Trump Furious After Senate Backs Resolution Limiting War Powers Against Iran
US President Donald Trump erupted in fury after the Senate approved a resolution limiting his authority to continue military operations against Iran. The resolution had previously been passed by the House of Representatives and now has the backing of both chambers of Congress.
In a post on the Truth Social platform on Tuesday (23/6), Trump argued the Senate’s move weakened America’s position just as he claimed to have successfully pushed Iran into a difficult corner.
“So here’s the thing, I had Iran on the ropes, ready to surrender, willing to give almost anything we asked for, and for the first time in decades, they truly respected the United States and its President, me,” Trump wrote, as reported by CNN on Wednesday (24/6).
Trump considered the vote on the War Powers Act to be poorly timed and potentially sending the wrong message to Tehran.
“Yet, the United States Senate decided to hold a vote on the War Powers Act that is ill-timed and completely meaningless. That vote basically tells the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism that the United States does not like what I am doing to them and that I should stop it,” he explained.
The statement came after the Senate approved the war powers resolution, which had previously cleared the House, by a vote of 50 to 48. The decision reflects growing concern in Congress, including among some Republican members, about US involvement in a conflict with Iran.
The resolution is the first since the War Powers Resolution was enacted in 1973 to be formally passed by both chambers of Congress directing a president to withdraw US forces from a military conflict.
Although it lacks binding legal force and is largely symbolic, the vote is seen as a political blow to Trump, who has historically enjoyed strong support from the majority of Republicans in Congress.
In the same post, Trump also sharply criticised the Republican members who supported the resolution, accusing them of aiding America’s adversaries.
“By doing so, they are providing aid and comfort to the enemy. Four loser Republicans voted to join the Democrats, and Iran even asked my team, what does all this mean?” Trump stated.
Despite this, Trump insisted he would continue his policy towards Iran. “Those senators just made my job harder. But I will still get it done, one way or another, because I always finish what I start!” he said.
The Republican Party currently holds a majority in Congress, but with a narrow margin over the Democrats. Recently, a number of Republican members have begun to show differences of opinion with Trump regarding foreign policy and his domestic agenda.
Several Republican legislators are known to have rejected a USD 1.8 billion funding proposal put forward by Trump to compensate political allies he claims were targeted by federal authorities. Additionally, some party members have delayed discussion of a USD 70 billion bill intended to fund the government’s immigration operations.
Meanwhile, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday (23/6) showed relatively low public support for war with Iran. Only about a quarter of Americans believe such a conflict would be worth the cost. A majority of respondents also expressed concern that a ceasefire with Iran would not last long.
In the Senate vote, the majority of members voted along party lines. Four Republican senators joined nearly all Democratic senators to support the resolution, while two Republican senators did not vote.
In another post published on Tuesday (23/6) evening, Trump again condemned the vote, calling the Senate’s action ill-timed and meaningless and accusing the resolution’s supporters of aiding Iran and making his efforts more difficult.
The debate over presidential authority to take military action is once again in the spotlight in Washington, particularly amid the Trump administration’s efforts to maintain pressure on Iran while pursuing ongoing negotiations between the two countries.