Congress rebukes Iran war, Trump with war powers resolution

WASHINGTON (CN) — The Senate on Tuesday narrowly passed a measure demanding that President Donald Trump formally end his war on Iran, delivering a sharp — albeit symbolic — rejection of the conflict which wreaked havoc on the global economy and divided Republican lawmakers.

The move comes days after the Trump administration unveiled a 14-point plan it said would serve as the foundation of a peace agreement with Tehran. And it comes just hours before the president himself is set to travel to Capitol Hill for a hotly anticipated meeting with Senate Republicans.

Lawmakers for months have tried unsuccessfully to leverage Congress’ authority under the 1975 War Powers Resolution to force Trump to halt his war on Iran. But the House earlier this month passed its own measure ordering an end to hostilities with some Republican support, teeing it up for a crucial vote in the Senate this week.

The resolution ultimately cleared the upper chamber on a narrow 50-48 vote. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, Maine Senator Susan Collins, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy joined nearly every Senate Democrat in backing the measure.

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was the sole Democrat to vote against the war powers resolution.

During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he hoped Republicans would go on the record and oppose the Iran war, pointing out that Democrats had on nearly ten occasions tried to pass similar legislation and that GOP lawmakers “left the American people disappointed each time.”

“Republicans can complain about Trump’s war, his secrecy, and his disastrous deal with Iran all they want behind closed doors, but the only way to ensure this war ends once and for all is for Republicans to act,” said Schumer.

Though the measure represents a significant rebuke of Trump’s war on Iran and a check on his ability to resume the conflict, it is a largely symbolic gesture as the White House begins negotiating a formal end to hostilities with Tehran.

The Trump administration drew sharp criticism from Senate Republicans last week following the announcement of a memorandum of understanding with Iran — the 14-point plan which, among other things, proposed a $300 billion “reconstruction and economic development” fund in exchange for Tehran agreeing to open the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic.

The proposed peace framework also instructed Iran to “reaffirm” its intention never to procure a nuclear weapon but did not lay out specifics for how that commitment would be enforced. The White House has said it will hammer out the details with the regime over the next 60 days.

Though some Senate Republicans worried the memorandum’s provisions undermined U.S. goals in its war on Iran, others said the administration should get a chance to pursue a diplomatic solution.

“I think it’s only fair to wish out people well and wait until the 60 days are up,” Louisiana Senator John Kennedy told reporters Tuesday afternoon, adding that he thought Trump wanted to “give peace a chance” and that he thought such a strategy was effective.

“If it doesn’t work, the president’s going to have to be prepared to eat Iran and spit out the bones,” Kennedy said.

The Louisiana Republican, however, declined to say whether he or any of his colleagues planned to broach the details of the Iran deal with Trump on Wednesday, when he is slated to attend a lunch meeting with GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

“I’m not setting the agenda,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him.”

Schumer, for his part, urged his Republican colleagues to “hold Trump’s feet to the fire” and force him to defend his agreement with Tehran.

“Senate Republicans need to grill Donald Trump for answers on where negotiations stand when he meets with them at the Capitol tomorrow,” he said.

Though it’s not the first time Senate lawmakers have considered legislation blocking military action by the Trump administration, both chambers of Congress have until Tuesday failed to approve such a war powers resolution.

The Senate earlier this year advanced a measure aimed at blocking the White House from engaging in further hostilities against Venezuela, following the daring snatch-and-grab mission in Caracas which saw U.S. forces capture former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. But the upper chamber failed to pass the resolution itself — Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote shooting that effort down.

Trump’s Iran war, meanwhile, caused economic shocks across the globe, spiking oil and gas prices and affecting U.S. agriculture markets reliant on fertilizer typically shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict also resulted in weeks of missile and drone attacks on states around the Persian Gulf, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan.

The president has repeatedly defended his memorandum of understanding with Tehran, saying that it will first and foremost prevent the country from ever building a nuclear weapon.

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