Trump to Senate: Iran strike was "necessary and proportionate"
President Trump informed the Senate on Monday that he ordered the military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities under his constitutional authority and insisted that his actions were consistent with international law.
Why it matters: Trump is asserting his inherent presidential power. He isn't citing any existing authorization of the use of military force previously approved by Congress.
"The strike was limited in scope and purpose," Trump wrote to the Senate.
"The United States discretely targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities. Iranian troops and other military facilities were not targeted. No United States ground forces were used in the strike."
"I acted pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive and pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct United States foreign relations."
"The United States took this necessary and proportionate action consistent with international law and the United States stands ready to take further action, as necessary and proportionate, to address further threats or attacks."
Zoom out: Sen. Tim Kaine is pushing a vote under the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to limit the president's actions in Iran.
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Politico
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Trump plans to tout Iran strikes at NATO summit focused on European defense spending
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The group included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who Trump is expected to meet with on Wednesday in between the main NATO plenary session and his closing press conference. Trump's comments came just hours after Secretary General Mark Rutte chided those who still question America's commitment to the longstanding defense pact under Trump. He urged Europeans to 'stop worrying so much' given all that the U.S. is contributing to continental defenses. 'They are there, they are with us,' Rutte said. But even at this summit engineered to appease Trump by cementing a spending pledge for Europe to share more of the burden of its defense, the questions won't go away. 'Europe and the U.S. seem to share this goal of rebalancing the alliance,' said one European official granted anonymity to discuss private conversations among EU officials. 'But with Trump there is always going to be this uncertainty about how much America will really be there for us if and when we need them to be.' 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