Trump weighs military action against Iran amid mounting legal concerns

President Donald Trump is contemplating whether to bid U.S. connected Iran and volition marque a determination wrong 2 weeks, White House officials said Thursday, capping days of aggravated speculation astir the president’s program successful the region—and touching disconnected caller fears of escalation, retaliation, and semipermanent engagement successful different overseas conflict.

Trump spent overmuch of the week musing publically astir the imaginable of involving the U.S. much straight successful the Israeli-Iranian conflict, arsenic the 2 countries continued to transportation retired deadly strikes against 1 another. As the week went on, Trump continued to interruption with attempts by Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had attempted to region the relation the U.S. played successful helping Israel.

Trump warned connected societal media Wednesday that the U.S. has "complete and full power of the skies implicit Iran," and demanded an "unconstitutional surrender" from Iran. 

He has besides repeatedly refused to regularisation retired the imaginable of carrying retired a nonstop onslaught connected Iran. "I whitethorn bash it. I whitethorn not bash it," helium told reporters Wednesday. "I mean, cipher knows what I'm going to do," helium said.

That statement, much than immoderate others, illustrates the cardinal question thrumming done overmuch of Washington this week, arsenic Trump continues to huddle with advisers for meetings successful the Situation Room, including astatine slightest 1 gathering wherever helium reportedly approved onslaught plans against Tehran, successful the lawsuit they failed to enactment an extremity to their atomic program, arsenic the medication demanded. (News of that gathering was archetypal reported by the Wall Street Journal.)

TRUMP TO MAKE IRAN DECISION 'WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS' GIVEN 'CHANCE' OF NEGOTIATIONS, LEAVITT SAYS

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Donald Trump volition marque a determination connected the U.S. becoming progressive successful Israel's struggle with Iran wrong the adjacent 2 weeks. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt declined to elaborate connected the quality of U.S.-Iranian talks connected Thursday, telling reporters lone that Trump planned to marque a determination connected however to proceed wrong the two-week period. 

Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected negotiations with the U.S. connected Wednesday, informing that if it attacked Iran, the U.S. "without doubt, volition look irreparable harm."

Here's what we cognize astir Trump's options, should helium take to bid U.S. strikes connected Iran— and the risks, ineligible and otherwise, the U.S. could brushwood arsenic a result.

War Powers Resolution

Trump has been weighing ordering the U.S. to behaviour a onslaught against Iran, including the anticipation of targeting the country's atomic enrichment installation astatine Fordow, a cardinal atomic installation located southbound of Tehran.

But portion Trump huddles with his advisers astatine the White House, lawmakers person been convening connected the different broadside of Pennsylvania Avenue for closed-door meetings of their own. 

Trump's remarks person done small to quell mounting fears of escalation successful the Middle East— some from immoderate MAGA supporters, who rallied astir his promises of ending "forever wars," and Democrats, who fearfulness retaliation that an violative would bring.

Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., announced caller bipartisan authorities this week that would necessitate Trump to get legislature support earlier signing disconnected connected immoderate meaningful engagement successful Iran, specified arsenic violative strikes connected its atomic facilities. 

The measure has attracted the enactment of an unusual conjugation of bipartisan lawmakers, including Trump supporters who are opposed to U.S. engagement successful much overseas wars, and Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. 

Those lawmakers reason that Trump, successful acting unilaterally, would interruption lasting U.S. laws— namely, limitations enumerated successful the War Powers Resolution, oregon the instrumentality passed by Congress successful 1973 aimed astatine codifying the instances successful which a president tin authorize the usage of unit successful overseas conflicts without a ceremonial warfare declaration.

'INSTINCTS FOR RESTRAINT': SENATE DIVIDED OVER WHO GETS TO DECLARE WAR

President Donald Trump talks with reporters earlier a emblem rod is installed connected the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"The ongoing warfare betwixt Israel and Iran is not our war," Massie said successful announcing the bill. "Even if it were, Congress indispensable determine specified matters according to our Constitution."

But successful the decades since the instrumentality was passed, presidents person expanded their powers present importantly absent legislature authorization, including nether some Democrat and Republican presidents. This has, to immoderate degree, been reflected by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which has taken a broader presumption of the Article II powers granted to presidents erstwhile initiating the usage of force— particularly erstwhile it is successful the "national interest" to bash so. 

These broader powers person been utilized by Republican presidents, and during some the Obama and Biden administrations, officials told Fox News Digital. 

Michael Rubin, a elder chap astatine the American Enterprise Institute, stressed this successful an interrogation with Fox News. 

"There's tons of precedents of presidents ignoring the technicalities" of the War Powers Regulation, helium said successful an interrogation Thursday.

Ultimately, Rubin said, the president "has the quality to enactment without it for a acceptable play of time. And truthful [the law] truly lone applies if we're going to beryllium going into a large cognition alternatively than a one-time bombing."

"The information of the substance is, the worst enactment for American information is allowing Iran to reconstitute its programme due to the fact that of what it has buried successful Fordow," said Rubin, a erstwhile Pentagon authoritative whose enactment astatine AEI focuses mostly connected issues successful the Middle East.

Fears of escalation

In the interim, however, Trump's threats person sparked concerns from immoderate critics, who spot his remarks arsenic some unsafe and perchance rife for imaginable retaliation from Tehran. 

Critics person suggested they could besides endanger U.S. officials stationed overseas, including those wrong the onslaught scope of Iran.

"It should beryllium the involvement of the White House to usage U.S. leverage to halt the fighting," Brian Finucane, a elder advisor astatine the International Crisis Group, told Fox News successful an interview. 

"The U.S. is assisting Israel with rocket defence close now," helium said. The concern of defence "is to halt the fight," helium said.

President Donald Trump arrives connected Air Force One astatine Calgary International Airport, Sunday, June 15, 2025, successful Calgary, Canada, up of the G7 Summit.  (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

International law

There are besides fears that the U.S. could beryllium acting successful usurpation of planetary law, including the United Nations charter that "prohibits the menace oregon usage of unit but successful definite constricted circumstances, specified arsenic self-defense," according to a white paper published successful 2019 by Just Security. 

In this situation, critics accidental the U.S. has nary pretext to authorize a onslaught against Iran.

"I don't deliberation there's immoderate plausible self-defense statement for U.S. subject enactment against Iran," Brian Finucane, a elder advisor astatine the International Crisis Group, told Fox News successful an interview. 

"So immoderate U.S. subject enactment against Iran would interruption the UN Charter and frankincense breach the president's work of the Constitution to instrumentality attraction that the laws are faithfully executed," helium said.

Others connected the Hill and beyond person taken a much supportive posture arsenic Trump weighs his adjacent steps.

Speaking successful an interrogation Thursday greeting connected "Fox & Friends," Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., praised Trump’s actions truthful acold successful the region, saying Trump is "doing perfectly the close happening to support America safe."

"He has been precise accordant for 10 years saying Iran cannot beryllium allowed to person a atomic weapon," Barrasso said. "He said it strongly. He's work it repeatedly due to the fact that helium knows that Iran with a atomic limb is simply a menace to the radical of the United States. We basal with the radical [of] Israel."

Sen. Lindsey Graham has been among Trump's astir vocal supporters, and said successful interviews earlier this week that helium believes Trump has a tendency to "finish the job" successful destroying Fordow.

"I don’t deliberation Israel tin decorativeness Fordow without our help, and it’s successful our involvement to marque definite this programme is destroyed, arsenic overmuch arsenic it’s Israel’s," helium said successful an interview. 

"And truthful if there’s thing you request to bash to assistance Israel, bash it," helium said.   

Rubin, the AEI fellow, besides sought to differentiate Trump's actions from different presidents who person engaged successful lengthy overseas conflicts.

"The contented with Iran is we're not entangling the United States successful war," Rubin said. "We're taking an accidental to extremity a situation erstwhile and for all. It seems to beryllium a one-shot deal."

Next steps

Still, it's unclear what Trump's extremity crippled volition be, should helium take to onslaught Iran. 

That's successful portion by design, said Finucane, the advisor astatine the International Crisis Group, who antecedently spent a decennary successful the Office of Legal Counsel for the State Department.

 "The Constitution, precise deliberately, gives the powerfulness to state warfare to Congress," helium said.

"And it does truthful to marque going to warfare hard," helium said. "It requires corporate decision-making, and anterior nationalist debate; deliberation [of] the outgo and benefits of the astir consequential determination that the U.S. authorities tin make, successful presumption of humor and treasure," helium said.

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"Therefore, if the U.S. wants to minimize the hazard of getting dragged into an unnecessary warfare successful the Middle East, and astatine slightest minimize risks to radical successful the region, including Americans successful the region, past it should beryllium successful the involvement of the White House to enactment a halt to the fighting— whether oregon not it wants to get involved,"