The United States Senate has voted to advance a resolution that could force US President Donald Trump to seek congressional authorization to continue the country’s war with Iran.
The vote on a procedural war-powers measure on Tuesday passed by 50 to 47, with four Republicans also voting in favor, according to Reuters.
Policymakers have been arguing that Congress, not the president, should have the power to send troops to war, as spelled out in the US Constitution.
The US-Israeli war with Iran has been going on for almost three months, putting pressure on global economies because of surging fuel and energy prices after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The bill could force Trump to withdraw US troops from Iran unless he gains congressional approval.
However, the bill still faces major hurdles. It must pass the full Senate and Republican-led House of Representatives, and Trump could also veto it, which would then require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate to override it.
Pressure mounts on Trump over Iran war
Democratic Senator and bill sponsor Tim Kaine of Virginia said on X that it had been 80 days since Trump launched his “illegal war” against Iran.
“Congress has the power to slam the brakes on this unwise conflict. Today should be the day when the Senate tells the President to stop his disastrous war.”
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy agreed, writing on X: “While I support the administration’s efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, the White House and Pentagon have left Congress in the dark on Operation Epic Fury.”
Statement from Senator Tim Kaine. Source: Tim Kaine
Potential impact on crypto markets
The ongoing conflict and macroeconomic headwinds, such as rising inflation, have hampered the crypto market’s recovery, with digital assets trading mostly sideways for almost four months.
Any potential end to the war with Iran could ignite a market rally if economies recover and confidence in higher-risk investments returns.
Related: Bitcoin lost its hold on $80K, but three events may send it back sooner than markets expect
HashKey Group senior researcher Tim Sun told Cointelegraph on Wednesday that this “directly indicates that Trump is facing mounting domestic political pressure regarding his continued use of military force.”
“This signal serves as a relatively mild positive catalyst for risk assets as a whole, rather than a decisive factor. The market’s current focus remains firmly on macroeconomic shifts.”
“If geopolitical conflicts ease and subsequently drive oil prices further down, it will lower the valuation risk across all risk assets and foster a positive turnaround in the crypto market,” he added.
Andri Fauzan Adziima, research lead at the Bitrue Research Institute, told Cointelegraph that the war powers resolution’s advance is “a strong bullish catalyst for crypto, likely sparking a sharp 6% to 10% Bitcoin relief rally in the coming days.”
“Past de-escalation headlines triggered instant 3% to 5% BTC spikes, and with Bitcoin holding $76K to $77K, this eases risk-off pressure, and boosts flows,” he added.
Markets had not reacted at the time of writing, with Bitcoin remaining flat at around $76,500 over the past 24 hours.
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