ISTANBUL 

Several US lawmakers came out against the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday, demanding an immediate congressional vote to stop what they called an illegal war launched without proper authorization.

California Rep. Ro Khanna called the strikes "an illegal regime change war in Iran with American lives at risk" and demanded Congress convene Monday to vote on a War Powers Resolution he co-introduced with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, which would compel Trump to seek congressional authorization before using force against Iran.

"Every member of Congress should go on record this weekend on how they will vote," he said.

Massie said he is “opposed to this War” and noted plans to force the vote when Congress reconvenes.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, who introduced War Powers Resolution in the US senate, demanded the upper house to immediately return to session. New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim backed the call, warning Trump had "started a cycle of violence that has already escalated and could spiral out of control."

Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss labeled the strikes as a "war of choice without congressional authorization." He noted he will vote yes for the resolution "to end hostilities with Iran until & unless the president comes to Congress for an authorization.”

Rep. Nydia Velazquez said the “illegal strikes” drag the US to another endless conflict and called for Congress to pass the resolution.

No war with Iran

Several lawmakers pointed to scrapped diplomatic agreements as the root cause of the crisis. Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey said the US once had a deal limiting Iran's nuclear program, until Trump ended it. "This is the cost of his broken promises," he said. “No war with Iran.”

Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, who said he had lost friends in Iraq, warned that "young working-class kids should not pay the ultimate price for regime change," adding US can support the Iranian people "without sending our troops to die." Texas Rep. Greg Casar said the US would "lose lives, spend billions, and end up dragged into decades of instability."

The calls follow Rep. Gregory Meeks' announcement Thursday of plans to force a vote on a bipartisan resolution requiring congressional approval before any military strikes on Iran. The Khanna-Massie resolution would compel Trump to seek such authorization before using force against Iran.