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The Explainer
The Explainer
3 Mar 2026
Is the US-led attack on Iran illegal?
00:00
Trump promised no more forever wars, but that didn't stop him wading into an intense bombing campaign against Iran - a conflict most Americans oppose and, crucially, one Congress wasn't consulted on. It has brought the War Powers Act back into the spotlight: what checks and balances exist, if any, to restrain a president? Larry Donnelly, law lecturer at the University of Galway and political columnist with The Journal, talks us through the legal and political mess, from the constitutional questions in Washington to the growing splits inside MAGA.