US Senate passes resolution to curb Donald Trump's war powers on Iran

Donald Trump. Pic/AFP

The US Senate passed a war powers resolution on Iran, restricting President Donald Trump from launching further military operations in Iran without congressional approval.

The passage of the resolution on Tuesday marked the first time such a measure has cleared both chambers of Congress since the conflict began in February and signaled growing opposition to Trump's handling of the war.

The Iran War Powers Resolution passed in Senate by a vote of 50 to 48, with four Republicans joining most Senate Democrats in support of the measure. One Democrat voted against it, Xinhua news agency reported.

The resolution "directs the President to remove US Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran unless a declaration of war or authorization to use military force for such purpose has been enacted," according to a summary of the legislation published on the Congress website.

It also reaffirms Congress' constitutional authority to declare war and initiate military hostilities, with supporters arguing that the war against Iran amounted to an unauthorized "war of choice."

Some US media outlets described the resolution's passage as largely symbolic. "But Tuesday's resolution will likely be largely symbolic, since the administration argues that US forces are not currently engaged in hostilities with Iran," CBS News reported.

NBC News noted that "the largely symbolic measure's passage comes as the US and Iran are in the early stages of talks aimed at ending the war." Democrats, however, argued that a war powers resolution remains necessary even after the United States reached a deal to end the conflict.

"I think it's a good time to have the vote to say, 'Hey, if we're really in a period of maybe some stability here, let's not just allow it to start up again without Congress being involved in that decision,'" Senator Tim Kaine told reporters last week, according to CNN.

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