US Launches Military Action Against Iran Without Congressional Authorization, Sparking Global Criticism

WASHINGTON - In the ongoing war with Iran, there is renewed debate about the powers of the US Congress. The question of whether the president can start a war without congressional authorization has come to the fore. The US launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28. Oil prices soared around the world. The global energy crisis escalated. Children were killed in an attack on a school in Iran's Minab neighborhood during the war. These reports have sparked global criticism of the US. According to the US Constitution, Congress has the power to declare war. But President Donald Trump launched attacks without congressional authorization and called it military action. The Trump administration says the attack was necessary because there was an immediate threat from Iran. Former officials have questioned this claim. The US last officially declared war on December 8, 1941. When it began against Japan after the Pearl Harbor attack. Congress authorized the Authorization for Use of Military Force in most cases after that, and Congress has repeatedly called the war in Iraq a war without military authorization.