Trump Clashes with Republican Senator Over Iran War Powers at Lunch

A private lunch between President Donald Trump and Republican senators turned contentious as the president reportedly engaged in a heated exchange with Senator Bill Cassidy over a war powers resolution targeting Iran. The resolution, which passed the Senate the previous day with a narrow 50-48 vote, seeks to curb the president's authority to use military force against Iran without congressional approval.

Cassidy, one of four Republicans who joined Democrats in voting for the resolution, told reporters after the lunch that he had urged Trump to provide a clearer explanation of the ongoing military actions to the public and Congress. He noted that operations initially planned for four weeks had extended to four months without achieving their objectives. According to CNN, which cited attendees, Trump raised his voice in response, and Cassidy matched his tone. Trump reportedly called Cassidy "crazy" and told him to sit down, but Cassidy refused.

Sources suggest Trump strongly opposed the war powers vote, arguing it weakened the administration's negotiating position with Iran. Despite the reported friction, Trump later claimed the meeting was "very productive" and asserted Republican unity, though he acknowledged that "a few people in the room did not like it."

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The operations that were originally scheduled for four weeks have been going on for four months, but the initial objectives have not been achieved.

In a separate interview with Fox News, Trump revealed his intention for U.S. inspectors to accompany IAEA teams during inspections of Iranian nuclear sites. "The president said that U.S. inspectors would accompany the IAEA to Iran's nuclear facilities," reported Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst. Trump added that Iran had agreed to this arrangement. He also suggested that inspections might not be immediately urgent, given that nuclear material might be buried underground following U.S. military operations.

The IAEA had withdrawn its inspectors from Iran following U.S. and Israeli attacks in June of the previous year. Since then, Iran has permitted inspections only at undamaged facilities like the Bushehr nuclear power plant, while continuing to deny access to key enrichment sites such as Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. This refusal has prevented the IAEA from verifying the location and status of Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles.

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The president said that U.S. inspectors would accompany the IAEA to Iran's nuclear facilities.