AUSTIN, Texas -- As the back-and-forth between President Trump and Iran continues, other leaders in the region are calling for "restraint," hoping for a de-escalation to the situation. At the same time, House Democrats are attempting to rein in Trump's war powers as tensions rise over the U.S. airstrike that killed Iran’s Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will hold House votes this week to limit Trump’s ability to engage militarily. A Senate vote is expected to soon follow.
“The war powers resolution is politics first,” said Ryan Bohl, a Middle East analyst at Austin-based intelligence firm Stratfor. “It’s not clear how it would work practically.”
Bohl said the military will move on the president’s orders rather than wait for what Congress does.
When it comes to Iran’s promised retaliation, Bohl said they have a lot of tools in their toolbox.
“They’ve already said they’re going to respond against the U.S. target of some kind and it’s going to most likely be some sort of military target – U.S. warships, U.S. bases in Iraq, Syria,” he said.
But Bohl said it will be more symbolic, rather than triggering a massive retaliation by the U.S.
“The U.S. has enough forces in the region to cause a huge amount of damage to Iran. They don’t want that,” he said. “But they do want to send a signal to both their own population and their allies in the region that they’re still a credible partner and they can respond to these attacks.”
Click the video link above to watch our full interview with Bohl, including his take on oil prices rising due to the conflict.