Trump to Congress: My Tweets Will Notify You of Military Action Against Iran

The House Foreign Affairs Committee told Trump, “you’re not a dictator,” soon after the president took to Twitter on Sunday to inform Congress that Iran can expect “disproportionate” retaliation if it launches attacks on U.S. citizens or American facilities. The president also wrote, “These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!” The House Foreign Affairs Committee responded with, “This Media Post will serve as a reminder that war powers reside in the Congress under the United States Constitution. And that you should read the War Powers Act.”

On Thursday, Trump ordered an airstrike that killed Iran’s most powerful general, Qassem Soleimani, which directly heightened tensions between the two countries. Iran has vowed to strike back at the U.S. for the general’s assassination. Critics of Trump’s Iran policy have said the strike on Soleimani could have extreme and unforeseen consequences, while officials have claimed the killing was ordered after intelligence emerged of Iran’s "late stage" planning to attack American assets in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.