While President Trump is boldly proclaiming to the public that “great nations do not fight endless wars,” his own national security advisers appear to be preparing a legal rationale for a new one.

Senior Trump administration officials are discussing options for possible U.S. military strikes on Iran in retaliation for hosting of al Qaeda militants on its soil, the Washington Times reported this month. If such an operation were to commence, at least some of those officials believe the White House could go to war without explicit congressional approval under the 18-year-old 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force.