House of Representatives approves measure to end Iran war

The United States House of Representatives has approved a war powers resolution aimed at curbing US President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that US operations against Tehran have ended.

The House passed the resolution by a vote of 215 to 208 on June 3, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the resolution.

The resolution, introduced by Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, directs Trump to remove US armed forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress formally declares war or authorizes the use of force.

The measure now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers are considering a separate war powers resolution. Even if passed by both houses of Congress, Trump is expected to defy efforts to limit his authority, and the House measure is widely seen as symbolic because it lacks the force of law.

The vote marked Congress' strongest opposition yet to the conflict, which has dragged on for more than three months and has sparked concerns about its economic and geopolitical consequences.

In a statement after the vote, Meeks argued that the military campaign had not achieved its stated objectives and, on the contrary, had harmed diplomatic efforts to resolve disputes over Iran's nuclear program.

"If anything, it has further removed the possibility of a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program," he said.

The New York Democrat also highlighted rising fuel prices and the financial cost of the conflict, saying that Americans were paying significantly more for gasoline while simultaneously bearing the burden of the costs of a war that many of them oppose.

Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives echoed these concerns, arguing that the conflict ran counter to Trump's campaign promises to avoid wars abroad and reduce costs for American families.

However, Republican leaders insisted that the military campaign did not constitute a war that required authorization from Congress and warned that limiting the president's authority could play into the hands of the Iranian leadership.

However, opposition within the Republican ranks has grown. Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Warren Davidson of Ohio broke from their party's majority position to support the measure.

A few hours before the vote in the House of Representatives, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the administration's handling of the conflict during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"We are no longer conducting sustained strikes inside Iran to degrade its military capabilities, because Operation Epic Fury is over," Rubio said, referring to the US military campaign. He added that Washington had achieved its objectives.

Rubio argued that the administration's goal had never been regime change in Tehran.

"We would like to see a change in Iran and for it to be governed by the people, but that was not the purpose of our mission," Rubio told lawmakers.

The Secretary of State said the US aims to eliminate Iran's ability to threaten the region with large-scale missile and drone attacks , arguing that this capability would reduce international influence over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Rubio also said that any easing of US sanctions on Iran would depend on concessions that Tehran makes regarding its nuclear program.

"They will not benefit from any sanctions relief unless they give up uranium enrichment and eliminate their highly enriched uranium stockpiles," he told lawmakers.

According to Rubio, discussions between Washington and Tehran are continuing to focus on the framework for future negotiations. He said Iran has shown more willingness to discuss the issue of uranium enrichment than in previous talks , but has not yet made commitments that meet US demands.

“A few months ago they refused to discuss the issues of uranium enrichment and highly enriched uranium,” Rubio said. “I think now, in some of the documents that have been exchanged between the parties, these issues are clearly addressed, but we still don’t have the final approval from their system, at least as of this morning [June 3].”

Rubio added that the United States would consider lifting its naval blockade only if Iran restores freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz .

The US administration has argued that the conflict effectively ended after Trump ordered a ceasefire in early April. The White House has also rejected the House resolution, calling it an unconstitutional attempt to limit executive authority, saying there are currently no active hostilities from which US forces should withdraw.

The Senate has not yet set a date for a final vote on its special resolution on war powers./ REL