US House Votes 215-208 To Block Trump From Ordering Further Strikes On Iran

The US House passed a resolution on Wednesday to block President Donald Trump from ordering further strikes on Iran, ratcheting up pressure on the administration to find a way to end the unpopular war.

“The United States House of Representatives has voted in favour of measures to halt President Donald Trump’s war on Iran as the conflict drags into a fourth month and both sides remain at loggerheads in peace negotiations”

Al Jazeera

The vote was 215-208, and the House measure marked the first time such a measure has cleared the House or the Senate on a final vote since the start of the conflict more than three months ago.

Al Jazeera

Four Republicans broke with Trump as the House joined the Senate for the first time in passing a measure that will add to pressure on the administration to wind down a three-month old war that Congress didn’t authorize.

The BBC said the House vote was to adopt the war powers resolution requiring Trump to withdraw US forces or seek congressional approval for the conflict, and it described the vote as largely symbolic.

The Washington Post reported that the Senate advanced a similar resolution last month on a procedural vote, reflecting growing impatience with a war Congress hasn’t authorized.

Trump slammed the House vote seeking to order the withdrawal of American troops from the Iran war, calling it "unpatriotic" and saying it disrupted negotiations with Tehran.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the vote came "right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran," according to France 24.

Anadolu Ajansi

The BBC reported that the White House dismissed the merits of the resolution as an unconstitutional attempt to restrict presidential power, while also noting the measure adds pressure on the White House to find an end to the Iran War.

NPR described the House vote as a bipartisan majority passing a war powers resolution directing Trump to end hostilities with Iran by a vote of 215 to 208, with four Republicans joining Democrats in support.

NBC News said the resolution directs Trump to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress votes to declare war or authorizes using military force against it, while also calling it a symbolic expression of disapproval.

The Al Jazeera report said the House vote will remain largely symbolic because of Trump’s presidential veto power and because of Republican dominance in the House and Senate, even as it marks a significant reprimand by lawmakers.

Al Jazeera also said the War Powers Act requires the president to seek lawmakers’ approval before entering armed conflict, and that if Congress fails to declare war afterwards, the president must withdraw troops within 60 days of entering the war.

BBC said it was unclear how much legal force the House measure would have, and it noted that if it is also passed by the Republican-controlled US Senate, it would not require the president's signature though it could be subject to a legal challenge.

DW reported that the US military Central Command, or CENTCOM, said 127 commercial vessels have been redirected and six "non-compliant ships have been disabled" as part of the US blockade of Iranian ports.

DW also said the UN's nuclear watchdog warned that a lack of access to verify nuclear material in Iran posed a "proliferation concern," and it cited an IAEA line that "it is critical for the agency to conduct verification activities in Iran without delay."