Did Trump Declare War and Did Congress Approve Iran Attacks? What to Know

Published: 3 March 2026 . The English Chronicle Desk.
The English Chronicle Online

As the United States and allied forces carry out major military strikes against Iran, questions have arisen in Washington and around the world about whether President Donald Trump formally declared war and whether Congress approved the attacks — matters rooted in the U.S. Constitution’s allocation of war powers and longstanding practice in U.S. foreign policy.

Under the U.S. Constitution, only Congress can formally declare war. That power, specified in Article I, Section 8, cannot be exercised unilaterally by the president. The last formal declaration of war by Congress was in World War II; subsequent major U.S. military engagements have typically proceeded without a formal declaration but often with congressional authorisations or under executive authority as commander in chief.

In the current situation, Mr Trump did not seek a formal declaration of war from Congress before approving joint U.S.‑Israeli strikes on Iranian territory that included the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader and extensive attacks on military infrastructure. All major congressional leaders were briefed before the operation began — including the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” of congressional leadership and intelligence committee chairs — but no vote or formal approval was passed authorising the use of force.

Instead, the administration has relied on presidential authority under Article II of the Constitution and interpretations of the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a federal statute intended to regulate the president’s use of U.S. armed forces without explicit congressional authorisation. That 1973 law requires a president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing forces to hostilities and limits such action without congressional authorisation to roughly 60 days — but it does not itself constitute approval for war, and presidents have long disputed its constraints.

Because the military operation against Iran has not been formally authorised by Congress, some lawmakers have criticised the administration’s approach. Democratic and some Republican members of both chambers have condemned the strikes as a “war of choice” lacking congressional consent and called for votes on resolutions that would limit the president’s war powers or require legislative approval for continued operations.

Supporters of the administration’s position argue that the president, as commander in chief, has constitutional and statutory authority to act to protect U.S. interests and pre‑empt imminent threats, and that briefing congressional leaders satisfied notification requirements. Republicans controlling both chambers have largely backed the strikes, though procedural questions remain unresolved.

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