The US House of Representatives passed a resolution on Wednesday calling for the withdrawal of US troops from the conflict with Iran, thus delivering a slap in the face to President Donald Trump, who began the war on 28 February.
“Congress directs the president to withdraw United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the text stated.
Four members of Trump’s majority Republicans joined Democrats in backing the measure, which passed 215-208 and now heads to the Senate.
However, it could ultimately face a presidential veto.
In a message posted on X, Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee described the vote as “a loud and unambiguous message to Donald Trump on behalf of the American people: it is time to end his deeply unpopular and illegal war of choice in Iran.”
A similar resolution cleared procedural hurdles in the Senate in late May and could be voted on by the upper chamber as early as this week.
If both houses of Congress approve the resolution, Trump would almost certainly veto it, preventing it from becoming law.
To override the veto, a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate would be required, a scenario considered highly unlikely given the current political composition of Congress.
Under the US Constitution, Congress alone holds the authority to declare war. Through these resolutions, Democrats aim to reaffirm the legislative branch’s exclusive power over war declarations, challenging the executive authority of President Trump.
While the law permits a president to initiate hostilities in response to an imminent threat, it requires congressional authorisation within 60 days.
Democrats argue that Trump violated this deadline in early May, claiming that the conflict, which began on 28 February with US and Israeli airstrikes, had concluded due to an ongoing ceasefire.
They counter this assertion, pointing out that US forces remain engaged in enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports.
