US Senate Approves Resolution Granting War Powers to President Trump

US Senate Votes to Invoke War Powers Against Iran

The US Senate has voted in favor of a measure invoking its war powers to force President Donald Trump to halt his military campaign against Iran or seek congressional approval before any further action is taken. The vote, which took place on Tuesday, marked the 10th attempt by Congress to rein in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

The Senate passed the measure in a 50-48 vote, with four Republican senators crossing party lines to vote in favor of the resolution. The House of Representatives had previously approved a similar measure on June 3, with a vote of 215 to 208.

Top Democrat Chuck Schumer spoke on the Senate floor before the vote, criticizing Trump’s military campaign against Iran and calling it “disastrous.” Schumer stated that the American people have paid the price for Trump’s foreign policy decisions in Iran.

A recent poll found that only 24% of respondents felt that the war had been worth the cost. The Senate passed its first war powers resolution against the Iran conflict on May 20, but it was a procedural move only and did not progress.

The war powers resolution directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran. It also allows for a limited military presence to remain in the Middle East to prevent any “imminent attack” against the US or its allies.

The vote reflects growing unease among some Republican supporters about the unpopular conflict, which began with US-Israeli air strikes on Tehran on February 28. The Trump administration is now required to seek explicit congressional approval for further strikes on Iran. However, previous administrations have found routes around this by securing more limited authorisations for the use of military force.

The outcome of the vote is not immediately clear, and it remains to be seen how it will affect the conflict.

Source: Al Jazeera