Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a measure that aimed to rein in Donald Trump’s power to wage war against Iran without congressional authorization. “Given these facts on the ground, we were left with no choice,” Cotton said on the Senate floor. The cost of the war exceeded $11.3bn in its first week and scrambled global supply chains for oil, fertilizer and aluminum. Earlier this week, US allies rebuffed Trump’s demand for help reopening the critical strait of Hormuz, insisting they would not join a war the US president started without their consultation. The president has repeatedly said the US needed to wage war against Iran to stave off what the administration has described as an imminent threat from Tehran’s Islamic Republic.

Source: The Guardian March 19, 2026 08:07 UTC