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Co-sponsors of the War Powers Resolution, Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif, and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., were quick to criticize President Donald Trump for greenlighting attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran Saturday night. 

‘This is not constitutional,’ Massie said, responding to Trump’s Truth Social post announcing the strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan in Iran. 

The bipartisan War Powers Resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives this week as strikes between Israel and Iran raged on, and the world stood by to see if Trump would strike. 

Sources familiar told Fox News Digital that both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., were briefed on the strikes ahead of time. 

‘Trump struck Iran without any authorization of Congress. We need to immediately return to DC and vote on @RepThomasMassie and my War Powers Resolution to prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war,’ Khanna said. 

This week, lawmakers sounded off on the unconstitutionality of Trump striking Iran without congressional approval. Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article I of the Constitution. 

The War Powers Resolution seeks to ‘remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic State of Iran’ and directs Trump to ‘terminate’ the deployment of American troops against Iran without an ‘authorized declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military forces against Iran.’

As Trump announced his strikes against Iran – without congressional approval – Khanna said representatives should return to Capitol Hill to prevent further escalation.

And in the upper chamber, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced his own war powers resolution ahead of the bipartisan duo in the House. While the resolution had been gaining steam with his colleagues, momentum could be stalled due to the strikes. His resolution is privileged, meaning that lawmakers will have to consider it. The earliest it could be voted on is Friday.

Kaine argued in a statement that ‘the American public is overwhelmingly opposed to the U.S. waging war on Iran.’

‘And the Israeli Foreign Minister admitted yesterday that Israeli bombing had set the Iranian nuclear program back ‘at least 2 or 3 years,” he said. ‘So, what made Trump recklessly decide to rush and bomb today? Horrible judgment. I will push for all senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war.’

This week on Capitol Hill, Massie, the conservative fiscal hawk who refused to sign onto Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ built an unlikely bipartisan coalition of lawmakers resisting the U.S.’ involvement in the Middle East conflict. 

‘This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution,’ Massie said. 

Massie, whom Trump threatened to primary during the House GOP megabill negotiations, invited ‘all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution.’ By Tuesday night, the bipartisan bill had picked up 27 cosponsors, including progressive ‘Squad’ members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.

Across the political aisle, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., signaled her support, writing that Americans want an affordable cost of living, safe communities and quality education ‘not going into another foreign war.’

‘This is not our fight,’ Greene doubled down on Saturday night, before Trump’s Truth Social announcement. 

The bill’s original co-sponsors also include progressive Democrat Reps.Pramila Jayapal, Summer Lee, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, who called it unconstitutional for ‘Trump to go to war without a vote in Congress.’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump would make his decision about whether to bomb Iran within two weeks. 

‘We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,’ Trump said Saturday night. 

Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and military leaders last week, which the Islamic Republic considered a ‘declaration of war.’ Strikes between Israel and Iran have raged on since, as Trump said he was considering whether to sign off on U.S. strikes against Iran. 

The Jewish State targeted Iran’s nuclear capabilities after months of failed negotiations in the region and heightened concern over Iran developing nuclear weapons. 

But Ali Bahreini, Iran’s ambassador to Geneva, said Iran ‘will continue to produce the enriched uranium as far as we need for peaceful purposes,’ as Israel, and now the U.S., have issued strikes against Iran’s nuclear capabilities. 

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, slammed Iran’s UN representative as ‘a wolf disguised as a diplomat,’ during a fiery session of the Security Council on Saturday, hours before the US struck three nuclear sites in Iran. 

Following the US strike on nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, which President Donald Trump said had been ‘totally obliterated,’ Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani demanded another ’emergency meeting’ of the Security Council calling for condemnation ‘in the strongest possible terms’ of the US actions and for it not to go ‘unpunished.’

‘The Islamic Republic of Iran urgently requests the Security Council to convene an emergency meeting without delay to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression,’ Iravani wrote in a letter to UN Secretary General António Guterres.

Iravani called the US strikes ‘premeditated, and unprovoked,’ and said it was a ‘flagrant violation of international law.’

Earlier, Danon, in response to similar allegations against Israel, highlighted the council’s hypcoricy, callilng the Iranian representative a ‘wolf disguised as a diplomat.’ 

‘How dare a representative of a regime that finances, arms and orchestrates terrorism all over the world, ask for compassion from this Council?’ Danon said during a council session on Saturday. ‘You are not a victim. You are not a diplomat. You are a wolf disguised as a diplomat, and we are done pretending otherwise.’ 

Following the US strike on Iran, which included five to six bunker buster bombs dropped on Fordow nuclear site and some 30 Tomahawk missiles fired against sites in Natanz and Isfahan, Danon told Fox News Digital that ‘after decades of ignoring the International community, Iran is trying to play victim and ask for sympathy from the Security Council.’ 

‘Sec Gen Guterres should be thanking President Trump for taking action and making the world a safer place — instead of condemning the U.S. for promoting peace through strength,’ Danon told Fox News Digital.

‘After years of the UN’s incompetence that allowed Iran to accelerate its dangerous nuclear weapons program, the U.S. has acted forcefully to prevent a destructive nuclear Iran from threatening Israel, the U.S. and the free world,’ he said. 

‘I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security,’ Guterres said in a statement.

‘There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,’ he added, calling on UN member states to ‘de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law.’

An Iranian missile attack on Israel on Sunday, hours after the US struck nuclear facilities in Iran, scored direct hits in the cities of Tel Aviv, Haifa and Nes Ziona, causing widespread destruction but no immediate fatalities, Israeli authorities said.

Images shared by Israel’s first responders showed multistorey buildings with their sides blown away and windows shattered and single-family homes in ruins, as rescue crews searched the debris for survivors.

Israel’s first aid agency, Magen David Adom, said there were no initial reports of fatalities but dozens were injured and evacuated to hospital.

In a press briefing, Tel Aviv’s Mayor Ron Huldai said the damage in his city was ‘very extensive but in terms of human life, we are okay.’

‘Houses here were hit very, very badly,’ he said, adding that ‘fortunately, one of them was slated for demolition and reconstruction, so there were no residents inside. Those who were in the shelter are all safe and well.’

In Nes Ziona, a town just south of Tel Aviv, a house was directly hit by a missile and the surrounding buildings destroyed, but, according to Israeli media reports, the families were in their shelter.

Israel’s home front command on Sunday put the country back onto emergency footing, days after some of the restrictions on commercial centers and larger gatherings had been eased.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was delivering remarks at a ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ rally in Tusla, Okla., on Saturday night when President Donald Trump announced the United States had successfully attacked three nuclear sites in Iran. 

An aide interrupted Sanders’ remarks to deliver the message Trump had just blasted off on Truth Social. 

‘We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,’ Trump said in the post. 

Sanders read the piece of paper with Trump’s Truth Social post to his supporters, shaking his head as the socialist senator processed what the president had just announced. ‘No more wars!’ the crowd chanted. 

Trump added in the post: ‘All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.’

Sanders nodded along as the crowd continued to chant, ‘No more wars!’ before responding to the news in real time. 

He said the news was not only ‘alarming,’ but ‘so grossly unconstitutional.’

‘All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The president does not have the right,’ Sanders shouted. 

Sanders joins the bipartisan coalition in Congress who have called out the ‘unconstitutionality’ of Trump striking Iran without congressional approval. 

A bipartisan War Powers Resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives this week as strikes between Israel and Iran raged on, and the world stood by to see if Trump would strike. Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article I of the Constitution. 

The War Powers Resolution seeks to ‘remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic State of Iran’ and directs Trump to ‘terminate’ the deployment of American troops against Iran without an ‘authorized declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military forces against Iran.’

‘The American people do not want more war, more death!’ Sanders said. ‘It might be a good idea if we concentrated on the problems that exist in Oklahoma and Vermont rather than getting involved in another war that the American people do not want.’

But Sanders told the crowd not to give up on their vision for America’s future. 

‘In this moment in American history, what we have got to do in Vermont and Oklahoma, in Texas, all over this country, is stand up and fight back, and tell them this is our country!’ Sanders said. 

Sanders has been a vocal opponent of the United States joining Israel in its war against Iran as Trump weighed striking its nuclear facilities. 

‘Netanyahu is not the President of the United States,’ Sanders said on social media earlier this week. 

‘He should not be determining U.S. foreign and military policy. If the people of Israel support his decision to start a war with Iran, that is their business and their war. The United States must not be a part of it,’ he added. 

The democratic socialist has been a vocal opponent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war against Gaza since Israel retaliated following Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. 

After Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities last week, Sanders said it was ‘just his latest violation of international law,’ likening Netanyahu to a ‘war criminal.’

The Vermont senator was speaking at his second rally of the day, part of his southern swing of the ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour that Sanders started in response to Trump’s sweeping second-term agenda. 

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Tx., and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Tx., are slated to join the Vermont senator at his rallies in Texas on Sunday. 

And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., joined Sanders on his Western swing of the tour earlier this year. 

The tour targets deep red districts currently held by Republicans, a strategy picked up by Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who hosted town halls in Republican congressional districts, and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) through their ‘People’s Town Halls’ across the United States. 

Sanders also held a rally in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s hometown of Shreveport, La., on Saturday. 

While Democratic senators are blaming President Donald Trump for the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, Republicans are urging the president to continue standing in support of Israel as it attempts to eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapon capabilities.

This comes as Israel and Iran, two major powers in the Middle East, are locked in a heavy missile war. Israel, a U.S. ally, has been targeting Iranian nuclear facilities with the intent of keeping Iran from utilizing nuclear weapons, something Trump has long advocated.

Following intense speculation that Trump would join the conflict by launching a U.S. strike on Iran, the White House issued a statement from the president in which he said there is a ‘substantial chance’ for renewed negotiations to end the conflict. In the statement, Trump said he would decide which path to take in the next two weeks.

The White House has said that any deal with Iran would have to include a full commitment to not developing nuclear weapons, including no uranium enrichment, a necessary step to developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it will not accept an agreement with a zero enrichment provision. 

Speaking with Fox News Digital in the halls of the Capitol, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., slammed Trump for pulling the U.S. out of a nuclear agreement of which Iran was a part during his first term. 

‘The way to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon is through negotiation,’ she said. ‘We actually had that deal, and Donald Trump threw it out the window.‘

That means we lost our inspectors, we lost the plans that had been made,’ she continued.

‘Right now, we need more deconfliction in the area. We need to bring down the temperature between Israel and Iran. That’s what’s best for Israel and Iran, it’s what’s best for the region and for the whole world,’ said Warren.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., also blamed Trump, saying, ‘He’s the one who put us out the deal in the first place,’ which she said ‘very much so’ contributed to the ongoing conflict.

While he said the U.S. should not be involved in bombing missions or any other military action against Iran, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said, What we should do is continue to provide Israel with all the tools they need to defend themselves.’

‘I hope the president will continue to promote a diplomatic solution that we had until he tore it up,’ said Kaine.

Meanwhile, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, told Fox News Digital that the ‘question is can it be resolved without our involvement.’ He said he hopes Iran ‘will see the light and decide they don’t need to keep developing nuclear fuel.’

On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that he believes Trump ‘standing unshakably with the nation of Israel’ is the right move to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

Israel is being incredibly effective with their military strike against Iran. They’ve taken out the senior military leadership, the leaders who would wage a war have been one after the other after the other surgically taken out by Israel. They are also taking out missile launch sites, and they’re taking out nuclear research sites, the sites where Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapon,’ Cruz explained.

‘Deterrence is always the key,’ said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Ohio. ‘This president has been very clear he’s all about peace, and he doesn’t want to use the might of the United States unless we absolutely have to. I believe deterrence is the best foreign policy, because it shows peace through strength.’

That being said, Mullin said Trump has he’s been ‘very clear for over a decade: In no way are we going to allow the Iranian regime, who is the number one sponsor of terror around the world, to have a nuclear weapon.’

‘So, we need to be prepared to back up Israel if they’re not able to do the job, then we need to be able to finish it,’ he said.

Look, he has said this for 10 years. He has said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, full stop,’ said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. ‘So, it is not just about [uranium] enrichment, which absolutely should have never happened and cannot happen, but it is also complete and total dismantlement of the nuclear program.’

President Donald Trump announced on Friday he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had secured a ‘wonderful’ treaty between Rwanda and Congo, as Pakistan formally nominated him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

‘I am very happy to report that I have arranged, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a wonderful Treaty between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of Rwanda, in their War, which was known for violent bloodshed and death, more so even than most other Wars, and has gone on for decades,’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social announcement. 

The president noted representatives from Rwanda and the Congo will be in Washington on Monday to sign documents. 

He went on to discuss his chances at winning a Nobel Peace Prize, claiming he wouldn’t get one, ‘no matter what I do.’

‘This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World,’ Trump wrote in the post. ‘I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for this, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between Serbia and Kosovo, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for keeping Peace between Egypt and Ethiopia (A massive Ethiopian built dam, stupidly financed by the United States of America, substantially reduces the water flowing into The Nile River), and I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for doing the Abraham Accords in the Middle East which, if all goes well, will be loaded to the brim with additional Countries signing on, and will unify the Middle East for the first time in ‘The Ages!’

‘No, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that’s all that matters to me!’

On Wednesday, India refuted claims by Trump that he had stopped the war between Pakistan and India.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri wrote in a news release that ‘talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan,’ according to a report from Reuters.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India ‘has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do,’ Misri noted in the statement.

The mention of a Nobel Peace Prize came nearly two hours after the Government of Pakistan published a lengthy post on X, formally recommending Trump for the honor.

‘The Government of Pakistan has decided to formally recommend President Donald J. Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis,’ the post read. ‘The international community bore witness to unprovoked and unlawful Indian aggression, which constituted a grave violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, resulting in the tragic loss of innocent lives, including women, children, and the elderly.’

Pakistani leaders said at a moment of heightened regional turbulence, Trump demonstrated ‘great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship’ through ‘robust diplomatic engagement’ with both Islamabad and New Delhi, securing a ceasefire.

‘This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker and his commitment to conflict resolution through dialogue,’ the post continued. ‘The Government of Pakistan also acknowledges and greatly admires President Trump’s sincere offers to help resolve the longstanding dispute of Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan—an issue that lies at the heart of regional instability.

‘President Trump’s leadership during the 2025 Pakistan India crisis manifestly showcases the continuation of his legacy of pragmatic diplomacy and effective peace-building. Pakistan remains hopeful that his earnest efforts will continue to contribute towards regional and global stability, particularly in the context of ongoing crises in the Middle East, including the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza and the deteriorating escalation involving Iran.’

According to The Nobel Prize’s website, to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, a person must be a ‘qualified nominator,’ which includes national governments, heads of state, previous award winners, and members of specific international organizations. 

The nomination process is confidential, and entries are due by Jan. 31, hence the 2026 nomination.

The State Department said Friday it had provided ‘information and support’ to over 25,000 people in Israel, the West Bank or Iran seeking guidance on what to do and how to get out.

When pressed on the matter during a State Department briefing Friday afternoon, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce declined to go into further detail about how many of those 25,000 people are American citizens or any other breakdown of the number. 

News of the number of people the State Department has assisted comes after the agency announced the formation of a task force to assist Americans looking to leave Israel or other Middle Eastern countries.  

Bruce said during a press briefing Friday that the United States does not intend to help transport American citizens directly from Iran, and they will have to make it out first before they can be assisted by the government. 

United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said earlier this week the embassy in Jerusalem was ‘working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures’ for Americans trying to leave Israel.

Huckabee released his statement hours after the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem wrote in its own X post that there was ‘no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time,’ but it simultaneously acknowledged ‘the Department of State is always planning for contingencies to assist with private U.S. citizens’ departure from crisis areas.’

So far, the U.S. has not engaged in a large-scale effort to help Americans get out of Israel. But, according to ABC News, the military did assist in flying some American diplomats and family members from the U.S. Embassy this week. 

Private flights for American citizens did begin landing in Florida Thursday after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dispatched four planes to pick up U.S. citizens stuck in Israel during the ongoing violence. Other private options to get out of Israel are also available.

On Monday, the State Department raised its travel warning for Israel to the highest level possible.