New York Times: Congress ... stop Trump from rushing to war with Iran

An editorial of the New York Times called on Congress to prevent President Donald Trump from rushing to war with Iran, and she said that only Republican senators have the power to restrain the president.

She added that Trump should doubt his administration's allegations that it has deterred Iranian risks by killing the commander of the Quds Force, Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

The newspaper says that Trump tweeted yesterday, Saturday, warning Iran that if it strikes any Americans or American assets, 52 Iranian sites have been identified to target them, noting that these targets represent 52 Americans who held hostages in the American embassy in Tehran years ago.

She states that Trump said in his tweets that some of these targets are at a very high level and important for Iran, Iranians and Iranian culture, and that these targets will be beaten very quickly and very harshly, because the United States does not want more threats.

The newspaper indicates that Trump's threat against Iran came after the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pledged strong revenge after the attack by a US airliner early Friday and led to the killing of General Soleimani, adding that the White House claims that the Iranian general has prepared To launch attacks against American interests.

Twitter and threat
The New York Times asks: Why was Trump's Twitter threat necessary? Did the killing of General Soleimani not stop the threats that the President now claims that America still faces?

And she adds that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the attack on Friday, considering it a defensive campaign to counter future Iranian attacks targeting American citizens in the region, adding that the United States has become more secure.

However, the newspaper asked whether Pompeo would study the parliament vote in Baghdad, which last Sunday called for an end to the US military presence in Iraq.

It also referred to the Iranian government's announcement that it had abandoned all restrictions related to nuclear fuel enrichment contained in the 2015 nuclear deal.

Deter and escalate
The newspaper said that the killing of General Soleimani in the United States did not stop any escalation and did not deter Iran. Otherwise, why did the State Department advise all American citizens to leave Iraq?

She referred to the War Powers Act in the United States, and invited influential Republican senators such as Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, and Mitch McConnell, whom Trump heard about his promise to keep his country out of foreign swamps, in order to prevent him now from faltering further through the war with Iran.

She said that there are reasons why Trump will listen to them, as the trial of his dismissal in the Senate approaches, concluding that the crisis between the United States and Iran has not yet reached the point of no return, and that voices of reason can prevent access to it.