President Trump Orders Military Actions Against Iran Without Congressional Approval

President Trump ordered military strikes on Iran, closed the Strait of Hormuz to Iranian oil exports, and moved to force Iranian capitulation. The operations were conducted without prior congressional approval. Reason reported that Congress can halt such actions only by passing a concurrent resolution overriding a presidential veto or by refusing to fund the operations in future budgets.

Reason stated that Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison used military force against the Barbary pirates from 1801 to 1815 without congressional declarations of war. The article noted that the United States has fought only five declared wars since 1789 but that presidents have deployed forces unilaterally on at least 125 other occasions.

Reason cited examples including the Korean War, the Vietnam War after 1971, and the 2011 Libya operation, all conducted without prior congressional authorization yet funded by Congress.

U.S. Marines in Lebanon, and support for groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. The article stated that Iran has developed ballistic missiles and pursued a nuclear program. Reason reported that Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed with President Trump at a recent summit that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons and should end its blockade of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Reason noted that Congress retains the power to cut funding for the operations but argued that doing so would be impractical given Iran's dependence on oil revenue.