The United States Senate has rejected a resolution that sought to limit President Donald Trump’s authority to continue military operations against Iran without congressional approval, even as the conflict intensifies across the Middle East and thousands of Americans remain stranded in the region.
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In a 53–47 vote on Wednesday, Republican senators blocked the war powers resolution that would have required the Trump administration to seek approval from Congress before continuing military action against Iran.
Only one Republican, Rand Paul of Kentucky, joined Democrats in supporting the measure. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted with Republicans to reject it.
The vote followed controversial weekend airstrikes ordered by President Trump targeting the Iranian capital, Tehran. The president also publicly called for the overthrow of Iran’s current government, triggering alarm among lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune defended the president’s actions, arguing that Trump had the constitutional authority to order the strikes even though Congress had not voted on the military operation.
The United States House of Representatives is expected to hold its own vote on the issue on Thursday.
The conflict has created mounting difficulties for American citizens across the Middle East. Thousands of U.S. nationals are currently stranded in countries including Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates after Iran launched retaliatory drone attacks targeting U.S. facilities.
Democratic lawmakers and current and former officials from the U.S. Department of State have criticized the administration for failing to adequately plan evacuation measures before the strikes were carried out.
A group of Democratic legislators wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accusing the administration of poor preparation.
“The lack of clear preparation, planning, and communication to Americans abroad is unacceptable and a violation of the State Department’s basic mission,” the lawmakers stated.
American citizens in the region reported receiving confusing instructions from the State Department, including advice to evacuate despite airport closures and difficulty reaching embassy staff for assistance.
The situation has worsened following a series of attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities. The U.S. Embassy in Jordan was evacuated due to security threats, while Iranian drones struck the U.S. embassy compound in Kuwait and ignited a fire at the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia. Another drone attack set a parking lot ablaze outside the U.S. consulate in Dubai.
At least six American service members have been killed since the United States and Israel began military operations against Iran. No civilian American casualties have been reported.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected criticism that the administration failed to warn citizens.
She noted that the State Department had issued Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisories for several countries in the region as far back as January.
However, Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” warnings for countries including Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Cyprus were issued only after the air campaign began.
The United States Department of Defense said it plans to deploy C-17 cargo aircraft to assist evacuation operations, while the State Department is arranging charter flights to bring Americans home.
Late Wednesday, the department confirmed that one evacuation flight had already departed the Middle East for the United States.
Rubio acknowledged that the evacuation effort has been complicated by widespread airspace closures resulting from Iranian aerial attacks.
“The challenge we are facing is airspace closures,” Rubio said. “But we are confident that we will be able to assist every American.”
Officials say the State Department has so far assisted nearly 6,500 Americans abroad, providing travel guidance and security support.
Diplomats and foreign policy experts have blamed staffing shortages at the State Department for the slow response. Critics say recent workforce cuts and the absence of confirmed ambassadors in several Middle Eastern countries weakened Washington’s crisis response capacity.
The American Foreign Service Association warned that the conflict has exposed “serious gaps in America’s diplomatic readiness.”
The group said the State Department has lost experienced personnel with critical regional expertise, including specialists in Farsi and Arabic.
Some stranded citizens say they feel abandoned by their government.
Cody Greene, a 36-year-old American businessman from Tampa who was in Dubai on a work trip when the conflict erupted, said attempts to get help were unsuccessful.
“It’s my son’s first birthday today. I promised my wife I’d be home in time,” Greene said. “I feel betrayed and left out to dry by my own government.”
Meanwhile, Iran has sharply condemned U.S. military actions after the sinking of an Iranian naval vessel.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the incident as an “atrocity at sea,” warning that the United States would “bitterly regret” the attack.
The vessel, the frigate IRIS Dena, was reportedly struck by a U.S. torpedo in international waters near Sri Lanka. Authorities say 87 bodies have been recovered and dozens remain missing.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that an Iranian vessel had been destroyed but did not identify it by name. It marked the first time since World War II that a U.S. Navy submarine torpedo had struck a ship in combat.
The conflict has also spread beyond Iran and Israel. Iranian forces have launched operations against Kurdish armed groups in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq while continuing drone and missile attacks against Israeli and U.S. targets.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched what it described as the 19th wave of missile and drone attacks since the conflict began.
Explosions were reported in the Iraqi province of Sulaimaniyah near the towns of Arabat, Zarkuiz and Surdash. The attacks reportedly targeted bases of the Kurdish militant group Komala.
Israeli defence systems intercepted drones over the western Galilee, while Saudi Arabia shot down several unmanned aircraft. Authorities in Doha, Qatar ordered evacuations near the U.S. embassy.
Airstrikes by the United States and Israel have continued across Iran, with explosions reported in Tehran and Kurdish cities including Sanandaj, Saqqez and Bukan.
Iranian media say more than 150 cities have been targeted since the war began, with at least 1,045 people killed.
As the bombardment intensifies, thousands of residents are fleeing Tehran, while many others remain in the capital amid fear, uncertainty and ongoing air raids.
The rapidly expanding conflict now threatens to engulf much of the Middle East as diplomatic tensions and military exchanges between the United States, Israel and Iran continue to escalate.
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