U.S. lawmakers pass resolution aimed at preventing military action against Iran

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a war powers resolution directing the removal of American military forces from operations against Iran.

The lower chamber passed the resolution by a vote of 215-208 on Wednesday.The resolution was introduced by Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, News.Az reports, citing TRT World.

Meeks said the passage of the resolution was a "significant bipartisan rebuke" of Trump administration’s "illegal and costly war" in Iran.

The war, he said, has failed to accomplish the Trump administration’s stated goals with respect to Iran.“If anything, it has pushed a diplomatic resolution of Iran’s nuclear programme further away," Meeks added.

The vote is largely symbolic. Any resolution would also have to pass the Senate to become effective and garner the two-thirds majorities in both chambers to overcome an almost certain Trump veto.

However, it comes after three previous war powers resolutions had failed in the House by increasingly slim margins. And the Senate advanced a separate, but similar resolution last month in a procedural vote, after seven previous attempts had failed.

Democrats have repeatedly pushed votes in both the House and the Senate to limit Trump's war powers, with the effort gradually gaining more Republican backing in recent weeks.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli