Washington—US lawmakers concerned about rushing to war with Iran adopted a measure Thursday (Friday in Manila) aimed at reining in President Donald Trump’s ability to take military action against the Islamic republic.
READ: Trump pulls back from the brink
In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit the Middle East from Saturday, hoping to ease soaring regional tensions after the US killing of a top Iranian general.
The resolution was introduced by Democrats after Trump’s order to kill an Iranian commander and retaliatory missile strikes by Tehran dramatically escalated tensions and raised fears of a devastating war between the two foes.
The mostly symbolic but politically charged vote, 224 to 194, was largely along party lines, with three members of Trump’s Republican Party joining Democrats in approving the measure demanding the president not engage in military action against Iran unless authorized by Congress.
Among them was Matt Gaetz, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters in Congress who noted in a floor speech that the measure did not criticize Trump, but said that “engaging in another forever war in the Middle East would be the wrong decision.”
“If the members of our armed services have the courage to go and fight and die in these wars, as Congress we ought to have the courage to vote for them or against them,” Gaetz said.
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Meanwhile, the Japan premier’s trip had been thrown into doubt after Tehran responded to the attack on Qasem Soleimani by launching a barrage of missiles at bases hosting American troops in Iraq, prompting fears of an all-out war.
But Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Friday that the Jan. 11-15 trip to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman would go ahead, with Abe also seeking to explain Tokyo’s decision to deploy a military vessel and two patrol planes to the region to “ensure safety of Japan-related vessels.”
With fears of a full-blown conflict receding—despite a passenger plane crash that may have been caused by an Iranian missile—the Japanese leader has decided to proceed with the visit.
“To avoid further escalation of the tense situation in the Middle East, [Abe] will exchange opinions with the three countries,” Suga said.
“In each of the countries, we plan to ask for cooperation in ensuring a stable energy supply and the safety of vessels.”
As lawmakers launched a scalding day-long debate over presidential authority, Trump insisted he needs no one’s blessing to launch attacks, essentially scorning existing legal requirements for consulting with Congress.
“I don’t have to,” Trump said when asked whether he would seek congressional approval for more military action against Iran.
“And you shouldn’t have to,” he added, “because you have to make split-second decisions sometimes.”
Trump signaled Wednesday he was stepping back from the brink of war with Iran after a US drone strike that killed commander Qasem Soleimani was followed by Iranian missile volleys against bases housing American forces in Iraq.
But on Thursday, he fought back against criticism that he’d ordered the killing, risking all-out conflict, without real justification.
At a reelection campaign rally in Toledo, Ohio, Trump insisted, without providing any evidence, that Soleimani was “actively planning new attacks,” including against US embassies, “and we stopped him cold.”
He ridiculed his Democratic opponents in Congress, calling them insulting names and claimed that if he had consulted with them they would have leaked the secret operation to the “fake news.”
READ: New attacks trigger fears of US-Iran proxy war
“You should get permission from Congress,” he said mockingly to mimic the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
But Democrats, and some Republicans, have expressed deep skepticism about the administration’s rationale for Soleimani’s killing, and are demanding Congress reassert its power over a commander in chief’s use of American military might against another nation.
Citing the War Powers Resolution of 1973 which forbids a president from taking the country to war without congressional approval, the measure “directs the president to terminate the use of United States armed forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran or any part of its government or military.”
But the text also provides for key exceptions, allowing use of force to defend against or prevent an “imminent” attack against Americans.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking to reporters about the resolution, said Trump “must de-escalate and must prevent further violence. America and the world cannot afford war.”
The House measure was introduced as a concurrent resolution, a form of legislation that does not carry the weight of law. But as a political instrument it could serve as a rebuke to Trump’s foreign policy.
Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy blasted Pelosi’s effort as a “show vote” because it cannot become law and will therefore “never limit [Trump’s] constitutional authority to defend the American people.”
Pelosi said her Democrats were moving forward because their concerns were not addressed in a closed-door briefing to lawmakers Wednesday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other top officials.
Democrats have introduced a similar war powers resolution in the Senate, where it faces a steep climb as Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.
Two Senate Republicans, Mike Lee and Rand Paul, announced support for the Senate version, suggesting the vote, as early as next week, could be razor-thin.
The pair emerged from the top-secret briefing saying administration officials provided no acceptable rationale for killing Soleimani or specific evidence of imminent threats against Americans and took the “insulting” step of discouraging questions about military policy.
“To come in and tell us that we can’t debate and discuss the appropriateness of military intervention against Iran? It’s un-American, it’s unconstitutional, and it’s wrong,” Lee told reporters.
During House debate, Democrat Ayanna Pressley rejected what many Republicans described as Trump’s inherent military authority, and demanded forthrightness from the administration about reasons for sending US troops into battle.
“We cannot allow our country to be lied into another war,” she said.
With tensions soaring after he ordered the killing of a top Iranian general, US President Donald Trump publicly urged all other powers to abandon a 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran.
Within hours, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, one of Trump’s closest international allies, was on the phone with Iran’s president. His message? That, according to Downing Street, the nuclear deal remains “the best arrangement currently available.”
The Jan. 3 drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s most powerful general and a longtime US nemesis, has only exacerbated tensions between the United States and Europe in a showdown that has turned into a crisis.
But the episode could paradoxically offer a new chance for the Europeans to attempt what they have sought for three years—to broker peace between Iran and Trump.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a startlingly frank statement about allies for the top US diplomat, told Fox News after Soleimani’s killing that Europeans “haven’t been as helpful as I wish that they could be.”
Trump and Pompeo were infuriated by pro-Iranian Iraqi militias’ vandalism of the US embassy in Baghdad and rocket fire on bases housing US troops. They said Soleimani was planning imminent attacks on Americans—a finding disputed by Democratic lawmakers after a classified briefing.
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