In an unprecedented bipartisan pushback against the White House's foreign policy, the US Senate voted to end military action against Iran.
With a vote of 50 to 48, the upper house of the US parliament approved a resolution that obliges President Donald Trump to withdraw US armed forces from the conflict unless there is explicit approval from Congress, TRT Worldq NBC News and Reuters reported.
The measure passed after four Republican senators broke party discipline and joined the Democrats. They are Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Rand Paul (Kentucky) and Bill Cassidy (Louisiana). Since the House of Representatives already passed the same text earlier this month, the decision represents the official and unified position of the US legislature.
Growing discontent over the cost of war
The vote comes at an extremely delicate moment. Military action between the US and Iran began in late February, and last week the two sides signed a preliminary memorandum of understanding for a ceasefire and the start of 60-day peace talks.
However, the congressmen express serious concern about the cost of the conflict, which has already led to serious economic shocks worldwide and an increase in the cost of living in the US. The vote coincided with a request from the Pentagon for an additional $80 billion to replenish the military arsenals spent in the Middle East. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer described the war as a “historic mistake“ by Trump.
Symbolic act or real blockade?
Despite the political weight of the vote, its real effect remains controversial. Because the resolution was adopted under the War Powers Act of 1973, it expresses the will of Congress but does not require a presidential signature to enter into force and does not carry the direct force of law.
The administration of Donald Trump was quick to downplay the event. In an official statement, the White House called the decision “irrelevant“ and added that it was the result only of the absence of two Republican senators during the vote. The president himself sharply criticized the actions of the lawmakers on the social network Truth Social, defining them as “unpatriotic“ at a time when his administration is conducting final negotiations with Tehran.
Legal experts predict that the case of whether Congress can effectively stop a military operation by the commander in chief in this way will ultimately have to be decided by the courts.