US senator introduces legislation to prevent war with Iran

WASHINGTON

US Sen. Tim Kaine introduced a war powers resolution Monday to prevent war with Iran amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

In a statement, Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, expressed concern about the escalating violence in the Middle East and its potential to pull the US into conflict.

The resolution will require a prompt debate and vote prior to using any US military force against Iran, according to the statement.

"It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States. I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict," Kaine said.

The American people have no interest in sending servicemembers to fight another forever war in the Middle East, he said.

"This resolution will ensure that if we decide to place our nation’s men and women in uniform into harm’s way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress," he added.

According to the statement, the war powers resolution underscores that Congress has "the sole power" to declare war, as laid out in the Constitution.

Tensions have escalated since Friday, when Israel launched coordinated airstrikes and drone attacks on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.