Democratic Senator Files War Powers Resolution to Prevent U.S. from Entering War with Iran

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - As tensions escalate in the Middle East following intensified hostilities between Israel and Iran, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) has taken a legislative step aimed at preventing American military involvement without prior congressional approval. On Monday, Senator Kaine introduced a war powers resolution that mandates a debate and vote in Congress before any deployment of U.S. military force against Iran.

Kaine, a senior member of both the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, emphasized the need for restraint and accountability. “It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States. I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict,” said Kaine.

He continued, “The American people have no interest in sending servicemembers to fight another forever war in the Middle East. This resolution will ensure that if we decide to place our nation’s men and women in uniform into harm’s way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress.”

Under Senate rules, war powers resolutions are classified as privileged. This means the Senate is required to consider and vote on them without undue delay. The resolution reaffirms Congress’s constitutional authority as the sole body empowered to declare war and asserts that any U.S. military action against Iran must be explicitly authorized by a formal declaration of war or a specific authorization for the use of military force (AUMF). However, the resolution does not preclude the United States from acting in self-defense against an imminent attack.

According to Kaine’s office, the resolution aims to ensure transparency and adherence to constitutional principles, advocating for a public debate in Congress before committing to armed conflict. It reflects a broader movement in Washington to restore congressional oversight over military interventions.

Senator Kaine has long positioned himself as a leading critic of unchecked executive war powers. He has consistently raised concerns over successive presidents' expansions of military engagement without congressional sanction. In 2017, Kaine authored a piece in TIME warning of the dangers of then-President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. A year later, in 2018, Kaine wrote in The Atlantic that Trump was "blundering toward war with Iran."

In March 2020, Congress passed Kaine’s bipartisan war powers resolution aimed at curbing unauthorized hostilities with Iran, a measure designed to reaffirm legislative control over the use of military force. More recently, in 2023, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation spearheaded by Kaine to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs, formally ending the legal framework for the Gulf and Iraq wars.

Kaine’s latest move underscores his enduring commitment to preventing U.S. entanglement in foreign wars without public debate and congressional accountability. As the situation in the Middle East remains volatile, the resolution is poised to become a central topic in Washington’s foreign policy discourse.

The full text of the resolution is available to the public and awaits formal consideration in the Senate.