The National Iranian American Council, known as NIAC Action, filed a complaint on September 24, 2026, in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging President Donald Trump over the continuation of the US military campaign against Iran. The case was brought by attorneys Alan B. Morrison and Bruce Fein and seeks a declaratory judgment that the continuation of the war is inconsistent with the US Constitution.
The central issue in the complaint is the Declare War Clause of the US Constitution, which grants Congress the authority to declare war. The plaintiffs argue that Trump launched the war against Iran on February 28, 2026, without a formal declaration of war or other authorization from Congress, and that US military operations, including repeated bombings and a naval blockade, have continued despite the absence of such authorization.
The complaint also refers to congressional action against the continuation of unauthorized hostilities. According to an official statement by NIAC, the House of Representatives voted 215-208 on June 3, while the Senate voted 50-48 on June 23, to pass a resolution to end unauthorized hostilities against Iran.
NIAC Action filed the case on behalf of individuals whose families, according to the organization, were harmed or displaced during the war in Iran or have faced ongoing economic losses and threats to their lives. The complaint also details examples of harm suffered by members of the plaintiffs’ families in Tehran and other parts of Iran.
Alan B. Morrison, one of the attorneys in the case, argued that the president cannot continue an unlimited war without congressional authorization and then seek permission from Congress. Bruce Fein likewise stressed that changing the designation of a military operation does not, by itself, eliminate the constitutional issue concerning the authority to wage war.
The case has now brought a legal dispute over the limits of presidential and congressional powers during wartime into the judicial process. NIAC Action’s specific request is for the court to issue a declaratory judgment that the continuation of an unlimited war against Iran is unconstitutional. The court’s decision could therefore focus on the legal dispute over the executive branch’s war powers and Congress’s role in authorizing military action.
