U.S. Senator Tim Kaine has strongly criticized the Trump administration for failing to notify Congress before launching military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, calling the move unconstitutional and dangerous.
“The United States should not be in an offensive war against Iran without a vote of Congress,” Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, said in a statement, emphasizing the constitutional clarity on the matter.
Kaine expressed disappointment that the president acted prematurely, saying, “And I am so disappointed that the president has acted so prematurely.”
The strikes, carried out jointly with Israel, targeted Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities in what President Trump described as a mission to “obliterate” Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.
Kaine plans to introduce a Senate resolution next week requiring congressional approval for any future military action against Iran, stating, “This is the U.S. jumping into a war of choice at Donald Trump’s urging, without any compelling national security interests for the United States to act in this way, particularly without a debate and vote in Congress.”
The White House has yet to respond to Kaine’s remarks.