A coalition of Iranian Americans has filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump, seeking a court order to halt military operations against Iran that they argue are causing direct harm to their families and violate constitutional war‑powers requirements.
The complaint, lodged Thursday in a Washington, D.C., court by the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), contends that the conflict — now in its seventh month — poses “imminent threats to the lives, limbs, health, property, and bare necessities” of Iranians and Iranian Americans represented by the organization.
A copy of the lawsuit obtained by Al Jazeera outlines the toll on several NIAC members, among them U.S. citizens and a U.S. Army veteran, whose relatives remain in Iran.
According to the filing, family members of some plaintiffs have been killed or injured in airstrikes, including while at home or carrying out everyday activities.
The plaintiffs also cite broader harms: economic hardship driven by U.S. sanctions, severely restricted access to healthcare, and the inability to travel as the sanctions regime expands.
The suit asserts that those still inside Iran face grave danger because the Trump administration is pursuing the war without legal oversight or proper authorization. It alleges that thousands of civilians, including hundreds of children, have been killed by U.S. forces to date, with many more at risk.
“They are all in imminent danger of harm to their persons and properties proximately caused by the unconstitutional war waged by defendant President Donald J. Trump,” the complaint states.
In September, a United Nations fact‑finding mission concluded that the United States likely committed war crimes in Iran, pointing to airstrikes that allegedly killed hundreds of civilians.
“No President should have the power to take this country into an indefinite war by himself,” NIAC President Jamal Abdi said in a Thursday statement. “This lawsuit asks a fundamental question: can one person decide, on his own, to keep an entire nation at war?”
On Tuesday, addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said he was weighing whether to “annihilate” Iran if Tehran refused to return to negotiations and reach a deal to end the conflict.
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