie’s that could actually end up strengthening the president’s justification for more bombs. The Thursday letter was limited to the Senate.