US House narrowly rejects resolution to end Trump’s Iran war

The US House of Representatives votes 219-212 against a resolution requiring Congress’s approval for further military action on Iran.Published On 5 Mar 2026The United States House of Representatives has narrowly rejected a war powers resolution that would have halted President Donald Trump’s war on Iran and required congressional authorisation for any further attacks.The ⁠vote on Thursday was 219 ⁠to 212 ⁠in the House, where Trump’s fellow Republicans control ‌a narrow majority of seats.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Map shows how big Iran is compared with the 50 US stateslist 2 of 3Emotional turmoil grips Iranians watching conflict unfold overseaslist 3 of 3Sri Lanka evacuates over 200 crew members of second Iranian vesselend of listIt is the second vote in as many days, after the Senate defeated a similar measure along party lines.Under the US Constitution, only Congress can declare war. Presidents can unilaterally conduct some military actions, but legal scholars have long argued that, under the founding US document, that authority only applies in instances of immediate self-defence of the country.“Donald Trump is not a king, and if he believes the war with Iran is in our national interest, then he must come to Congress and make the case,” said Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.The House also approved a separate measure affirming that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism.Republican Representative Brian Mast of Florida, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, publicly thanked Trump for taking action against Iran, saying the president is using his own constitutional authority to defend the US against the “imminent threat” the country posed.Mast, an army veteran who worked as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan, said the war powers resolution was effectively asking “that the president do nothing”.