US Senate rejects bid to curb Trump's Iran war powers

The Republican-led US Senate rejected a Democratic-led bid on Friday to block Donald Trump from using further military force against Iran, hours after the President said he would consider more bombing.

The Senate vote was 53 to 47, along party lines, against a war powers resolution that would have required congressional approval for more hostilities against Iran.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, a member of the Senate armed services and foreign relations committees, on introduced the bill last week. The legislation expressed concern about the escalating violence in the Middle East and its potential to pull the US into conflict − which it – ultimately did when Mr Trump ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure days later.

“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,” the Democratic senator said. “I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict.”

Trump says Iran sanctions relief off the table after Khamenei’s comments

01:25

Asked on Friday if he would bomb Iranian nuclear sites again if he deemed necessary, Mr Trump said: “Sure, without question.”

Passage of the resolution was seen as a long shot. Republicans have a majority in the Senate, and have overwhelmingly stood with the President in support of his decision to strike Iran. There were some fractures in the Make America Great Again movement that seem largely to have healed now that it seems the strikes will not provoke a longer conflict.

Most Republicans hold that Iran posed an imminent threat that required decisive action from Mr Trump.

Democrats, meanwhile, have cast doubt on that justification, arguing the President should have come to Congress first. They also said the President did not update them adequately, with Congress's first briefings taking place on Thursday.