WASHINGTON, DC – A resolution to curb US President Donald Trump’s power to wage war against Iran has failed for the fourth time in the US Senate. Lawmakers have promised to introduce the measure weekly.
The vote is the first since the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire last week. Subsequent talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, failed to reach a more permanent agreement, but both sides have indicated they are open to a second round.
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Prior to the cessation of hostilities, US President Donald Trump had repeatedly threatened to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure. Trump’s threat on April 7, hours before an agreement was reached, that “the entire civilization will perish tonight” further fueled his calls for Congress to rein in the war.
Similar to past votes, Wednesday’s resolution failed 47-52 along mostly party lines, with one Republican, Rand Paul, voting yes and one Democrat John Fetterman voting no.
Supporters of the resolution argue that President Trump overstepped his constitutional authority by starting a war with Israel on February 28th. The U.S. Constitution reserves the decision to go to war to Congress, and stipulates that the president may unilaterally launch operations only in cases of immediate self-defense.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has offered a merry-go-round explanation for going to war, arguing that the entirety of Iran’s actions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution represent an imminent threat to the United States.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s vote, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said the conflict was a “failed, mismanaged war” that had failed to achieve some of the administration’s stated goals.
He also criticized the Trump administration’s lack of transparency and Congressional Republican oversight.
“We should note how extraordinary it is that Senate Republican leadership has refused to oversee a war that is costing billions of dollars every week, has already killed more than a dozen Americans, has sparked regional wars across the Middle East, and is literally collapsing economies around the world,” Murphy said.
Republican Sen. Jim Risch dismissed the measure as “same old, same old,” insisting that Trump was acting within the scope of his presidential powers.
“It says to President Trump, ‘Put your tail between your legs and run.’ That’s what this resolution is about,” he said.
“[Trump]not only has a right to do this, he has an obligation to do so. He took an oath to protect the American people.”
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on its own version of the resolution this week, and its passage is considered more likely, especially given growing war alarm among some Republicans.
The success of the resolution in either chamber would be largely symbolic. Even if it passes both houses of Congress, President Trump could veto it. In that case, both chambers would need a likely insurmountable two-thirds vote to override the veto.
But lawmakers could face an even bigger test at the end of April, when the war reaches its 60th day. Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the U.S. Congress must authorize military action at that time or approve a 30-day extension.
Otherwise, President Trump would be legally required to begin withdrawing troops.
US lockdown continues
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Wednesday that no ships entering or exiting Iranian ports had successfully passed through the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the past 48 hours. Centcom said its nine vessels had complied with the US military’s order to turn back.
In a separate statement, the U.S. Navy said it was warning ships that “ships entering or exiting Iranian ports will be boarded for interdiction and seizure purposes.”
Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US government was preparing a number of new actions that would be the “economic equivalent” of a military strike. At the height of the war, the United States had lifted some sanctions against Iran in order to curb the soaring global energy prices.
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt told reporters that the Trump administration has not formally requested an extension of the two-week ceasefire, which ends next week.
She struck an optimistic tone about the prospects for a second round of talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad.
“At this time, we remain very engaged in these negotiations and consultations,” she said.
Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported that a high-level Pakistani delegation had arrived in Tehran to arrange new talks.
Still, Major General Ali Abdullahi, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that the ongoing naval blockade could end the fragile truce.
“This action by the US, as an aggressor and terrorist, will herald a violation of the ceasefire if it continues its illegal activities of imposing a naval blockade in the region and seeks to cause insecurity among Iranian commercial vessels and oil tankers,” he said.
