account of soleimani    act of defense    address threats    american constitutional order    approval of congress    approval of the united nations security council    armed forces    array of insurgent proxy forces    broad reading of unilateral presidential authority    claims    closest recent precedent    congress    congress’s essential role    constitutional order    direct action    domestic law    drone strike    expressed skepticism    host state consents    imminent attack    international law    international support    iranian government    legal authority    legal basis    legal issues    major general qassem soleimani    middle east    military operations    new york times    obama administration    original idea    president    president barack obama    president donald trump    president trump    president trump’s own earlier decisions    principal architect of iran    self-defense    self-defense exception    significant military action    solid legal authority    successful regional ascendancy    such action    trump administration    unilateral action    unmitigated power    use of military force    vice president mike pence    war powers resolution