The U.S. Senate passed a resolution telling President Donald Trump to end the war with Iran or seek congressional authorization to continue it, in a politically embarrassing 50 to 48 vote. The measure has no force of law, so it is unlikely to force an immediate policy change, but it exposed divisions inside the Republican Party over war powers and national security.
Four Republicans joined Democrats in backing the resolution, while only one Democrat, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted against it. The Republican supporters were Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Their votes, along with the absence of two Republicans who had opposed similar steps before, including Mitch McConnell, gave Democrats the win.
The vote came as Republicans face a difficult political environment ahead of the November midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. Lawmakers have raised concerns about the war’s unclear goals, its economic cost and the risk of a wider regional escalation. It was also the first time since 1973 that both chambers of Congress approved a measure at the same time directing a president to end a military conflict. The House passed the proposal earlier this month after Republican leaders failed to keep the party united on Iran.
Trump lashed out at the Senate on Truth Social, saying, “I have Iran backed into a corner, ready to fall, ready to make a deal, and for the first time in decades it is respecting the U.S. and its president, me.” He called the vote a “meaningless, badly timed” move, said Iran is the “number one sponsor of terror in the world,” and accused the senators who backed the resolution of helping the enemy. He also called the four Republican defectors “losers,” and said the vote would make his work harder, though “I will get it done, one way or another, because I always get the job done.”
