Today marks a turning point: the Iran war has effectively crossed into illegality, even as Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself holding a gun. At 4 A.M., while most Americans were still asleep, he shared the image on Truth Social—depicting explosions in the background and the caption “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY,” alongside a warning for Iran to “get smart soon.”

According to Holly Ellyatt at CNBC, oil prices surged to $114 per barrel within an hour of the post. Gasoline prices have now climbed above $4 per gallon nationwide, while Brent crude has reached levels not seen since 2022. The World Food Programme had already warned last month that a prolonged conflict could push up to 45 million more people into acute food insecurity this year, driven by rising fertilizer costs tied to escalating oil prices.

Legally, the situation is stark. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973—designed to prevent presidents from engaging in prolonged, unauthorized wars—the 60-day deadline expired on Wednesday. The law is explicit: without congressional authorization, military operations must cease. Congress has attempted to vote on this issue five times, but Republicans blocked each effort. Rand Paul was the only Republican to support authorization. Meanwhile, the war has already cost $25 billion, yet Trump has never formally requested congressional approval for its funding.

On the global stage, the consequences are unfolding rapidly. The United Arab Emirates announced it will exit OPEC effective May 1—the first major departure from the group in decades. The UAE’s energy minister cited Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as making coordinated oil production unworkable. In effect, a key U.S. ally has stepped away from the global energy framework due to this conflict.

The stability that has underpinned oil markets for half a century is beginning to fracture, and consumers are already feeling it at the pump.

At the same time, Trump has asked Congress to approve a record $1.5 trillion military budget—without seeking authorization for the war it would fund. John Curtis stated clearly, “I will not support ongoing military action beyond a 60-day window without congressional approval.”

That window has now closed. And while the legal threshold has been crossed, the public face of the moment was a 4 A.M. post portraying the president as an action hero.