The upcoming November elections present a critical opportunity for Americans to elect a Congress that will reassert its constitutional authority over war and peace. If the conflict with Iran is still raging in January, the new Congress should make ending it a top priority.
President Trump has stated he will not launch new strikes against Iran before the elections, but his post-election intentions remain unclear. Beyond the constitutional overreach, this war of choice is exacting a heavy toll on the economy, on American and Iranian lives, and on the fundamental trust between the commander-in-chief and the families who send their loved ones into harm's way. That trust rests on the assurance that military force is used only when there is a clear and present danger to national security and no other option remains.
Yet the evidence suggests that Trump's decisions on Iran are driven by personal motives rather than national interest. His financial disclosures show holdings in oil and gas companies, which earned him up to $4.4 million in the first six months of the war. While there is no proof that these investments influenced policy, they create an appearance of conflict. Similarly, his sons' investments in defense companies have coincided with billions in Pentagon contracts, raising ethical questions even if no illegality is proven.
Personal grievance also appears to play a role. Trump abandoned the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran, citing policy objections, but diplomatic cables and expert analysis suggest his animus toward former President Barack Obama was a factor. The British ambassador's leaked cable called Trump's move "an act of diplomatic vandalism, seemingly for ideological and personality reasons."
Ego may be another driver. Foreign policy experts, including Robert Kagan of Brookings, argue that Trump's objectives in Iran are unachievable. Yet Trump has a well-documented pattern of refusing to admit defeat, as seen in his response to the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol riot. The human cost is staggering: thousands of civilian deaths and an unclear number of U.S. military casualties, with conflicting reports from the Pentagon and independent sources.
History offers a grim lesson. Richard Nixon's 1968 campaign promise to end the Vietnam War was undermined when he secretly encouraged South Vietnam to reject a peace deal brokered by President Johnson, hoping to win the election. Johnson privately called it "treason." Once in office, Nixon continued the war, concerned about credibility and his own reelection, despite knowing it could not be won militarily. The result: more than 20,000 U.S. troops killed and over a million Vietnamese dead between 1968 and 1972.
The Powell Doctrine, developed after Vietnam, outlines principles for using military force: only as a last resort, with clear objectives, thorough risk analysis, an exit strategy, and broad support. Trump has ignored these principles entirely.
The next Congress has the power to end this war if Trump does not. But that will only happen if voters on November 3 elect representatives with the principle and spine to credibly threaten his removal. The war is in Iran, but the decision rests with the electorate.
