Tensions escalated in the Middle East after Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, was killed in an airstrike authorized by US President Donald Trump the near Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
US Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, on Friday filed a “war powers resolution” to oblige authorization by Congress of any use of US military force against Iran “to prevent further escalation of hostilities” with the Islamic republic.
“For years, I've been deeply concerned about President Trump stumbling into a war with Iran. We're now at a boiling point, and Congress must step in before Trump puts even more of our troops in harm's way,” Senator Kaine said in statement.
Kaine's resolution, which he says is “privileged”, will force the Senate to vote. The resolution requires that any offensives against Iran must be “explicitly” authorized by Congress by the use of a declaration of war or the specific authorization for use of military force. The Senator noted that this resolution does not prevent the US from defending itself in case of imminent attack.
“We owe it to our servicemembers to have a debate and vote about whether or not it's in our national interest to engage in another unnecessary war in the Middle East,” the Senator said.
Senator Kaine has been warning for years against Trump's use of military force without authorization…
