New Delhi, March 1 -- The latest United States military strikes on Iran have reignited a long-running constitutional debate in Washington DC : who truly holds the authority to take the nation to war. President Donald Trump's decision to launch a joint military campaign on Iran alongside Israel without prior congressional authorisation has drawn criticism from legal scholars and lawmakers, who argue the operation may be "illegal" under domestic US law and reflects decades of expanding presidential war powers.

The episode underscores a persistent tension embedded within the American constitutional system - one that has shaped US foreign policy for more than three-quarters of a century.

Under Article I of the US Constitution, Congress hold...