Senate moves forward with measure to restrict Trump's military authority in Iran
In a 50-47 vote, senators approved advancing a war powers measure requiring Trump to obtain legislative consent for ongoing military operations in Iran.
In a significant legislative move on Tuesday, the United States Senate has approved the advancement of a measure that would require President Donald Trump to obtain authorization from Congress to maintain military operations against Iran.
According to Reuters, the procedural vote on the war-powers resolution succeeded with a tally of 50 to 47, including support from four members of the Republican party.
Lawmakers have been making the case that the authority to deploy military forces into combat situations belongs to Congress rather than the executive branch, as clearly outlined in the United States Constitution.
Military operations involving the United States and Israel against Iran have now entered their third month, creating significant strain on economies worldwide through escalating fuel and energy costs following the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The proposed legislation has the potential to compel Trump to remove American military personnel from Iran without securing legislative consent.
Nevertheless, significant obstacles remain before the bill becomes law. The measure must successfully pass through the entire Senate chamber and the House of Representatives, which is under Republican control, and the president maintains veto authority, which would necessitate a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to overturn.
Pressure mounts on Trump over Iran war
Virginia's Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, who introduced the resolution, stated on X that 80 days had elapsed since Trump initiated what he characterized as an "illegal war" with Iran.
"Congress has the power to slam the brakes on this unwise conflict. Today should be the day when the Senate tells the President to stop his disastrous war."
Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican, expressed concurrence, posting on X: "While I support the administration's efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear program, the White House and Pentagon have left Congress in the dark on Operation Epic Fury."
Potential impact on crypto markets
The continuation of hostilities combined with broader economic challenges, including inflationary pressures, have impeded the cryptocurrency market's ability to rebound, with digital currencies experiencing largely horizontal trading patterns for nearly four months.
Should the conflict with Iran reach a conclusion, it could potentially trigger a significant market surge as economies begin to stabilize and investor appetite for higher-risk assets is restored.
Tim Sun, a senior researcher at HashKey Group, informed Cointelegraph on Wednesday that this development "directly indicates that Trump is facing mounting domestic political pressure regarding his continued use of military force."
"This signal serves as a relatively mild positive catalyst for risk assets as a whole, rather than a decisive factor. The market's current focus remains firmly on macroeconomic shifts."
"If geopolitical conflicts ease and subsequently drive oil prices further down, it will lower the valuation risk across all risk assets and foster a positive turnaround in the crypto market," he added.
Andri Fauzan Adziima, who serves as research lead at the Bitrue Research Institute, shared with Cointelegraph that the progression of the war powers resolution represents "a strong bullish catalyst for crypto, likely sparking a sharp 6% to 10% Bitcoin relief rally in the coming days."
"Past de-escalation headlines triggered instant 3% to 5% BTC spikes, and with Bitcoin holding $76K to $77K, this eases risk-off pressure, and boosts flows," he added.
At the time of publication, markets had shown no immediate reaction, with Bitcoin trading relatively unchanged at approximately $76,500 throughout the previous 24 hours.