Senate votes down legislation to prevent Trump from continuing Iran war

Senate Republicans on Wednesday voted down an effort to stop President Donald Trump's war against Iran, demonstrating early support for a conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East. The legislation, known as a war powers resolution, failed on a 47-53 vote tally. It gave lawmakers an opportunity to demand congressional approval before any further attacks are carried out. The vote fell mostly along party lines, though Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted in favor and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against. It came soon after Trump said he rates the American performance in the ongoing Iran war as a 15 out of 10. "We're doing very well on the war front -- to put it mildly I would say," he said during an unrelated news conference on Wednesday afternoon. "Somebody said, 'On a scale of 10, where would you rate it?' I said, 'About a 15,'" he added. "And we're going to continue to do well. We have the greatest military in the world by far. And that was a tremendous threat to us for many years." Trump credited what he called the strength of the U.S. military and defended the administration’s decision to take action, arguing that Iran had posed a threat for nearly half a century. “For 47 years, they’ve been killing our people and killing people from all over the world,” Trump said, referring to Iran’s government. "And I think we have great support. And I think if we didn't do it first, they would have done it to Israel and give us a shot, if that was possible." Trump contended that the U.S. acted preemptively, asserting that if his administration had not moved first, Iran would have targeted Israel and potentially the U.S. He also revisited his decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear agreement brokered during the Obama administration, which he has frequently criticized. “If we didn’t terminate the worst deal ever made -- the Obama nuclear deal -- bad things would have happened,” Trump said, arguing that Iran would have developed a nuclear weapon years ago had the agreement remained in place. "So, we're in a very strong position now," he added. Trump also said Iran's military leadership has severely weakened during the operation. “And their leadership is just rapidly going. Everybody that seems to want to be a leader, they end up dead,” he said, describing the rapid pace of strikes targeting missile systems and launch infrastructure. He added that Iranian missile capabilities and launchers are being "wiped out," and characterized the country as previously "out of control." “They would have used it on us if we let them,” Trump said. “If we waited any longer.” The administration has framed the operation as necessary to eliminate what it describes as long-standing threats to U.S. national security. Critics in Congress have questioned the scope of the military action and whether additional authorization is required. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Trump’s military actions against Iran, known as "Operation Epic Fury." She described the administration's efforts as "a resounding success."