Bernie Sanders to propose bill banning US military action against Iran without Congress approval

US Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders announced on Saturday a new bill aimed at blocking any US military action against Iran without Congressional approval, as he vehemently condemned Israel’s unprecedented attacks on the country.

Sanders’s announcement and sharp criticism of Israel’s latest military actions follow his increasingly vocal opposition to the nearly two-year war on the Gaza Strip - despite his initial support for Israel’s military campaign after the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023.

The senator’s proposal seeks to prevent federal funds from being used for US military operations against Iran without explicit authorisation from Congress.

A similar measure was introduced in 2020 during the previous Trump administration but ultimately failed to secure a majority in the Senate.

On Saturday, Sanders announced on social media that he planned to introduce "legislation to prohibit the use of federal funds for any use of military force in or against Iran without specific Congressional authorisation, with an exception for self-defence."

He added, "The United States must not be drawn into Netanyahu’s illegal war against Iran."

A long-time critic of the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war on Gaza, Sanders condemned Israeli leaders on Friday for launching a "unilateral" attack on Iran.

The senator warned that the strikes, which reportedly killed senior Iranian officials and targeted nuclear-related sites, could trigger a wider regional conflict.

"These strikes also directly contravened the express wishes of the United States, which was seeking a diplomatic resolution to the long-standing tensions around Iran’s nuclear programme," Sanders said on Friday.

"Talks were planned for Sunday, but Netanyahu chose instead to launch an attack," he added.

Sanders emphasised that the US and the international community must do "everything possible" to prevent further escalation and return to the negotiating table.

"The world is more dangerous and unstable as a result of the extremist Netanyahu government’s ongoing defiance of international law.

"First, he uses the starvation of children in Gaza as a tool of war- a barbaric violation of the Geneva Conventions. Now, his illegal, unilateral attack on Iran risks a full-blown regional war," Sanders declared.

His remarks come amid rising concern in Washington over the potential for US involvement in the escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran- particularly after Donald Trump warned that if Iran were to launch an attack on US sites, the "full strength" of the US military would respond.

However, in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump clarified that the United States had no involvement in the Saturday night strike on Iran, adding that the US hopes to "easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict."

Tehran has since pulled out of nuclear talks that Washington had considered the only viable path to halting Israel’s bombardment.

A round of US-Iran negotiations scheduled to take place in Oman on Sunday was cancelled, after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that discussions could not proceed while Iran continued to endure Israel’s "barbarous" attacks.

Iran and Israel continued trading attacks for a third consecutive day, with the death toll mounting on Sunday and Israel threatening further escalation.

Israel struck the Iranian Defence Ministry’s headquarters in Tehran, along with sites it claimed were connected to Iran’s nuclear programme. Meanwhile, Iranian missiles breached Israeli air defences, striking strike deep inside Israel.

The Israeli strikes follow weeks of growing tensions between the two nations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. On Thursday, Iran announced it would soon activate a third nuclear enrichment facility, shortly after the UN nuclear watchdog censured Tehran for failing to comply with its nonproliferation obligations.