[Text/Observer Network Liu Chenghui] While one side is "showing muscle" by deploying the U.S. military in full array, the other side is evasive about military strikes, leaving the next move of U.S. President Trump a subject of endless speculation among outsiders. The Democratic lawmakers could no longer contain themselves.

On June 18 local time, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and several key committee Democratic senior members issued a joint statement, severely criticizing Trump for lacking preparation, strategy, and clear goals in handling the Iran issue. They emphasized that Congress has not authorized any military action against Iran and will not "rubber-stamp" any intervention that may put the United States at risk. "The United States cannot sleepwalk into a third war within just a few decades," they said.

Politico News described this as the most high-profile action taken by Congressional Democrats against Trump's Iran policy so far. Democrats are calling on Trump to submit a detailed strategic plan regarding the Middle East policy, including mission objectives, costs, risks, and evacuation plans. They also expressed support for Israel's defense but emphasized the priority of reaching an agreement through diplomatic means to curb Iran's nuclear program.

In addition to Schumer, four other Democratic senators joined in the joint letter: Jack Reed from Rhode Island, Mark Warner from Virginia, Patty Murray from Washington, and Chris Koons from Delaware.

On June 17, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Schumer gave a speech at the Capitol. Visual China.

They demanded that the Trump administration formulate a clear strategy for dealing with Iran, stating that it had kept Congress in the dark when considering direct military involvement of American troops in Israel's military actions against Iran.

The joint letter warned that escalating conflicts could escalate into regional wars and pose risks to thousands of U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East. The letter criticized the government for its lack of preparation, strategy, and clear goals for any U.S. intervention.

"According to the law, if the president considers involving the country in a war, he must consult Congress and seek authorization. He owes Congress and the American people a strategy for U.S. participation in the region." "We need a clear and detailed plan outlining the objectives, risks, costs, and timeline of any proposed mission, as well as how Americans in danger can be safely evacuated from the entire region."

"Congress is an equal partner in safeguarding national security worldwide, and Congress has not authorized military action against Iran - we will not rubber-stamp military interventions that put the United States at risk," the five senior Democratic senators emphasized in the letter. "The United States cannot sleepwalk into a third war within decades."

Meanwhile, the joint letter supports the United States continuing to protect Israel from Iranian missile attacks and providing additional air defense capabilities. However, they urged Trump to "put diplomacy first" and seek a binding agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program.

Although according to the U.S. Constitution, Congress is the only institution with the authority to declare war, due to the president's ability to authorize strikes in defensive situations, U.S. presidents often bypass Congress when taking military actions. For example, Trump's airstrikes in Syria during his first term were criticized as "illegal" for bypassing Congress.

Recently, many U.S. lawmakers have expressed intentions to propose resolutions or bills to prevent the Trump administration from militarily intervening in the conflict between Iran and Israel.

U.S. Republican Representative Thomas Massie recently teamed up with several progressive Democratic lawmakers to submit a resolution requiring Trump to obtain congressional approval before sending U.S. troops to attack Iran. Massie stated on social media platforms that the conflict between Israel and Iran is not America's war.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine proposed a war powers resolution aimed at preventing U.S. troops from getting involved in the Iran-Israel conflict. Kaine emphasized that the U.S. Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the sole authority to declare war, requiring any hostile action against Iran to be explicitly approved through a declaration of war or specific authorization for the use of military force.

CNN reported that Kaine's resolution was considered a privileged resolution, meaning Kaine could force the Senate to vote on the resolution.

Bernie Sanders, an independent senator, proposed the "War Against Iran Prohibition Act," which requires that no federal funds be used for any military action against Iran unless explicitly authorized by the U.S. Congress.

Before the joint letter was issued, Axios News website reported on June 17 that there were divisions among Senate Democrats regarding the potential military strike on Iran by Trump.

The report suggested that the core of the party's division lies in their stance on the Israeli-Iranian conflict: some members, including Sanders and Reed, criticized Israel's actions as "reckless," while others, including Schumer, emphasized Israel's right to self-defense and the necessity of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. At the same time, almost all Democrats publicly agreed to seek diplomatic solutions.

However, both Reed and Schumer signed the joint letter targeting Trump this time.

Currently, Trump has deployed more aircraft and warships to the Middle East to protect U.S. personnel and assets from Iranian attacks. There are currently about 40,000 U.S. troops in the region.

To destroy Iran's deeply buried Fordow nuclear facility, Israel would need to use U.S. B-2 bombers to drop heavy bunker-buster bombs.

Trump remains "vague" about whether to join Israel in attacking Iran, waffling between "diplomatic solution" and "war threat."

For instance, he posted on social media demanding Iran to "surrender unconditionally," seemingly inclining toward military intervention. But the next day, he stated that he had yet to decide whether to approve the strike on Iran.

When asked on the White House lawn on the 18th whether the U.S. would join Israel in striking Iran's nuclear facilities, Trump replied, "You don't even know if I will do it. I might do it, or I might not. No one knows what I will do. I can tell you: Iran has a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate."

On the evening of the 18th, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had approved the U.S. military's attack plan on Iran, but was still waiting to give the final order.

Trump later posted on Truth Social, saying, "The Wall Street Journal doesn't know anything about my thoughts on Iran!"

The Hill described that Trump did not deny the substance of the report, and U.S. government officials said Trump was still weighing options.

"The president's position changes too quickly for anyone to keep up," said Senate Armed Services Committee Democratic leader Jack Reed. "I'm sure when he says 'I want Iran to surrender unconditionally' at one o'clock in the morning, he won't call for advice from advisors. That's one of the problems."

This article is an exclusive piece from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7517679565616038450/

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