GOP says it’s a targeted, limited combat operation, not a war, with Iran

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The Hill's Headlines — March 3, 2026

The Hill's Headlines — March 3, 2026

Congressional Republicans are denying that President Trump is waging a war in Iran, arguing instead that the U.S. is responding to acts of war by the Iranian regime and engaging in a limited combat operation.

“This isn’t a war. We haven’t declared war,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said on CNN on Monday, later adding that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “declared war on us. We are not at war with the Iranian people.”

“We’re not at war with Iran. We’re making sure that they do not have the capability to harm us anymore,” Mullin said.

The distinction comes as Republican leaders in the House and Senate aim to defeat war powers resolutions being backed by Democrats this week that would limit Trump’s ability to conduct military operations in Iran. 

Supporters of the resolution say that Congress, which has the constitutional authority to declare war, should have the sole authority to authorize such actions and that every member needs to be on the record.

“This power was explicitly given to the Congress, and now it’s the Congress’s responsibility to go on record because Donald Trump has unconstitutionally and illegally chosen to launch a war,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Opponents, however, argue that Trump is well within his constitutional authorities. The War Powers Resolution requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of a deployment of U.S. forces without a prior declaration of war, and it prohibits armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days without additional Congressional authorization.

Calling the actions in Iran a “war” could change that legal argument — leading to the pushback from Republican supporters of the president’s actions.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) similarly denied that the U.S. is conducting a war in Iran in an appearance on MS NOW over the weekend.

“Targeted, strategic military strikes and invasions are two totally different things,” Luna said, adding: “We did not invade. Are you seeing boots on the ground there? Because I have not.”

After anchor Catherine Rampell pressed Luna on the administration initially using the term war, Luna responded: “According to the White House, and I just talked to them, I talked to the secretary of State, strategic strikes are not war.”

The battle over phrasing comes even as Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speak openly of a war with Iran.

“We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it,” Hegseth — who runs a Defense Department referred to as the Department of War by Trump — said in a press conference on Monday.

Trump, in a video announcing “Major Combat Operations” in Iran on Saturday, said: “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.”

Trump’s official letter to Congress on Monday provided notification, pursuant to the War Powers Resolution, of the “military action taken in Iran.” It said: “I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect Americans and United States interests both at home and abroad in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests. I acted pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive to conduct United States foreign relations.” 

A messaging memo from the White House sent to Capitol Hill Republicans on Monday and reported by Politico appeared to discourage framing the actions as a war. In a question-and-answer section, the question of whether the U.S. is at war with Iran did not give a direct yes-or-no answer: “The President announced major combat operations against Iran with clear achievable goals.” 

The memo added that the U.S. was taking action against “terrorists who have waged war against the our country and civilization” and stated: “A long and drawn-out war is not the President’s intention.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) similarly argued that Iran has been the one waging war on the U.S. for decades, citing the long history of Iran-backed attacks against U.S. troops.

“I think we’re in an undeclared state of war since 1979,” Graham said in the Capitol on Tuesday. “What happens when you kill 220 Marines, 18 sailors in 1983? Are you in war with Hezbollah? … Go tell these families that they weren’t in an undeclared state of war.”

To some Republicans, calling it a “war” or not is a distinction without a difference.

Asked if he was calling this a “war” or a “combat operation,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told The Hill: “Who cares what you call it? … I don’t.”

“Bombs are dropping. Bad people are dying. Unfortunately, some good people are dying, too,” Johnson said. “I hate war. So does Trump. The way you avoid a wider conflict or destruction is to get rid of these menaces, like Iran.”

Republican leaders are starting to argue that Trump does not need additional authorities to continue operations in Iran past the 60-day window outlined in the War Powers Resolution. 

Asked whether Trump needs Congress’s permission to carry out strikes into May, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) responded emphatically: “No.”

“I think the president has the authority that he needs to conduct the activities, the operations that are currently underway there,” Thune said Tuesday. “There’s a lot of controversy around, questions around the War Powers Act. But I think the president is acting in the best interest of the nation and our national security interests by ensuring that he’s protecting Americans and American bases and installations in that region.”

Trump initially laid out a four-to-five-week timeline for the Iran operations.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said after a closed-door briefing with administration officials about the operations in Iran on Monday that he does not think Congress should declare war on Iran.

“In my view, right now, our military and the commander in chief — he is presiding over the completion of an operation that was limited in scope, limited in its objective and absolutely necessary for our defense,” the Speaker said. “I think that operation will be wound up quickly.”

Graham also argued against Congress limiting the president’s authority as commander in chief in any way.

“We should let him finish the job. We should cheer him on, in my view,” Graham said. “And if you don’t like what he’s doing, cut off funding. You can cut off funding. That’s the role we have. The War Powers Act is unconstitutional. You can’t have 535 people become commander in chief.”

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