US congress rebukes Trump by passing historic Iran war powers resolution

Congress votes to halt the Iran war.

The Republican-controlled US Senate has voted 50-48 to instruct President Donald Trump to halt the war in Iran unless he secures explicit congressional approval. A handful of Republicans crossed party lines to join Democrats in passing the resolution on Tuesday, following a similar vote by the House of Representatives earlier this month.

The vote marks the first time since the passage of the 1973 War Powers Resolution that both chambers of Congress have approved a concurrent resolution to end a military action. However, the measure is largely symbolic, as concurrent resolutions express the political will of Congress but do not carry the force of law or require the president’s signature.

President Trump criticised the move on Truth Social, calling the vote “poorly timed and meaningless” and arguing that it complicates his foreign policy objectives. A White House official also dismissed the resolution’s practical impact, noting that a ceasefire agreed on 7 April means active hostilities have already paused whilst both nations negotiate under a temporary memorandum of understanding.

The resolution nevertheless increases political pressure on the White House regarding the five-month-old conflict, which has become deeply unpopular due to spiking petrol prices. It also highlights growing divisions within the Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections, following recent congressional resistance to Trump’s proposed “anti-weaponisation” fund and Ukraine aid packages.