US House Speaker Johnson says it is not time to consider war powers resolution

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed efforts on Monday by lawmakers to advance a measure to check President Donald Trump's use of military force against Iran, after Tehran said it carried out a missile attack on the Al Udeid U.S. airbase in Qatar.

Asked whether he would allow the House of Representatives to vote on a bipartisan resolution, Johnson told reporters: "I don't think this is an appropriate time for a war powers resolution, and I don't think it's necessary."

Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna introduced their resolution days before Trump ordered U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday and have since claimed that the president's actions require congressional authorization.

Iran's military said on Monday that it carried out a missile attack on U.S. forces in Qatar, where explosions were heard across the capital.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine has introduced a similar resolution in the Senate that he said lawmakers could vote on as early as this week.

"Our War Powers Resolution has 57 cosponsors. Whether you like it or not, Congress will be voting on U.S. hostilities in Iran," Massie said in a post on the social media platform X earlier on Monday.

Johnson and other Republicans insist that Trump had the authority to take unilateral action against Iran to eliminate a potential nuclear threat to the United States and other countries.

"The President made an evaluation that the danger was imminent enough to take his authority as commander in chief and make that happen," the speaker said. 

US Democrats introduce resolution to check Trump's use of military against Iran

Following House Speaker Mike Johnson's remarks earlier on Monday, three Democratic lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a war powers resolution on Monday to check President Donald Trump's use of military force against Iran after U.S. strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites.

The joint statement issued late on Monday by Democratic U.S. Representatives Jim Himes, Gregory Meeks and Adam Smith came hours after Trump claimed on social media Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire.

"President Trump must not be allowed to start a war with Iran, or any country, without Congressional approval," the lawmakers said, adding that Trump ordered the strikes "without meaningful consultation or Congressional authorization."

Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers had called on Congress to rein in Trump's use of military force in Iran and prevent U.S. involvement in the conflict.

Many Democratic U.S. lawmakers said Trump's actions were unconstitutional and that it was Congress that had the power to declare war on foreign countries.

The Democratic lawmakers said Trump's actions appeared broader.

"The president has posted on social media about regime change, undermining any claim that this was a narrowly tailored operation to eliminate a nuclear threat," the Democratic lawmakers said, referring to a Sunday post in which Trump raised the prospect of overthrowing Iran's government.

"No thoughtful deliberation nor careful planning occurred here - and serious actions demand serious debate, not presidential impulse," they added.

Israel is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons and says its war against Iran aims to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.

Iran, which says its nuclear program is peaceful, is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while Israel is not. 

Trump said earlier on Monday that a "complete and total" ceasefire between Israel and Iran would go into force in the coming hours, moments after both sides threatened new attacks.

The US leader brokered a ceasefire through talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday while his team, including Vice President JD Vance, held talks with Tehran, a senior White House official told news agency Reuters.

The official, providing details of the ceasefire on condition of anonymity, said Israel agreed to it so long as Iran does not launch fresh attacks. Iran signaled that no further attacks would take place, the official said.

Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff were involved in the direct and indirect communications with Iran, the official said.