The House voted to end the war in Iran. Here’s what happens next

Supervising Producer

WASHINGTON —

House votes to rein in Trump’s war

The House voted Wednesday to approve a war powers resolution aimed at restricting President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran, marking the fourth attempt to curb the ongoing conflict.

Republicans, including Rep. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, joined all Democrats in supporting the measure, which does not immediately stop the war but represents a symbolic step as more Republicans seek to block the president’s agenda.

The resolution calls for the president to seek congressional approval before carrying out further military actions against Iran. The law requires the president to get congressional approval to continue a war past 60 days, but several administrations have shirked that responsibility. The Trump White House indicated that hostilities are over due to the ceasefire agreement.

The war powers resolution now moves to the Senate. Even if it passes, as a similar measure did in that chamber, the president would need to sign it, which is considered highly unlikely.

On Thursday morning, the president posted online, calling the vote “meaningless” and “unpatriotic.”

Trump noncommittal about success of Iran talks

On Wednesday, Trump offered a new, qualified definition of the ceasefire, telling reporters, “It’s a different part of the world. You know, I’d say in that part of the world, ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner.”

He also emphasized that progress is being made toward a deal. “The negotiation itself is going very well, actually, very well. It could happen, I mean, if it happens, and it might not happen, you know, who knows, but if it happens, it could happen like over the weekend,” Trump said.

Last week, negotiators from the U.S. and Iran reached a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire for 60 days and begin new talks to end the war and review Iran’s nuclear program. Neither side finalized the agreement, as strikes from both sides have raised concerns that the ceasefire could collapse.

This week, the U.S. fired a missile into the engine room of an oil tanker attempting to reach Iran despite the U.S. blockade. In response, the U.S. military reported that Iran launched attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, two U.S. allies. A second wave of attacks targeted American forces in Kuwait. U.S. forces shot those strikes down. Iran also fired on at least one civilian ship in the region. An Iranian bomb hit Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person and injuring dozens more. The country’s Interior Ministry shared video of the damaged terminal.

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