
Republican Senator Rand Paul has told reporters that Donald Trump will need congressional approval to bomb Iran, Reuters reports.
"Let's say President Trump decides that he will bomb Iran. He will have to come to a joint session of Congress and ask for permission, and Congress will have to declare war on Iran. This is a war on Iran," said the young senator from Kentucky. "He will have to come and ask for permission. Otherwise, he would be acting in an unconstitutional way."
Paul was an early supporter of the Tea Party movement, which is often seen as the predecessor of Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.
The U.S. Constitution gives the power to declare war on Congress, not the president. However, in recent days, Democratic and progressive lawmakers, including Tim Kaine and Bernie Sanders, have called for Congress to pass a resolution on war powers that would prohibit the U.S. armed forces from taking direct action against Iran without explicit authorization from Congress or a declaration of war.