NIAC Sues Trump Over Unconstitutional Iran War After Senate Vote Fails

The National Iranian American Council Action filed a lawsuit in a Washington federal court on Thursday seeking a declaration that the U.S. war against Iran violates the Constitution's Declare War Clause. The suit argues President Donald Trump launched the conflict on February 28 without congressional authorization and has no timeline to end it.

The legal action came hours after the Senate rejected a War Powers resolution to halt the war in a 49-50 vote. The measure had previously passed the House. NIAC President Jamal Abdi said Congress failed its constitutional duty, forcing the group to pursue judicial relief.

“Can one person decide, on his own, to keep an entire nation at war?”

Constitutional lawyers Alan Morrison and Bruce Fein filed the complaint. Morrison noted that both chambers of Congress voted against the war in June, changing the legal dynamic and making court intervention more likely. The White House previously claimed hostilities ended with an April 7 ceasefire.

That ceasefire has barely held, with U.S. forces conducting multi-day bombings on Iran's southern coast earlier this month, including a strike on a wedding. Trump threatened to "annihilate" Iran during his UN General Assembly speech on Tuesday, escalating urgency for legal action.