Hegseth not authorized to declare war on Iran, US lawmaker says

A US lawmaker said on Thursday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth does not have the constitutional authority to declare war on Iran, after he warned Tehran of military consequences for supporting Yemen’s Houthis.

“I support this administration, but the Secretary of Defense doesn’t have the Constitutional authority to declare war on a sovereign country,” Republican Representative Thomas Massie wrote on X.

“A planned military attack on Iran is an Act of War and requires a vote of Congress according to the US Constitution.”