Trump’s War in Iran Nears Critical Deadline

Trump’s War in Iran Nears Critical Deadline

From KQED's Forum by KQED

April 30, 2026 · 55 min

About this episode

The episode discusses President Trump's military actions in Iran and the congressional response to the war.

When President Trump sent troops into Iran, he did so without a green light from Congress. Now he faces a deadline on May 1 to either end the war in Iran or secure official approval from Congress. That timeline is laid out under the War Powers Resolution, a law that allows presidents to start wars without congressional approval. Democrats in Congress have tried and failed to pass multiple resolutions to halt the war. Meanwhile, the war is losing support from Republican lawmakers, who have not proposed a vote to approve it. We talk about the war in Iran, lawmakers’ efforts to stop it so far, and whether the Trump administration is feeling any pressure from the 60-day deadline. Guests: Harold Hongju Koh, professor of international law, Yale Law School; legal advisor to the U.S. Department of State from 2009-2013 Mark DeSaulnier, U.S. Congressman representing California's 10th district (the East Bay) Robert Jimison, congressional reporter covering foreign policy, defense and national security issues, The New York Times Elisa Ewers, senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guests: Harold Hongju Koh, Mark DeSaulnier, Robert Jimison, Elisa Ewers

Topics covered

  • Trump administration
  • Iran war
  • War Powers Resolution
  • Congress
  • military action
  • political pressure

Keywords

  • Trump
  • Iran
  • Congress
  • War Powers Resolution
  • military
  • politics
  • foreign policy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Yale Law School, U.S. Department of State, The New York Times, Council on Foreign Relations

Places: Iran, California

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