US Senate Rejects Bill Limiting Trump’s War Powers as Iran Conflict Escalates

The United States Senate has rejected a bipartisan resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to conduct military operations in Iran without explicit Congressional approval, as tensions and military activity in the Middle East continue to escalate.

On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, the Senate voted 53‑47 against the measure, largely along party lines. The resolution would have required that any further U.S. military actions in Iran be authorised by Congress, rather than carried out solely at the discretion of the president. Two senators switched positions: Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman opposed the bill, while Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky supported it. All other senators voted according to party affiliations.

Supporters of the bill, including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, argued that the president had bypassed Congress in launching the military campaign, raising concerns over constitutional authority and oversight. Schumer questioned whether lawmakers were “standing with the American people, who are exhausted with forever wars in the Middle East, or with Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as they bumble us headfirst into another war.”

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The vote comes amid an escalating conflict in the region. On Saturday, the United States and Israel conducted air strikes targeting Iranian assets, prompting Tehran to respond with attacks on Israeli and U.S.-aligned interests in the Gulf. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that the military campaign could continue for up to eight weeks, nearly twice the duration President Trump initially suggested over the weekend.

Opponents of the bill, primarily Senate Republicans, argued that the executive branch has broad authority as commander-in-chief and that limiting presidential powers during active military operations could hinder U.S. forces and send the wrong message to both allies and adversaries. Senator Susan Collins, a centrist Republican from Maine, said, “At this juncture, providing unequivocal support to our service members is critically important, as is ongoing consultation by the administration with Congress.”

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives, where it faces a challenging path in a Republican-controlled chamber. Even if it passes the House, a presidential veto is expected, which would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override.

This episode highlights ongoing tensions in Washington over the scope of presidential war powers. The 1973 War Powers Resolution was enacted to limit unilateral presidential authority, mandating that Congress be informed within 48 hours of military engagements and that authorization for military force be obtained within 60 days. Successive presidents, both Republican and Democratic, have historically challenged the constitutionality of the law.

President Trump has previously launched military operations without Congressional approval, including attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities last year and the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026. Critics argue these precedents demonstrate the need for clearer limits on executive power, while supporters emphasize national security and swift response capabilities.

US Senate Rejects Bill Limiting Trump’s War Powers as Iran Conflict Escalates

Iran Launches Missiles at Israel as Middle East War Enters Sixth Day

Iran launched a fresh wave of missiles at Israel early Thursday, intensifying the rapidly expanding Middle East conflict as hostilities between Iran, Israel, and the United States entered a sixth consecutive day.

Israeli authorities confirmed the incoming missile barrage shortly after the Israeli military said it had begun new air strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeting positions linked to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group operating in Lebanon.

The renewed attacks followed an escalation on Wednesday when the United States and Israel intensified bombardments of Iranian security forces and key government installations, striking multiple locations across Tehran and other strategic cities.

The intensity of the air strikes forced Iranian state television to postpone a planned national mourning ceremony for Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the conflict. The move highlighted the scale of disruption caused by the ongoing military operations.

The war began Saturday after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes targeting Iran’s leadership, missile arsenal and nuclear programme, while officials in both countries suggested that weakening or removing Iran’s ruling establishment could become a broader objective.

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Speaking on Wednesday, Donald Trump, the US President, praised American forces, saying the military was “doing very well on the war front, to put it mildly.” Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers in the United States Senate voted down a resolution seeking to halt the war effort.

As tensions escalated, Iran expanded its retaliation by launching attacks toward Bahrain, Kuwait, and Israel. Turkey also reported that NATO-linked defence systems intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile before it entered Turkish airspace.

The war has already caused significant casualties across the region. Iranian authorities say more than 1,000 people have been killed in Iran, while over 70 deaths have been recorded in Lebanon and around a dozen fatalities in Israel. The conflict has also claimed the lives of six American troops, according to US officials.

The escalating hostilities have disrupted global energy supplies and international travel, with oil and gas shipments affected and hundreds of thousands of travellers stranded across the Middle East.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed another major development earlier in the conflict, revealing that an American submarine sank an Iranian naval warship in the Indian Ocean using a torpedo. Sri Lankan authorities later reported that 32 sailors were rescued while 87 bodies were recovered from the waters.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued to target Iran’s security infrastructure, striking facilities linked to the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps known for suppressing domestic protests.

Israeli military officials also confirmed strikes on buildings connected to Iran’s internal security command, operations analysts say could weaken Tehran’s ability to control unrest at home.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, however, insisted that Iranian forces operate under decentralised command structures, suggesting that attacks on senior leadership or command centres may not significantly weaken Iran’s military response.

Images broadcast on Iranian state television showed extensive damage to buildings in Tehran, while additional strikes were reported in the religious city of Qom, where a structure linked to a clerical council responsible for selecting the country’s next Supreme Leader was reportedly targeted.

At the Pentagon, Hegseth declined to specify how long the US military campaign might last.

“You can say four weeks, but it could be six. It could be eight. It could be three,” he said, adding that American forces would continue to maintain pressure on Iranian targets.

Brad Cooper, the top US military commander in the Middle East, said American operations had already damaged Iran’s air defence systems and destroyed ballistic missiles, launchers and drones.

Israeli officials said the number of missile launches from Iran has declined in recent days, allowing some restrictions inside Israel to be relaxed. The country’s Homefront Command said workplaces could reopen if shelters were nearby, although schools remain closed nationwide.

Despite the partial easing of restrictions, explosions were reported again across Israel early Thursday as air defence systems moved to intercept the latest Iranian missile launches.

The conflict has also spread to the maritime domain. A Maltese-flagged container ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz was struck by two missiles, triggering a fire before its 24 crew members were rescued.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical energy routes, with about one-fifth of global oil shipments passing through it. Shipping tracker MarineTraffic reported that tanker traffic through the strait has fallen by nearly 90 percent compared with prewar levels.

The disruption has sent global oil prices soaring and rattled international financial markets, raising concerns about the potential impact on the world economy.

Inside Iran, political leaders are scrambling to choose a successor to Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years. The selection of a new supreme leader marks only the second leadership transition since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Possible candidates range from hard-line clerics advocating continued confrontation with the West to more moderate figures who favour diplomatic engagement. Among those frequently mentioned is Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son.

As the crisis deepens, Iranian authorities have also warned of severe consequences for anyone seen as cooperating with foreign enemies.

Meanwhile, Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister, said any future Iranian leader who continues to threaten Israel or its allies “will be a target for elimination.”

Iran Launches Missiles at Israel as Middle East War Enters Sixth Day

US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship in Indian Ocean as Conflict Escalates

The United States Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has confirmed that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, marking a major escalation in the ongoing military confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Speaking at a press briefing, Hegseth said the Iranian naval vessel was destroyed by a torpedo on Tuesday, describing the incident as a decisive operation by American forces. He added that the ship “died a quiet death.” Though he initially did not identify the vessel, officials in Sri Lanka later said the ship involved was the IRIS Dena, an Iranian naval frigate.

Sri Lankan authorities said the warship sank about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the country’s southern coastline, prompting an emergency rescue operation by the Sri Lanka Navy after a distress signal was received early Wednesday.

Rescue teams recovered 80 bodies from the sea while 32 survivors were pulled from the water, according to a Sri Lankan defence official. Authorities believe as many as 180 people may have been aboard the vessel, based on the ship’s documentation.

The survivors, many of whom sustained serious injuries, were transported to a hospital in the southern port city of Galle, according to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.

Iran strongly condemned the sinking of the warship, describing the incident as an “atrocity at sea.” Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, accused the United States of attacking a vessel that he said was travelling peacefully in international waters.

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“Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning,” Araghchi said in a statement posted on social media. He warned that the United States would “bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”

Earlier during the rescue operation, a Sri Lankan navy spokesman, Budhika Sampath, said responders initially did not see the vessel itself but discovered oil slicks and life rafts floating on the water. At that time, he had also rejected early reports suggesting that the ship had been attacked by a submarine.

Although the location of the sinking was outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, the spokesman explained that it fell within the country’s international search-and-rescue region, which obligated Sri Lanka to respond under global maritime protocols.

The IRIS Dena, launched in 2015, is a destroyer attached to Iran’s Southern Fleet, which operates mainly around the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. The vessel had recently taken part in the International Fleet Review 2026, a multinational naval exercise hosted by India.

Hegseth described the attack as historically significant, claiming it was “the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two.” While American submarines have not used torpedoes to sink an enemy vessel since World War II, other countries have deployed torpedoes in naval warfare in more recent decades.

Video footage released by the United States Department of Defense appeared to show a ship being struck by a powerful explosion, with the stern rising sharply before the vessel detonated.

The incident occurred amid rapidly escalating military tensions in the Middle East. The United States and Israel have continued to launch air strikes on Iran for a fifth consecutive day, with the Israeli military reporting attacks on security facilities across Tehran.

Israel has also expanded operations in Lebanon, conducting air strikes and deploying ground forces after the militant group Hezbollah launched rockets and drones toward Israeli territory.

Iran has reportedly responded with retaliatory attacks across the region, with fresh strikes reported in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Meanwhile, Turkey said its NATO-linked air defence systems intercepted an Iranian missile heading toward Turkish territory.

Amid the growing tensions, Sri Lanka has maintained a neutral position in the conflict, urging all parties to exercise restraint and pursue immediate de-escalation.

The country’s government said it would issue a formal message of condolence for all victims of the conflict, including Iranian officials killed during recent attacks, following the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, earlier in the crisis.

US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship in Indian Ocean as Conflict Escalates