Top lawmakers in the United States have condemned what they described as President Donald Trump’s senseless and unconstitutional airstrikes on Iran, accusing Mr Trump of dragging the U.S. into another endless war in the Middle East.

Tammy Baldwin, a lawmaker working for the State of Wisconsin, said Mr Trump’s action was at variance with constitutional limits on executive power.

“The President can’t just start wars on a whim — Congress has to sign off on it,” Ms Baldwin declared. “President Trump illegally bombed Iran, totally disregarding the Constitution, putting American troops in harm’s way and started another war in the Middle East with no end in sight.”

Ms Baldwin stated that the U.S did not learn anything from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, noting the open-ended war against Iran jeopardises American lives.

“How we learned nothing from Iran and Afghanistan? Doubling down with another open-ended war without a realistic goal or a strategy to win is not only foolish but also recklessly puts Wisconsin’s sons and daughters at risk.

“The Senate needs to come back immediately to vote on this President’s senseless and illegal bombings— I know where I stand,” the lawmaker said.

Similarly, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont slammed the airstrikes as “illegal, premeditated and unconstitutional”, accusing Mr Trump of gambling with American lives and treasure.

“President Trump, along with his right-wing extremist Israeli ally Benjamin Netanyahu has begun an illegal, premeditated and unconstitutional war,” said the lawmaker. “Tragically, Trump is gambling with American lives and treasure to fulfil Netanyahu’s decades-long ambition of dragging the United States into armed conflict with Iran.”

Mr Sanders warned that the war would further deepen instability in the world, urging the Senate must reconvene to vote on pending war powers resolution.

“Further, this attack against Iran is clear violation of international and will create instability in an already dangerous world. If the United States and Israel can launch an attack against a sovereign nation, so can any other country. Might does not make right.

“The Constitution is clear. It is the Congress that declares, not a president acting unilaterally. The Senate must reconvene immediately and vote on a pending Wars Power Resolution which I will strongly support,” he added.

The New York’s lawmaker, Chuck Schumer, also criticised the strikes as inimical to the safety of innocent American people, accusing Mr Trump of failure to duly brief the Congress on the action.

“The administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat,” Mr Schumer stated. 

“Confronting Iran’s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions, and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination, and strategic clarity. Unfortunately, President Trump’s fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy.”

While insisting that Iran must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon, the lawmaker said the American people did not want another endless and costly war in the Middle East when there were so many problems at home.

Another lawmaker, Richard Blumenthal, who represents Connecticut, accused Mr Trump’s administration of of fighting a war that rejects opportunities for diplomacy.

“The Trump Administration seems to be engaging in a war of choice that rejects opportunities for diplomacy,” Mr Blumenthal stated. “War must always be a last resort & never a first choice.”

“A nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable & Iran’s malign activities throughout the region pose a severe danger, but President Trump has failed to explain to the American people his objectives, end game, or exit strategy—risking another forever war,” he added.