Does Trump Need Congress to Wage War on Iran?

When US President Donald Trump joined Israel in launching a military operation against Iran, pulverizing Iranian government installations and killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he did so without seeking congressional authorization.

Trump has asserted his executive power over the military as commander in chief, claiming the US was responding to threats posed by Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. But under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president must gain approval from Congress to deploy armed forces abroad except in circumstances where the country has been attacked or faces an imminent threat of hostilities.