Trump warns Senate not to curb his war authority on Iran

US President Donald Trump has warned the Senate against adopting a resolution that would curb his power to wage war against Iran, saying "it would allow Tehran to act with impunity."

Trump said, “This is not the time to show weakness," and that the US security needs the Senate not to vote for the Iran War Powers Resolution.

The US president claimed “Americans overwhelmingly support January 3 US drone attack" that assassinated top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.

Trump said curbing his war powers "sends a very bad signal. The Democrats are only doing this (limiting his power) as an attempt to embarrass the Republican Party. Don’t let it happen!"

The US president's warning comes as the Senate advanced legislation on Wednesday to curb his authority to go to war with Iran, with its passage likely after eight Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the war powers resolution.

A vote on the resolution could take place as early as Thursday amid concerns that the US president could launch on open military conflict with Iran without consulting Congress.

The resolution would require Trump to remove US forces engaged in hostilities against Iran unless Congress declares war or passes a specific authorization for the use of military force, Reuters said.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, the sponsor of the Senate resolution, said "Congress has got to reassert our constitutional role in matters of war and peace." He stressed that the resolution is aimed at preventing unilateral war.

"We don't send a message of weakness when we stand up for the rule of law. That's a message of strength and it especially speaks to people around the world who are in the streets protesting...because they want the rule of law," Kaine said.

In January, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed its own version of the law after Trump’s order to assassinate general Soleimani, and Iran’s retaliatory missile strike against US-occupied bases in Iraq dramatically escalated tensions and raised fears of a war.

The US terrorist attack claimed the lives of top Iranian anti-terror commander, Lt. Gen. Soleimani, and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s anti-terror PMU, along with several others.

After Iran’s retaliatory strike, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the missile attack was just “a slap”.

Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran is equipped in the face of the global bullying powers. "It is a very blatant mistake that some people think if they take a step back, the Americans will stop their hostility."

The US military says more than 100 American soldiers have been treated for traumatic brain injuries following Iran’s retaliatory strike in Iraq, a number that was more than 50 percent higher than previously disclosed.

Trump had said a day after the Iranian missile strike that "We suffered no casualties, all of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases."

Over 100 US forces diagnosed with brain injuries from Iran strikes: US officials

The Pentagon had stated weeks after the strikes that the numbers were expected to increase.

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