President Donald Trump’s announcement Saturday that US forces carried out airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites — Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan — has sparked debate over the scope of presidential war powers and the legal frameworks, both domestic and international, that govern the use of force.
Trump has defended the attacks as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Some in Congress, such as Rep.Thomas Massie, have called it unconstitutional, while Alaska’s entire congressional delegation — including Trump foe Sen. Lisa Murkowski — called the action appropriate to the danger Iran poses to the world.
Under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the president, as Commander-in-Chief, has broad powers to use military force to defend the country and advance significant national interests. As John B. Bellinger III, a former National Security Council legal adviser and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2017 that these powers include initiating force to protect the United States and its citizens from actual or anticipated attacks.
This long-held interpretation has allowed presidents from both parties to undertake military action in numerous circumstances without seeking formal declarations of war from Congress. For instance, President Barack Obama authorized over 26,000 airstrikes during his tenure, particularly in Iraq and Syria, without new congressional authorizations, relying on existing legal frameworks and his Article II powers.
These powers are not limitless. Article I of the Constitution reserves to Congress the authority to “declare War.”
While this has never been interpreted to mean that Congress must authorize every military action, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel has said that this authority places limits on the president’s power to commit forces to situations that rise to the level of war. Whether a particular military operation meets that threshold depends on a “fact-specific assessment” of the scope, nature, and duration of the action. If a strike is likely to provoke a sustained military conflict or exposes US personnel to serious risk, then congressional authorization is typically required as a matter of constitutional practice. Even Sen. Murkowski did not make that argument.
On the international legal side, it’s complicated. Under the United Nations Charter and customary international law, the use of force against another state is prohibited except in cases of self-defense, collective self-defense, or when authorized by the UN Security Council. While the US has historically interpreted the right to self-defense broadly, especially in counterterrorism contexts, Bellinger and others have noted that bombing Iran’s nuclear sites may not qualify as self-defense against an imminent armed attack, in the UN’s view. The Trump administration might claim the strikes were an act of collective self-defense on behalf of Israel and the rest of the non-terrorist world.
Your thoughts? Add them to the comment section below.
No
Absolutely not!
Boyd, can you please articulate why you are so adamantly against this airstrike?
It should be pointed out that during previous administrations, all have routinely executed airstrikes numbering in the thousands. The targets ranged from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq to Yemen and others. Iran has had an aggressive stands against its neighbors and uses proxy groups (Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah) to harass and damage perceived enemies. Their nuclear arsenal in the hands of religious zealots and their veiled threat of use, is also a worrying issue not to be taken lightly.
Oh and I forgot to mention, did you know that Iran is helping Russia build drones to use against Ukraine.
I’m uncomfortable with the POTUS bombing a foreign nation unilaterally, but working through the long, painful, arduous process of getting an authorization for military action didn’t seem to solve any problems in 1990 or 2003. “I voted for it after I voted against it.”
CRY MUCH?
Congress is more concerned about their power and process. If we had to wait for them to act, Iran would have a huge nuclear weapons stock pile. Trump was right to act, Iran has been threatening us for decades.
Not just no. HE// NO.
Bill Clinton never sought congressional approval before he bombed the aspirin factor in Africa. Biden never got congressional approval for anything, because he didn’t know WTF was going on in the world, the US, or in the White House. Obama never got congressional approval when he had Osama bin Ladin assassinated.
The Democrats and major media will spin this because it’s Donald Trump doing the just and correct thing. I say this to Democrats and the major media:
FU.
This is a well-written article; indeed balanced. In our current world, striking a literary balance is increasingly rare journalism. Indeed, the author poses valid points. Executive war powers are likely to be viewed as contextual. Certainly, uni-lateral executive actions as posed both by Obama & now Trump, both can sweep America into far greater conflicts. Exigent decisions in war cannot be effective when decided by ‘committee’ (congressional approval); however, a definitive “defence action” is either pro-active or reactive. Pro-active diplomacy or military actions often reduce catastrophic occurrences arising out of reactive management: WAR. Even now, will targeted salvos on key Iranian sites be a catalyst for expanded regional conflict? Without allies, will Iran’s response escalate regionally? Hence, the nebulous Executive War actions. Organisational Theory is clear that battlefield management cannot slow decisions-by-committee. Research & Development by a team of well-groomed participants, given time allowed, does engender well-conceived products, services & actions. Diplomacy works best when not done on an active battlefield.
The War Powers Act of 1973 allows the Commander in Chief to take military actions such as these and the Act of Congress sets about rules that the Presmust follow. President Trump is following this Act of Congress, in addition to the Article II backing of the US Constitution.
One way to know you are wrong on this issue is if you agree with organizations like the American Communist Party when they say things like “The American Communist Party stands with the revolutionary Iranian people against Zionist and imperialist aggression!” or if you agree with people like Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, and Ilhan Omar…all known for their antisemitic views and agreeing with those who chant slogans like “Death to America”
Looking ahead, with numerous reports that North Korea is well-partnered in Russia’s UN-membership sovereignty violations, indeed contributing even further; the question herein is how should the UN, NATO & the US (the UN Security Council is an invalid body) respond? What strategic cards should they play, both covertly and reactively?
I’m not sure about this one–I’m thinking it will take a little time to see if it was wise or not. However, I’m vehemently against the United Nations. We need to get OUT of that “peace-keeping” organization. Yeah, right–they have been the biggest promoter of war and trouble for 75 years! The last I heard, we were supposed to be a sovereign nation and that’s not possible with that evil organization.
It was wrong for him to take us into war after promising he wouldn’t. I have no problem with Israel pro-actively defending themselves, but it did not require US involvement.
I could care what the United Nations opines. Our Constitution is the guiding document and the naysayers, like Massie, are just wrong.
NOPE! Someone would have leaked it, Like the Squad
No.
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“Trump administration briefed top Republicans before Iran strikes, but not Democrats.”
(‘https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/21/politics/republicans-democrats-iran-strikes-briefings)
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So he talked to Congress, but not to certain members of Congress who are certain to leak classified information to Iranian regime sympathizers or to the regime itself.
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Big distinction, no doubt we’ll come back to it: “Iranian regime” versus “Iranian people”.
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President did not declare war on Iranian people.
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President Trump fixed a 45-year problem by neutralizing their regime’s credible threat to start nuclear war.
Iran has been chanting “Death to America” for decades. This is self defense. Also, in our political environment Democrats cannot be trusted. They want total failure for Trump and wouldn’t blink an eye sacrificing the young members of our military to further their agenda.
No
You threaten to kill me for being an American. The threat assessment:
“I kick your butt now, why wait.”
We, the majority of voters, put our safety in President Trump’s hands. He gathered information from his advisors, then acted on their advice.
The nay sayers, after the fact, can cry or laugh. It is done, we will live with it.
Yes, Congress gave this after 9/11 and the start of the War on Terror. Trump according to FOX told Majority Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson. Kept OPSEC tight since any socialist congresscritter would have leaked to the Communist News Network or MSDNC.
you can’t be opposed to this and for Obama’s decision to conduct a raid into Pakistan
If it was anyone except Iran I would have second thoughts. This was long over due. And greatly deserved. Death to the Mullas and their followers !
Been waiting for this since the Carter Administration.
Thank You President Trump.
& God Bless our troops.
“The president, as Commander-in-Chief, has broad powers to use military force to defend the country and advance significant national interests…” absolutely does not authorize Trump to use Israel as a proxy for launching an un provoked unilateral, Pearl Harbor style surprise attack by providing the weapon systems, missiles, munitions, ISR target identification and real time targeting data, in launching missiles into a sovereign country. Without first making a valid case and obtaining a Congressional declaration of war.
What is far worse for our long term national security is the pattern the Trump administration has developed of pretending to continue diplomatic negotiations with both the government of the Russian Federation and now the Islamic Republic of Iran, and then directing our militarized proxy vassal states of Ukraine and Israel to launch preemptive military strikes against these countries in the last few weeks.
In the case of Russia the target was their strategic bomber component of their national nuclear war deterrent triad, the aircraft parked vulnerably in the open to comply with the New Start Treaty. The none sense expressed by Trump that he was “unaware” of Operation Spiderweb, at least 18 months in the planning and execution of a terror operation using fanatical Ukrainian regime SBU thugs just makes things worse. It indicates Trump is absolutely untrustworthy to negotiate with for foreign leaders on major issues that are critical for our national security, or, his administration is so incompetent that they are not in control of the vast and complex network of CIA/MI6/Mossad/SBU subversive operations worldwide. This isn’t Grenada or Panama, this is a nation with the largest nuclear arsenal on earth, with whom we have provoked, launched (and are losing) a proxy war 11 years ago with the goal of regime change.
Iran is a signatory to the nuclear non proliferation treaty (NPT) within which they have every right to build civilian use nuclear energy and enrich uranium for stated purposes. There is no evidence provided by the IAEA or our own “intelligence” complex that Iran was “making” nuclear warheads. The unsubstantiated words of Netanyahu, who has been impotently claiming multiple times for 30 years that Iran is less than a year, or month away from building a nuclear weapon is pathetic. Netanyahu has failed to gain control of a few acres called Gaza in 2 years, is now going after a country of 92 million the size of western Europe. Who fought and won an 8 year war against our installed proxy thug Saddam Hussein of Iraq. Iron Dome is as effective as a sieve. Another Pentagon boondoggle costing us hundreds of billions.
The June 13th attack by Israel included stand off air launched missile strikes from Iraqi and Syrian airspace on apartment buildings and terrorist gunmen seeking to hunt down and murder Iranians. This was a regime change operation, absolutely illegal and immoral, and as it failed and now Israel is being destroyed, Trump steps in to directly use bunker busting bombs directly on 3 sites. Also pathetic, as the technical capacities of the bombs in our inventory are not capable of the depth and penetrating through the manner of construction of these hardened underground facilities. Concrete diamonds are built into the concrete framework specifically designed to deflect these bombs, and the depths are greater than 200′. This is whole operation is a charade.
The self proclaimed “master negotiator” has proven to be the master liar on the world stage and to us voters who supported him, continuing the failed Ukraine war and now starting the Iranian war, without Congress or a mandate from the voters who just put him into office specifically to end these wars. The letdown of what the Trump administration actually is vs. what was sold to us during the campaign is incredible. Biden was incoherent, Harris an animated train wreck, and Trump has no excuse. He deceived us as he openly deceives world leaders.
Different question.
President Trump has been very clear about this issue since he first ran for office. If you chose to wilfully disregard what he has said and done time and time again that’s wholly on you for believing the lies that the media has fed you and others while claiming he was a racist bigot who hated Jews, blacks, Mexicans, and everyone else in between.
The President can go over Congress’s head for this. Come to think of it, most things already go over Congress’s heads. Ha ha
WELL DONE MR. PRESIDENT, WELL DONE!
He// no. Congress is little more than an embarrassing amalgam of shame, blame and theater.
Think more deeply about this situation. We have been brainwashed, folks. Of course Trump has the authority. Of course, it’s justified. Just how many chants of ‘Death to America’ are required? The deeper issue is, we’ve been conditioned to not trust our own country’s leadership. If about half of our country hates the president, and the other half is not sure about him, our enemies’ propaganda has succeeded