Iran's Revolutionary Guard has shot down a US drone to send a “clear message” to the Trump administration after US secretary of state Mike Pompeo blamed the regime for an attack on two foreign oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz last week.
Donald Trump has yet to address the incident but has been warned by Russian president Vladimir Putin that any war between the two nations would be a “disaster”. The Pentagon has meanwhile called the downing of the drone an “unprovoked attack” by Tehran in international airspace, although Iran says the drone crossed its border.
On Capitol Hill, the Senate is poised to vote on legislation to block the Trump administration from selling US-made weapons to Saudi Arabia and its allies. This follows a decision by the UK government to halt approvals for the sale of weapons that could be used in the conflict in Yemen after its processes were ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal.
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The case has been closely watched, as the decision could have a significant impact on the use of religious symbols in public life.
Trump says Iran made a 'very big mistake' by shooting down US drone amid fears of war
Missile assault on unmanned aircraft comes just days after attacks on tankers that Washington blames on Tehran“With the Administration continuing to dangerously escalate tensions with Iran and publicly floating utilizing the 2001 AUMF as a legal basis for military action against Iran, this vote sends an important signal to the Administration that it cannot take military action against Iran without prior Congressional approval. This is a stark reminder of the dangers of leaving this overly broad authorization on the books.
“Congress has been missing in action for too long. The 2001 AUMF has been cited as the legal justification for military action 41 times in 18 countries – and those are only the unclassified instances. We cannot afford to let the Trump Administration utilize this blank check for endless war as the legal basis for a disastrous war with Iran.
“Congress has a constitutional responsibility to make clear that the 2001 AUMF does not apply to Iran and that the Administration must come to Congress to seek express congressional approval for any military action against Iran.
“As the only Member of Congress to vote against the 2001 AUMF, I am pleased with the inclusion and passage of my amendment which has been an issue I have been advocating to repeal for more than a decade.”
“I see a growing risk of miscalculation,” the Democrat said.
It is generally interpreted as giving congressional authorization for U.S. military action in Afghanistan, as well as against al-Qaeda and affiliates.
In front of Congress yesterday, he said that he did not rule out the possibility that the White House might justify a military confrontation with Iran using the 2001 law that authorised the Afghanistan war.
However, he added that the Trump administration was "not seeking military action".
The rhetoric is escalated again between the two nations, I'm sure the hardliners in Iran and the Revolutionary Guard will not take kindly to it.
And it is certainly a continuation of his hardline policy towards Tehran.
Illinois 9th district Democrat, representative Jan Schakowsky said in a Twitter video that the president "certainly has committed all kinds of offenses that meet the standard" for a formal charge by the House.
Sean Casten, who is a Democrat representing the same state's 6th district, told the Chicago Sun-Times that he wants Congress to use "every tool" to investigate Trump, even if that means paying a political price in the 2020 elections.
Mr Putin also said that Iran was complying with the international nuclear accord signed with the world powers including the US, and that sanctions from the White House were "groundless".. Mr Trump announced he was withdrawing Washington from the nuclear pact last year.
