Democrat lawmakers are demanding a vote to limit President Donald Trump’s war powers following the United States’ strikes against Iran.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) promised to compel a vote on the War Powers Resolution introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

“The framers of the United States Constitution gave Congress the sole power to declare war as the branch of government closest to the American people,” Jeffries said in a statement. He added that Iran is a “bad actor” that must be “aggressively confronted for its human rights violations,” but said the Trump administration should have sought congressional approval.

The War Powers Resolution would prohibit U.S. hostilities in Iran without the approval of Congress.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement on X that “Iran must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon but the American people do not want another endless and costly war in the Middle East when there are so many problems at home.”

The minority leader added that the administration must answer many questions about the scope of this operation, and said President Trump’s “fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy.”

“The Senate should quickly return to session and reassert its constitutional duty by passing our resolution to enforce the War Powers Act,” Schumer concluded.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said the administration is at risk of repeating “mistakes of the past.”

“Iran’s leadership has long supported terrorism across the region, undermined regional stability, continued to advance its nuclear ambitions, and brutally repressed its own people,” Warner said in a statement. “But acknowledging those realities does not relieve any president of the responsibility to act within the law, with a clear strategy, and with Congress.”

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) called the attack “illegal and unconstitutional” and pushed for a vote on a War Powers Resolution in the Senate.

“A diplomatic solution remains the best way to permanently and verifiably prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon,” Markey said. “No more war with Iran.”

Follow The Daily Wire’s live-blog coverage of the U.S. strikes on Iran.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who co-sponsored the Iran War Powers Resolution in the Senate, called the strikes “a colossal mistake.”

“The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. special forces in hostilities against Iran,” Kaine said in a statement.

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) agreed with Kaine.

“Strikes are underway and Congress hasn’t voted,” Gallego said. “No President gets to drag working-class Americans into another war without authorization. Bring the Senate back. Take the vote.”

Like the resolution in the House, Kaine’s Iran War Powers Resolution would prohibit any U.S. participation in hostilities against Iran unless authorized by Congress. A similar resolution was introduced and defeated last June after the Trump administration obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities.

In addition to various politicians coming out against the strikes, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin released a statement condemning Trump’s actions.

“Overnight and without congressional approval, Donald Trump initiated major combat operations against Iran,” the statement begins. “Trump sold voters on a ‘pro-peace’ vision of himself as an America First candidate, yet in under 13 months, he has ordered strikes on seven foreign nations and plunged our country into more open-ended conflict using taxpayer dollars.”

Martin added that while Iran sanctions terrorism and undermines human rights, “our nation deserves better than a government that shoots first and asks questions later.”

Some Democrats, like Sen. Jon Fetterman (D-PA), have broken with their party to praise the strikes.

“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” Fetterman said in a post on X. “God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel.”

The exiled crown prince of Iran hailed the early morning strikes from the United States and Israel, saying the long-awaited American intervention means the Islamic Republic’s days are numbered.

In a forceful message to Iranians, Reza Pahlavi praised President Donald Trump for delivering what he called promised “aid” to the Iranian people and framed the joint operation as the opening blow in the regime’s collapse.

“Moments of destiny lie ahead of us,” Pahlavi wrote. “The aid that the President of the United States promised to the brave people of Iran has now arrived.”

He described the strikes as a humanitarian intervention aimed squarely at the regime’s “repressive apparatus” and “machinery of slaughter,” not the Iranian people.

But Pahlavi made clear that while American and Israeli firepower struck the regime’s military infrastructure, the final chapter belongs to Iranians themselves.

“Final victory will still be forged by our hands,” he wrote, signaling that the “time to return to the streets is near.”

Follow The Daily Wire’s live-blog coverage of the U.S. strikes on Iran.

Earlier on Saturday, President Trump urged Iranians to overthrow their authoritarian regime after the United States finishes its operation.

“To the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” Trump said. “Stay sheltered, don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside; bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”

Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, who has lived in exile since the 1979 revolution, issued a similar call to Iranians. He said the Islamic Republic is collapsing and urged citizens to stay ready for what he called the “final action.” For now, he told supporters to remain in their homes and preserve their safety until he gives the signal.

He also issued a direct warning to Iran’s military and security forces: your oath is to Iran and its people — not to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Those who continue defending the regime, he warned, risk going down with “Khamenei’s sinking ship.”

Pahlavi thanked Trump directly, calling Iranians “natural allies” of the United States and the free world, and urged the president to exercise caution to avoid civilian casualties as operations continue.

With Iranian missile launches met by coordinated U.S.-Israel strikes on military targets, Pahlavi cast the moment as more than retaliation — but a rare opening to break the regime’s grip for good.

“We are very close to final victory,” he wrote. “Long live Iran.”