WASHINGTON: US activists have sued the administration of US President Donald Trump with a demand to recognize the war against Iran as illega...
WASHINGTON: US activists have sued the administration of US President Donald Trump with a demand to recognize the war against Iran as illegal and stop it, President of the non-profit organization National Iranian American Council (NIAC) Jamal Abdi said.
The claim filed in the court of the Metropolitan District of Columbia is based on the constitution, which says it is not the president, but the Congress that has the authority to declare war.
"Congress formally declared that the war must end, and yet the war continues," Abdi said adding that Americans of Iranian origin have their "loved ones killed and traumatized illegally with our own tax dollars."
According to him, the plaintiffs will seek to have the court recognize the operation against Iran as a war "no matter how many times [Trump] insists it is just an excursion. The question the courts will have to answer is very simple: is this a war? Because if it is, it is unauthorized. It is illegal, and they must declare it as such. And if so, it must end."
In response to a question from TASS, Abdi said that NIAC intends to file an appeal and seek its consideration in higher courts, including the Supreme Court, if the lawsuit is dismissed in the district court.
"We're prepared to take this as far as we can, pursuing all options because these are unprecedented times," Abdi said, adding that "it's a moment to not just end this catastrophe but to set a precedent for the future so that presidents can't take our country into a war without any authorization."
Attorney Bruce Fein, who represents NIAC, acknowledged in response to a question from TASS that the US Supreme Court has been "reluctant to opine on the war power issue. But I think we live in unprecedented times, and I think, given the fact that uniquely, both the House and the Senate voted against the war, would create a dynamic that's been different and make the court more likely to take this case up."
Earlier, both chambers of Congress adopted resolutions demanding an end to military actions against Iran. Such documents have no legal force and are of a recommendatory nature; the executive branch of the US government has the right to ignore them.
The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, on the night of July 8, the US resumed large·scale strikes against Iran. Subsequently, the US administration effectively signaled the cessation of the use of large·scale military force against Iran and the shift to an attempt to economically strangle it through sanctions.
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