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State of anxiety

A post-9/11 law could allow President Trump to bypass Congress to wage war with Iran.

In recent months, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other Trump Administration officials have been trying to convince Congress that Iran has ties with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Some say that the Administration is trying to establish this connection because of a law that the US Congress passed three days after the 9/11 attacks. That law gave then President George W. Bush the authority to go to war with al-Qaeda and any related organisation without Congressional approval.

Also, we meet Iranian-Americans who are feeling particularly anxious as tension between the US and Iran escalates; and we find out what possessions people in Tehran are looking to sell, to find out how sanctions are affecting ordinary Iranians.

(President Donald Trump signs an executive order imposing fresh sanctions on Iran in the Oval Office of the White House. Next to Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Credit: Oliver Contreras/Getty Images)

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27 minutes

Last on

Mon 8 Jul 2019 08:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 6 Jul 2019 21:32GMT
  • Sun 7 Jul 2019 03:32GMT
  • Mon 8 Jul 2019 08:32GMT

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