Michigan’s senior U.S. senator says Congress’ role in a potential military conflict with Iran may be debated on the U.S. Senate floor this week.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been rising.
Last week, Iran shot down a U.S. spy drone. President Trump says he authorized and later cancelled a retaliatory strike. The U.S. did launch a cyber-attack against Iranian military computer systems.
U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton says Iran should not "mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness."
Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem Sunday, Bolton says no one has granted Iran a "hunting license in the Middle East."
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) says Congress should have a say before any shots are fired.
“We’re trying on the Senate floor as part of a defense authorization bill to bring up an amendment requiring the Congress authorize any military action that could lead to war,” Stabenow said.
Stabenow says she doesn’t know if Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will allow the amendment to move forward.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is traveling to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for talks on Iran.
Speaking to reporters before flying out on Sunday, Pompeo said he'll be talking to the two U.S. allies "about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned" and how to build a global coalition to "push back against the world's largest state sponsor of terror."
At the same time, Pompeo reiterated that the U.S. was prepared to negotiate with Iran with no preconditions to ease tensions in the Persian Gulf.
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