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'Huge Win for the Constitution' as House Finally Passes Iran War Powers Resolution
"Now it’s time for the Senate to act," said CodePink's Medea Benjamin. "Let’s keep the pressure on and send this resolution to Trump’s desk. No more illegal wars. No more blank checks for militarism."
Jun 03, 2026
Raucous applause erupted in the House of Representatives on Wednesday after US lawmakers passed a war powers resolution aimed at ending Donald Trump's illegal war of choice against Iran—although skeptics cautioned that the measure will likely have little impact on the actions of a president who has habitually shown utter contempt for the rule of law.
House lawmakers voted 215-208, with 7 legislators not voting, in favor of H.Con.Res.86, introduced in April by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and cosponsored by Reps. James Himes (D-Conn.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
Every Democrat present voted for the resolution, while three Republicans—Reps. Tom Barrett (Mich.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.)—broke ranks with their GOP colleagues and joined Massie in voting to approve the measure, which directs Trump to "remove United States armed forces from hostilities with Iran."
“We are trapped in a war that won’t end because an incompetent president launched it thinking of only his own ego while failing to prepare for the consequences,” Meeks, the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during floor debate ahead of Wednesday's vote. “Diplomacy is the only exit from this, not more bombing, not more bluster.”
The War Powers Resolution of 1973—also known as the War Powers Act—requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing troops to military action and limiting such action to 60 days, with a 30-day withdrawal period, unless lawmakers declare war or issue an authorization for the use of military force.
It's been 95 days since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran, which followed last summer's separate bombing campaigns by both allies. Since then, more than 3,400 Iranians—many of them civilians—have been killed and over 26,000 others wounded by airstrikes, while Iranian counterattacks have killed 13 US troops, 26 Israelis, and over 20 people in Gulf Arab states aligned with the US.
House lawmakers had tried and failed to pass Iran war powers resolutions on three previous occasions. Last month, after four US Senate Republicans helped Democrats advance one of the resolutions, GOP leadership in the House canceled two subsequent votes on the measure.
“Since President Trump’s illegal war of choice on Iran began, I have been extremely clear over and over again that Congress alone has the power to declare war," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)—who did not vote Wednesday because she was in India due to a family health emergency—said in a statement. "This war has had disastrous effects for the American people and for the world in the nearly 100 days since Trump began it without congressional approval."
Jayapal continued:
"Waged with absolutely no imminent threat and no endgame, this war has already killed 13 US service members and injured many more; killed thousands of civilians in Iran and Lebanon, and displaced millions more; wasted billions in US taxpayer dollars that should have been spent on lowering healthcare and housing costs for Americans; and all while causing gas prices and grocery costs to skyrocket.
"The simple truth is that the American people are paying the price for Trump’s lawlessness," Jayapal added. “Every day that this war continues is a violation of our Constitution."
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) asserted that "our victory—while monumental—does not change the truth that this war never should have began, and never would have began, had the president not disgraced America and our laws to ensure that it did."
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said on social media: "The American people are tired of presidents abusing their power by spending billions of our taxpayer dollars on unnecessary wars. I urge the Senate to quickly pass this bill to end Trump’s illegal war in Iran."
Civil society groups opposed to the war applauded Wednesday's vote, which Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the peace group CodePink, called a "total rebuke of Trump."
"After 95 days of illegal war, Congress is finally enacting the will of the people, who overwhelmingly oppose President Trump’s disastrous war on Iran," Eric Eikenberry, government relations director at Win Without War, said in a statement.
"While congressional action is welcome, it is woefully late. Congress should not have taken over three months to pass a resolution that would force Trump to end this war," he continued. "Their delay has left millions of people struggling amidst unnecessary, unacceptable human and economic consequences."
"Lawmakers who've placed their loyalty to Trump over acting to determine when and whether the United States goes to war have failed both their constituents and their constitutional duty," Eikenberry added.
Naveed Shah, political director of the veterans' group Common Defense, said following the vote, "Veterans understand the costs of war better than most Americans, which is why we commend the Republicans who joined Democrats on this vote and showed the kind of courage and independence this moment demands."
"This was an important step toward ending a dangerous war and ensuring that the American people have a voice through their elected representatives," Shah added. "It is long past time to put guardrails on this brazen president, who launched us into an illegal war with Iran."
Alix Fraser, vice president of advocacy at Issue One, a group dedicated to reducing the role of money in politics, said in a statement that “today’s vote is a huge win for the Constitution and for the American people."
"The House finally had the political willpower to stand up to the president’s unconstitutional war," Fraser added. "Americans should celebrate this massive victory, but have every right to feel frustrated that it took this long for Congress to work on behalf of the people. That must change. Our democracy will not survive if Congress fails to uphold its responsibility to check executive power at this critical juncture."
“Every day that this war continues is a violation of our Constitution.”
Some observers noted that Wednesday's vote is likely to be largely symbolic, pointing to Trump's veto—and the Senate's failure to overturn it—of a 2019 bipartisan war powers resolution directing him to end US military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
Still, lawmakers and advocates urged the Senate to pass the Iran resolution to uphold the rule of law and force Trump's hand.
"Ending this war is a moral imperative," said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.).
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) implored upper chamber lawmakers to "immediately follow suit and act to end this war."
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) posted on Bluesky: "Now it’s time to pass the Senate. The power to declare war has been with Congress. Now let’s get it done and end this war!"
Benjamin said: "Now it’s time for the Senate to act. Let’s keep the pressure on and send this resolution to Trump’s desk. No more illegal wars. No more blank checks for militarism."
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Amid Israeli Sabotage of Iran Talks, Trump Says Troops Turned Back From Beirut After Netanyahu Call
"Israel is doing everything it can to derail diplomacy by turning southern Lebanon into another Gaza," said one foreign policy expert.
Jun 01, 2026
Shortly after reporting emerged Monday that Iran was suspending talks with the United States over Israel's ramped up assault on Lebanon, President Donald Trump claimed that Israeli forces headed toward Beirut have "turned back" and that Hezbollah has agreed that "all shooting will stop" following separate phone calls with representatives from the two warring sides.
Since Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began bombing Iran on February 28, Iranian officials and global experts have repeatedly accused the Israeli government of trying to sabotage any path to peace.
Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported Monday that "given the continuation of the Israeli regime's attacks in Lebanon, and considering that Lebanon had been one of the preconditions for a ceasefire—which has now been violated on all fronts, including Lebanon—the Iranian negotiating team is suspending 'talks and exchanges of texts through mediators.'"
According to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated news agency, the IRGC said in a statement that Iran considers "the crossing of red lines in Lebanon and Gaza to mean direct war and the imposition of costs on its national security and the Islamic Resistance," and in response, it will "undertake defensive operations through unconventional measures, opening new fronts and maintaining the Strait of Hormuz equation."
Iran has responded to the US-Israeli assault by restricting traffic through the waterway, a key trade route, particularly for fossil fuels and fertilizer. As oil prices around the world have soared, Trump has imposed a naval blockade that he has maintained despite the April ceasefire agreement—which Israel initially claimed did not include Lebanon.
In a brief phone call on Monday, Trump told NBC News that he had not been informed of Iran's reported decision to suspend negotiations over Israel's escalation in Lebanon, but "I think it's fine if they're done talking."
"It's an appropriate thing to say, because they're better negotiators than they are fighters... But they haven't informed us of that," he continued. "It doesn't mean we're going to go and start dropping bombs all over there."
That comment notably came after the Trump administration launched new strikes against Iran over the weekend, and the Iranians attacked US military installations in the Middle East.
"We'll keep the blockade," Trump told NBC. "If they don't want to talk, that's OK with me. I think it's fine. I don't particularly want to talk either. We talk too much."
However, shortly after that, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he "had a very productive call" with Netanyahu, "and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back."
"Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop—That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel," Trump continued. Less than 15 minutes later, he added that "talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran."
While Iran's leadership had not publicly confirmed that talks were halted on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media that "the ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation."
Iran's chief negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, similarly said: "The naval blockade and escalation of war crimes in Lebanon by the genocidal Zionist regime are clear evidence of US noncompliance with the ceasefire. Every choice has a price, and the bill comes due. It will all fall into place."
Responding to Israel "dramatically escalating its military campaign" in southern Lebanon and Tasnim's reporting on negotiations, Sina Toossi, a senior nonresident fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington, DC, concluded that "the Iranian message is increasingly clear: no Lebanon ceasefire, no broader framework, and potentially no talks at all."
"The talks are in a vicious cycle: progress, escalation, backtracking," he noted. "Many in Iran suspect Trump is trying to bring down the 'floor' for oil prices ahead of more war. And Israel is doing everything it can to derail diplomacy by turning southern Lebanon into another Gaza."
The "Gaza playbook" Israel is now using in Lebanon, Toossi said, features "scorched-earth tactics, mass displacement, and the ethnic cleansing" of its neighboring nation.
Other experts also pointed to Gaza, where Israel is widely accused of pursuing a genocide against Palestinians in the besieged exclave. Calling out Reuters reporting on Israel's escalation in Lebanon, Arab Center Washington DC fellow Assal Rad said that "like 'targeting Hamas' in Gaza, 'Hezbollah-controlled' is used to justify Israel flattening entire neighborhoods in Lebanon. This isn't journalism, it's stenography."
"This is what Israel's total destruction of southern Lebanon looks like, deliberately destroying people’s homes so they have nothing to return to," she added, sharing satellite images of the destruction.
Mohamad Safa, who earlier this year resigned as a representative for the nongovernmental organization Patriotic Vision Association at the United Nations, on Monday accused Israel of "committing another genocide in real time in Lebanon with complete impunity."
Former US Department of Defense adviser Jasmine El-Gamal, who now leads the consulting firm Averos Strategies, said early Monday: "Early in the Iran war, I warned that US and Israeli interests would inevitably diverge and that President Trump would have to make a choice: to actually put America first, or to continue to allow Netanyahu to threaten our interests. Lebanon is the epitome of this choice."
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Watch: Trump Admits 'We Shouldn't Have Been in Iran'
The president also simultaneously claimed to have left Iran's military alone and destroyed its navy and air force.
May 31, 2026
President Donald Trump said Saturday during an interview with his daughter-in-law that the US should not have waged war on Iran, while making contradictory claims about destroying Iran's military and leaving it alone.
“You look at what happened with Iraq. We did so bad. It was such a foolish thing what we did. We shouldn’t have been there in the first place, by the way,” Trump told Lara Trump, who hosts Fox News' "My View."
“We shouldn’t have been in Iran, but Iran has the capability," he said, referring to the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
Former US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last year that “Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and [the late] Supreme Leader Khamanei had not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.” US intelligence agencies have repeatedly come to the same conclusion since the George W. Bush administration.
Trump claimed that without US bombing, Iran "would have a nuclear weapon right now and will be a whole different story."
“If we didn’t hit them with B-2 bombers, nine months ago, they would have a nuclear weapon right now," he said.
"Their military, we've sort of left it alone because we think that their military is somewhat moderate," Trump said right after saying that "their navy is gone, 100%," and "their air force is gone, 100%."
The president also claimed that he will negotiate a "great" end to the war with Iran, or "we'll just go back and finish it off militarily."
"We're close to a very good deal," he said.
You saw Venezuela," Trump said, referring to the country the US bombed and invaded in January to abduct President Nicolás Maduro and bring him to the United States to face dubious narco-terrorism charges.
At least 3,468 people have been killed in US-Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28, according to Iran’s Ministry of Health, including 496 women and 376 children.
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